Words Aptly Spoken Literature Series

The curriculum uses appropriately complex classical texts that challenge students at grade level and above.

The series includes challenging works like The Scarlet Letter, Paradise Lost excerpts, Beowulf, and other classical literature appropriate for grades 7-12

The curriculum provides structured writing instruction with specific essay types and progressive writing assignments throughout the series.

American Literature teaches four essay types (book reports, character sketches, book critiques, critical essays), and each guide includes writing assignments that progress from simple to complex tasks

The curriculum primarily uses whole books and complete works, though some guides include excerpts from longer works like Paradise Lost and plays.

Children's Literature studies fourteen complete novels, American Literature includes complete books like The Call of the Wild and To Kill a Mockingbird, and British Literature covers works like Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre in their entirety

The curriculum provides minimal teacher support, expecting parents to read alongside students and facilitate discussions without formal training materials.

Parents are expected to 'read the literature, guide discussions, and evaluate written work, often learning alongside their children' with no answer keys or teacher training provided

The curriculum uses a discussion-based approach with guided questions rather than direct instruction, expecting parents to facilitate learning.

The guides 'ask questions rather than teach directly' and are designed for parent-guided discussions, with no answer keys provided

The curriculum builds domain knowledge through systematic exposure to classic literature across American and British traditions, though it lacks explicit content knowledge instruction beyond literary works.

The series covers significant literary traditions and includes American Documents that studies foundational historical texts, but focuses primarily on literary analysis rather than building broader domain knowledge

The curriculum includes review questions for each reading but lacks systematic spaced review or retrieval practice elements.

Each literary work includes 'review questions' that focus on comprehension, but there is no evidence of spaced review or systematic retrieval practice

The curriculum includes some vocabulary development through literary glossaries and vocabulary exercises, but this is not a primary focus.

American Literature includes vocabulary exercises as part of 'Reading Skills' activities, and British Literature contains a Literary Analysis Glossary defining key terms

No phonics instruction is included, as the curriculum is designed for grades 7-12 students who are already fluent readers.

The guides are written for students in grades 7 through 12 and focus on literary analysis rather than foundational reading skills