LitWits: Teaching Ideas for Literature Based Learning

I have been using teaching ideas for literature-based learning in LitWits Kits from LitWits. This was provided to our family as part of the Homeschool Review Crew. As always, all opinions are our own. 
When it comes to learning in the early grades, I am definitely a fan of literature-based learning. This can be as simple as reading a ton of great books or more complex with formal lesson plans.

 

What are LitWits Kits & How Do You Use Them?

LitWits was born from the immersive literature workshops that sisters Becky and Jenny started offering in the Santa Cruz area. For those workshops, kids arrive having read the title already. They then spend several hours in activities that connect experiences to key teaching points. 

The LitWits Kits that can be purchased as downloadable content are the finished products of each of those workshops. Purchasing a kit gives you access to a webpage with all the ideas and downloads they compiled for the workshop. You can see all the kits purchased on your account order page.

 You can elect to use all the teaching ideas or pick and choose what will work for their family.

The sisters do offer some suggestions on how to use the kit on the order page. (Option titled Ways to Use as seen in the image above.)

The LitWit Kit web page has all the ideas listed with links to anything of help (e.g. a downloadable file for an activity.) There is also the option to download a pdf version of the kit to your device. This is fantastic for those of us who want to have it at our fingertips without an internet connection.

Contents of Each LitWits Kit Include:

 

• Prop ideas to engage the senses in learning 
• “Bookbites” for food connected with the characters
• Creative project ideas including any templates needed
• Kinetic activity ideas including instructions and prompts
• Handouts which encompass different subject areas like creative writing and vocabulary
• Links to vetted sites to expand the learning.

Video Describing LitWits Kits and Their Teaching Ideas for Literature Based Learning

This is from the sister duo themselves.

 

Thoughts on LitWits for Teaching Ideas for Literature Based Learning

For this review, we could select up to 4 titles of LitWits kits. My son chose them and had a hard time narrowing it down. I suppose that’s the downside of loving books…you know there are more you want to read than time might permit. Or, in his case, there are more titles that sound fantastic to him for studies and we could only pick 4 for the review.

The LitWits Kits we selected are:

1. The LitWits Kit for Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth
2. The LitWits Kit for J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit
3. The LitWits Kit for Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows
4. The LitWits Kit for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island

How We Have Been Using the LitWits Kits

Slow and steady wins the race, right? At least that’s how we are approaching our time with the novels. Rather than speed through each one, we’ve taken our time. Reading aloud to J makes things go a little slower than his reading on his own.

Of course, part of that could be my son’s choice of starting with The Wind in the Willows. The story is fine. But, it has a wide breadth of vocabulary words that make this read-aloud process take longer than more modern titles. That is because I am constantly stopping to see if J can infer what a particular word means. If not, then we are looking it up in a dictionary. 

For the most part, we have been saving some of the activities for after the book is completed. However, since I know retention of key points is sometimes a challenge, I’ve had J working on handouts as we go.

What is becoming more apparent is that the learning which comes from these classics with their expansive vocabularies is beneficial. Not that modern titles have no value. Just that some are less likely to help a child develop a good vocabulary and understanding of different themes.

As we near completion of the title, I am enlisting my older boys to help in creating some of the experiences suggested in the LitWits LitKit. Specifically, The Too-Much Picnic as my youngest is all about the food. 

Mr. Toad’s Ridiculous Relay is an activity that may be more fun to do when the cousins are in town for the holidays. Even if they haven’t heard the story, I think they’ll get a kick out of it.

Looking Ahead at the Other LitWits LitKits

Journey to the Center of the Earth has the opportunity to dig into some geology and learn more about volcanos. There is also an activity on codes that could be fun.

The Hobbit is a beloved book in the house already, so getting older brothers on board should be easy. Making decorative Elvish Swords is a craft I think he’ll enjoy. Creating our own version of Beorn’s Feast should be a blast. 

Finally, for Treasure Island, I am most looking forward to playing those sea shanties while working on  Colorful Cartography. Being able to read a map is an important skill. Making one for a fictional location will be a fun way to practice the underlying skills.

Final Takeaway on LitWits: Teaching Ideas for Literature Based Learning

Thumbs up to this sister duo! While doing everything contained in the LitWits Kits could be overwhelming, they have taken the work out of creating a fun study around a classic literature selection. We are looking forward to working our way through the other 3 titles selected, all of which are much more familiar stories for us. 

Personally, I think using these teaching ideas in a co-operative learning experience would pack the greatest punch. The copyright allows the teacher to print handouts for all their students so long as it isn’t for commercial use or provide materials to other parents/teachers.

 

Is literature-based learning something you prefer?
Would the Teaching Ideas for Literature Based Learning found in LitWits LitKits be helpful in your homeschool?

Don’t just take my word for how we found this to be. Visit the LitWits review post on the Homeschool Review Crew website to see what other homeschooling parents thought about this book.