Celtic Legends and Literature (a simple unit plan)

I made a summer unit for my kids.  If you are interested in previewing or downloading, go here:

Legends and Literature (PDF)
Legends and Literature (docx)

Here is an embedded preview.  You will notice I tried hard to make it look pretty.  I really like making pretty things, though I haven't done much of it recently.   I used a newsletter template from Microsoft Word 2010, similar to the lesson plans I made once back a couple of years ago.   Definitely time consuming, but fun too.


Since we basically stopped doing any formal academics around Christmas time, I wanted to transition gently back into the next school year.  This unit gets us started using English Literature for Boys and Girls which I am intending as a core text for next year..

Front illustration for English Literature for Boys and Girls

I am planning to focus on Celtic history since it is part of our heritage and fortunately the English Literature book lends itself to that since the earliest literary efforts on the British Isles came firstly from Ireland and secondarily from Scotland.    How convenient!  I am looking forward to doing this at a relaxed pace with my kids this summer.

English Literature for Boys and Girls is an interesting book.  I found it through Ambleside Online where it is recommended for Year 7.    My kids are Year 4 and Year 11.  Nevertheless, I think this is a good time to work through it.    Though Kieron and Paddy are 7 years apart in age they are both very willing participants in discussion of a text.  Kieron's perspective helps Paddy stretch beyond his grade level and the interactive format encourages Kieron to look more deeply into his school reading than otherwise.  He is smart but not particularly inclined to spend any longer on formal academics than he has to, but a good philosophical discussion can always pull him in and he has a real gift for connecting our present reading with other things he has read or seen going back all the way to his preschool years.

So for our Morning Time, I look for readings that bridge the gap between them, and History of English Literature is perfect.  The style is targeted towards kids closer to Paddy's age (in my opinion) but the content is about things I didn't learn until high school or college.   There's a nice mix of actual storytelling, and some real information about literary forms and styles.

You notice I haven't mentioned Aidan in all this.  He actually is Year 7 but his interests and abilities are still firmly set in the primary stage of learning.   I really don't know how much he follows our read-alouds.  He is usually around and sometimes he makes some comment or repeats some phrase.  Sometimes he tries to distract Kieron.  But all in all, I think he gets something from having us consistently sit around and read and talk together.    And maybe the literary language sinks into his brain on some level -- he's amazingly auditory for someone with only one functioning ear.

Back to planning now,

Willa