High School Poetry & A Movie Review

Teaching poetry in high school can be as easy as having the right tools to help you get the job done! Check out this online high school homeschool course in our High School Poetry & A Movie Review.

“But, you aren’t going to homeschool high school, are you?”

My kiddo was 5. I didn’t know I was going to be homeschooling next week never mind in 10 years! It’s okay not to be sure and it’s okay not to know.

Half the fun of homeschooling is figuring out what your homeschool will look like and learning as you go.

Teaching Poetry In High School

Jump ahead 10 years and I can now say yes, we are homeschooling high school and having a blast! And, you can too!

One key that has saved me from my doubts and fears is the knowledge that if I don’t feel confident teaching something I can outsource it.

Earlier this year we had a problem with finding the right Language Arts program for high school.

After two very emotionally stressed days and having her HATE (yes, all caps!) every single language arts program I could find, I gave up!

Yup, I said forget it and called a friend to vent. Little did I know she just released a brand new language arts program for high school.

Disclosure: I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Poetry & A Movie For High School ~ A Year Course

When Dachelle McVey, the creator of Literary Adventures for Kids told me about her program, called Poetry & A Movie for High School ~ A Year Course I was so surprised!

She asked me if I’d be willing to test it out and share my thoughts. I made a judgment call and said, “thanks but no thanks” to the offer to check it out. After all, my kid hated all things poetry.

Of course, after I called her over and showed her the program, she made a liar out of me as kids do and said yes she’d like to try it out.

Here we are, teaming up with Literary Adventures for Kids to bring you this review!

What To Consider When Looking For A Poetry Course For High School

When I am considering something for my kids I like to be armed with as much information as possible to make an informed decision.

Keep reading as I crack this open for you by sharing:

• what is an online book club?
• supplies you’ll need and where to find them
• how the program is designed to work
• how we use it in our homeschool
• what we changed to fit our needs
• what poetry tea time is
• and get your questions answered in a Q&A video.

Are you homeschooling high school? You’ll love this high school poetry course.

Poetry & A Movie: Overview and Coupon Code

First, let me give you an overview.

Poetry & A Movie:

• Is an online course for grades 7+?
• Is self-paced, start whenever you want and go at your child’s pace?
• Is a one-time purchase giving you lifetime access to the course?
• Is a course that includes multiple formats for all learning styles?
• Is a study of 10 master poets and their poetry?
• Includes a study of literary elements, writing, grammar component, and fun elements such as poetry tea time and trivia
• Is flexible enough to be used as a full high school credit or half credit?

Literary Adventures for Kids – Poetry and a Movie: I’m teaming up with Literary Adventures for kids to provide you a special discount code, use WHSM for 20% off!

What Is An Online Book Club?

I don’t know about you but my idea of a book club is a bunch of women sitting around gossiping about their neighbors and eating finger foods, and totally ignoring the book!

Probably from too many movies.

What IS an Online Family Book Club? How Does It Work?

Trust me when I say, I have not seen anything like this online. I asked the creator of Literary Adventures For Kids to help me explain:

“Using these simple techniques, poetry comes to life With a simple formula, we bring these classic poems to life and start engaging your student in a literature adventure.

We start by teaching your student how poetry can be approached from multiple angles: history, form, and analysis.

Next, your student will learn the literary elements found in the poems and use their new knowledge to create their own poetry.

And then, we see how modern screenwriters incorporate the master poets into modern movies. “

Teaching Teens Poetry:

Let’s be honest, teaching classic poetry to teenagers can be difficult.

Why on earth would they want to study poets who have been dead for decades or even centuries? What does that have to do with their tech-heavy world?

Poetry & A Movie for high school not only teaches your teen about poets and their poetry but also teaches them how classical material is still utilized in our modern culture.

For the record, while watching one of the movies my daughter informed me how it was connected to the poet she was studying.

Here is how it works:

• They start by teaching how poetry can be approached from multiple angles: history, form, and analysis.
• Next, they teach the literary elements found in the poems and turn this new knowledge to create their own poetry.
• And then, they learn how modern screenwriters incorporate the master poets into modern movies.

Supplies List & Where To Get Them

I really appreciated getting an inside peek that allowed me to see now only how the course worked and the platform it uses but also the supply list.

Here is how you can get to the preview to check it out for yourself:

1. Click here:  Poetry and a Movie page
2. Scroll to about halfway down you will see a link to a free preview. (shown below click where the red arrow is pointing)

We use Amazon lists to create buying lists and help us keep track of books and supplies. You can see our list for this program here.

There is one book missing because it didn’t have the option to add to the list. Instead, I added it to my cart, that way Amazon will email me when it goes on sale. Neat huh?

Because books can be pricey, I highly recommend taking this list with you and checking your local library, friend’s bookshelves, and used bookstores.

I shared my favorite ways to save money on books here if you want more ideas!

What Is Poetry Teatime?

As I mentioned, outsourcing to online programs is what has saved my homeschool as a working mom. BUT the problem with outsourcing so much is I miss the connection and learning beside my kids.

This is where the Poetry Tea Time & Movie comes in.

Let me confess, I hate reading out loud and my kids are not a fan of it either. However, Poetry is meant to be read out loud.

Also, I had no idea what Poetry Tea Time was, to begin with.

Put simply, Poetry Teatime is a time to set down with your kids to read poetry while enjoying snacks and tea.”

– What is poetry tea time?

First of all, here we are doing our version of “poetry tea time”.

This book, in the photo above, is amazing by the way. It is one of the Poetry for Young People books which is super cool. It explains words and phrases plus a little history of each poem. We got our Edgar Allen Poe book from Amazon.

Poetry for Young People: Edgar Allan PoePoetry for Young People: Robert Frost (Volume 1)Poetry for Young People: William Wordsworth

 

Remember, homeschooling is a personal journey and should look different for you.

We don’t fit the mold. So we do it our way.

Guess what? You should do things your way too. Whatever works in your homeschool, do that. ❤️

What does poetry tea time look like for you, if you do it?

Poetry & A Movie In Action

My favorite part of this course is how it fosters independent learning.

Because I work outside the home as well as inside the home, I need something that is “done for you” on my end as well as engaging, interesting, and does the teaching for me.

Here is how we use Poetry & A Movie in our homeschool:

• She logs in and clicks “Start the next lecture”.

• Each lesson includes an estimated time and clear instructions that are easy to follow.
• She reads, watches the videos, or prints off the poems and adds them to her binder.
• When she needs me to check something, she leaves her work on a clipboard and I check it after work.
• We plan our poetry time for my day off and she gets a baking day to make her own treats before we read.
• We plan our movie day for lunchtime or afternoons after work.

We love the flexibility of the course!

Poetry & A Movie Sneak Peek!

I had fun with this video on my Facebook Page. In it, I am answering questions about Poetry & A Movie.
Watch the video and let me know if you have any questions I missed.

Quick Questions:

I wanted to note the most popular questions here in case you didn’t have time to watch the video above.

What age is Poetry & A Movie designed for?

This course is designed for high school and to count as a full credit. Students in grades 7 and up should be able to complete this course.

How long do you have access to the material?

From the time of purchase you get unlimited access to this course for as long as you like – across any and all devices you own for the lifetime of Literary Adventures for Kids, which means you buy it once and you can reuse it for each kid.

For users, you get 5 downloads. So you can use them for other users in your household. If you need more because you have more than 5 children, you can email and they will help you get set up.

Can my student work through this course independently?

This is a tough one as every child is different and you know your child best. That said, Yes, they can but may need help.

My daughter works pretty much on her own, with me checking in for odd things. And of course, we read and watch the movies together.

How long is this course?

This course is designed to be completed in a year. Each poet is a month-long study for a total of 10 months of instruction.

However, this is a self-paced course. There are no starting or ending dates. Feel free to use it at your leisure. Start and end when you want.

How much time does it take for the parent?

The course includes a teacher’s guide for the portion of the literary element. This is not found in the course but is a PDF.
The grammar portion is through Khan, so is self-graded.

However, the course is designed in a way to get children excited about the master poets. So, much of the grading is subjective.

They suggest grading the creative writing portions based on your child’s abilities and try not to be too critical when a child is learning their writing voice. To put it bluntly, did they put their energy into the assignment?

All that to say, it should require 1-3 hours of teacher time per month. The student would probably require 30-60 minutes per day.

What if I hate the course?

No worries,  within 10 days of purchase you can get a full refund.  

Poetry & A Movie: Pros & Cons

Let’s start with the good stuff:

• The course is taught using multiple formats which is great for all learners and keeps it interesting for your teen.
• When learning to write their own poetry the course makes it totally doable. They can also leave the poem in the comments to get feedback.
• Links to the movie reviews are appreciated. I can decide how to handle any situations.
• Self-paced no rushing
• The course uses the teachable platform which is easy to navigate and you can sign in on any device.
• Lifetime access
• Perfect for teaching your kids independent learning because of the guideline.
• A great way to mix offline work, writing, reading, and note-taking with online work!
• Little to no prep work for busy parents.

I had a really hard time coming up with a cons list. After we brainstormed here is what we came up with:  

• If you live in Canada the movies do not seem to be found on Amazon Prime Video
• Some books may be hard to find as well. There was one I am still looking for. But you can print off the poem you need.
• This course is not good if your child prefers textbooks
• It uses online learning, so if your child does not like to use a computer they may not want to use this program.
• Grading is subjective. Because the goal is to inspire kids to relate to and want to read and write poetry the focus is not on mechanics. Therefore, you will not always have definitive answers for the writing.

Seriously that is all I have for cons. This is a really great program for getting your teens excited about poetry while giving them a solid foundation in literature and learning to appreciate figurative language.

So, if you are in the market for a language arts curriculum for your 7th grader or up that’s already prepared for you and is appealing to kids, then click here to check this out!

High School Poetry & A Movie Review

How To Purchase: Visit Literary Adventures For Kids Poetry & A Movie 

Don’t forget to use our special coupon code WHSM to save 20% off!

Grade level: 7 and up

High School Requirements: Full or half credit

Course Type: Digital online course. No physical product will be shipped to you. You will need to find books/movies and a few supplies.

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There you have our full review. I hope you enjoyed digging into Poetry & A Movie with me.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them below!

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