LITERATURE 5 IS A YEAR-LONG COURSE FOR STUDENTS IN GRADE 5.

Intended for students in fifth grade, students will read great literature and continue to work on their phonics fundamentals and oral reading skills. Students will improve their reading skills through written and oral comprehension exercises. Their vocabulary will be expanded through the application of contextual clues, derivation of words from Latin roots, and use of the dictionary. Students will learn to apply a Christian worldview as they examine qualities of characters in stories and recognize those that are worth admiring. They will learn to identify different genres of literature as they read a variety of styles. They will read such books as Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island and Secret Garden. Most importantly, they will continue to increase their love of literature. Literature 5 is available in You Teach and Live Online formats.

The Veritas Approach to Literature

Reading great literature is an important part of a child’s education at Veritas. Reading literature that has endured the test of time, the classics, is important for many reasons:

• Books create warm emotional bonds between adults and kids when they read books together.
• Books help kids develop basic language skills and profoundly expand their vocabularies.
• Books are interactive; they demand that kids think. Fiction and nonfiction books widen our consciousness.
• Books develop critical thinking skills.
• Books develop and nourish kids’ imaginations, expanding their worlds.
• Books let kids try on the world before they have to go out into it.
• Books help us to understand ourselves, to find out who we are.
• Books help children and adults to open up, to move beyond self-absorption and connect to other people.
• Books answer questions.
• Books create questions.
• Books provide the opportunity to share cultural experiences.
• Books entertain and offer a great escape.
• Books inspire us to dream.[1]

Children love learning from the rich stories of the past. At Veritas, they will learn to love language and expression, they will understand the art of storytelling. Children who are immersed in good literature as young children develop creative minds and an enjoyment of lifelong reading. Who doesn’t remember Charlotte’s Web, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Tom Sawyer, and The Chronicles of Narnia with great fondness?

Kindergarten and first grade start slowly and build as students mature. By second grade, they’ll read about 10 books a year. Most are children’s classic literature. Veritas’s comprehension guides are used to teach children how to read for comprehension, fluency, learn how to discern the plot, who the characters are, and much more. Most of all, literature courses inspire a love of reading. Fun, hands on projects are used to help inculcate such a love.

The literature program is enhanced by students’ accelerated mastery of language through studies in Latin and Grammar and Writing. These advantages translate into reading books earlier than many of their peers and before many educators think possible.

This benefit is further leveraged as they move beyond grammar school and into studying the Great Books through the Omnibus curriculum.

When you think about it, literature, even for the young student, is much more than just reading.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

[1]“Why Do Kids Need Books?” The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance, http://thencbla.org/advocacy/why-do-kids-need-books/. Accessed 6 Mar. 2019.

Live Online

Intended for students in fifth grade, students will read great literature and continue to work on their phonics fundamentals and oral reading skills. Students will improve their reading skills through written and oral comprehension exercises. Their vocabulary will be expanded through the application of contextual clues, derivation of words from Latin roots, and use of the dictionary. Students will learn to apply a Christian worldview as they examine qualities of characters in stories and recognize those that are worth admiring. They will learn to identify different genres of literature as they read a variety of styles. And most importantly, they will continue to increase their love of literature.

Live Online – The Veritas Approach

Veritas has been offering live online classes since 2006. Here are some reasons why you should consider our live courses:

• Classes meet twice weekly for 75–90 minutes.
• Synchronous interactions use audio and video.
• Engage with material throughout the week, per assignments.
• Interaction with peers from across the globe. It's not uncommon to have students from five or six different countries in one classroom.
• 20:1 student:teacher ratio, with an emphasis on individualized attention.
• World-class teachers, more than two-thirds have advanced degrees.
• Veritas Scholars Academy is accredited by Middle States Association

You Teach

You Teach is our term for those who take our curriculum and teach it themselves, whether at home or at school.

Literature 5 - You Teach Kit contains the materials you will need to teach the course to one student at home. The advancement of the students' vocabulary and their maturity allows the difficulty of the books they read to continue to increase. Any Latin instruction will further enhance their abilities. Includes timeless classics such as Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, Old Yeller, and Robinson Crusoe.
Lesson Plans are highly recommended as well. They are 50% off when purchased alongside the course kit.

Course Kits are offered as a discounted package. However, you may only need some of the books. Select the ones you need below for easy ordering.