Classics in the Classroom Author:Michael Clay Thompson Here is an oasis of material for parents and teachers who want their children to benefit from the education of classics and original source material. Thompson believes that classics are part of the heritage our civilization offers... they are part of being civilized. Classics help us to equip our children with preferences for subtlety, complexit... more »y, curiosity, equality, honesty, harmony and humanity... and can help to inoculate them against stupidity and cruelty, and inspire them with the love of thought. Once they are comfortable with ordinary educated language, children love classics and prefer them to forgettable books.
A classic may not be a best-seller for a winter. It may sell well for 30 or 300 winters! Children who read classics delight in good ideas, characterization, depth, complexity, word-play, originality, cleverness and imagination as much as adults do. Even the very young love to be read to. And classics, Thompson writes: "make wonderfully appropriate sources of gifted ideas for gifted thinking."
Classics In the Classroom has two parts. The first contains the author's approach to classic literature and how it should be taught. The second part contains a list of 1,300 classics for readers in kindergarten through graduate school. Arranged alphabetically by author, it includes comedy, tragedy, adventure, drama, children's stories, poetry, philosophy, history. It is cross-referenced to other distinguished reading lists and indicates books that are prizewinners.« less