Why Classic Literature Is Harder Than It Looks: Building Critical Reading Skills
Recently, I was driving with my 17-year-old. Since it was just the two of us, I let her pick the music. With our mutual love of Broadway, she shared a new show she was listening to. She has great taste, and I agree with the hype I have heard; it’s a great new show. Listening to the story told through song made me want to re-read the novel it was baesd on, The Great Gatsby. I remember a few parts from High School English, and I was curious if, reading it now, I would appreciate it more as an adult.
As a homeschool mom for over a decade, I’m always looking for the best ways to teach my kids what they need to know while creating lifelong learners. In our homeschool, there are extra learning challenges due to Autism and Dyslexia, which makes me especially intentional about helping my high schoolers develop critical reading and close reading skills needed for advanced English courses. These are not skills that come naturally to every student—they require thoughtful instructional strategies and consistent practice.
Explore these Guided Editions and see how they support critical reading
Are They Really Understanding What They Read? (Critical Reading in High School)
Over the years, my kids have read a wide variety of literature, and now, in high school, I want to be sure to introduce them to Classics. Teaching literature in High School is not just about appreciating a good story anymore. There is so much more happening beneath the surface, and with Dyslexia and Autism, it is extra challenging.
It’s not just about reading to understand what happened, but it’s about WHY it happened, WHAT it means, and how it CONNECTS to bigger ideas. These layers are what make classic stories endure—and why they’re still worth reading decades or even centuries later. It requires critical reading skills, which have to be taught directly. These are the kinds of reading strategies students need to learn to move beyond surface-level understanding and into true critical thinking.
What Critical Reading Actually Looks Like in High School
- Track complex characters and shifting relationships
- Infer meanings that aren’t directly stated
- Interpret figurative and symbolic language
- Hold multiple ideas in mind at once
- Connect details across chapters and themes
- Analyze motivations, tone, and author intent
These foundational skills are essential not only for understanding literature but also for forming a strong expository argument and expressing ideas clearly in writing. For many learners, these skills develop naturally over time. But for dyslexic and autistic students, these are often the exact areas that need the most explicit support. As a homeschool parent, it’s my role to guide my kids in building these skills—step by step. I need help knowing how to teach these skills to my students.
Teaching Close Reading at Home with Guided Editions
Telemachos Publishing has released a set of classics in Guided Reading Editions, which equip me as a homeschool mom with practical reading and instructional strategies to teach these critical reading skills to my students. The guided reading editions have thoughtful questions within the novel to guide their reading of the text and show them where to make connections.
This is better than a traditional study guide, where you answer questions after reading in a workbook. The questions are in the margin of the text, so you see them as you read and can pause to make connections, annotate your book, and make notes for later discussion. Instead of guessing what matters, students are guided through a clear close reading process that builds confidence and independence.
I picked up a Guided Reading Edition of The Great Gatsby after our car ride and read it. I remember being confused about certain plot points in the past, but with the guided questions, I was encouraged to pause and notice things I would have skipped over otherwise. It brought clarity to my own pleasure reading. This time around, I understood the plot better and could focus on the themes and conflicts that make it a timeless classic and modern Broadway musical.
Writing Strategies and Instructional Support for Parents
The resources in these guided reading editions have been created by a master teacher with over 30 years of experience teaching the classics and AP English-level writing instruction. As a College Board consultant with experience grading the AP English exam. There are no other editions of the classics like it available anywhere, the classic text with guided reading questions, point readers to the key details that open up the wonder of these tales.
Each guided novel gives the reader additional tools for building critical writing skills. As a homeschool mom without a teaching degree, I am always looking for tools that teach me how to teach my kids. Every Telemachos Guided Reading Edition novel includes an introduction on how to use the Guided Reading features. It encourages the reader to see the questions in the margins and “consider them a whisper from a seasoned reader who wants you to notice something significant.” Which was exactly what I felt as I read The Great Gatsby!
The introduction tools go a step further with an additional article on developing a 3-level analytical view of literature. As a homeschool mom, this article felt like professional development as a teacher and made feel more confident about trying these methods with my students at home to develop their critical reading and writing skills. The different questions in the text of the guided reading editions help you to develop all three levels of analytical thinking about the literature at hand. Together, these features create a complete system for teaching critical thinking, reading strategies, and writing strategies through classic literature.
How Guided Editions Prepare Students for AP English Success
What really sets these Guided Editions apart is how intentionally they prepare students for advanced classes like AP English. Each book includes an introductory essay that walks students through how to develop an interpretive voice and build a strong written argument. These writing strategies come directly from real experience grading AP English exams, which gave me so much confidence as a homeschool parent.
There are also student model essays and additional resources that show what strong writing actually looks like in practice. That kind of example-based learning is incredibly helpful for teens who are still learning how to organize their thoughts.
Another feature I appreciated is the extensive glossary and helpful footnotes throughout the text. Instead of getting stuck on unfamiliar vocabulary or historical references, my students can stay engaged and keep reading with understanding.
Knowing these methods have been tested in classrooms with a 100% AP English pass rate—and the majority of students scoring 4s and 5s—makes me feel like I’m giving my kids truly high-quality instruction at home. These editions make it easier to teach close reading, build strong arguments, and help students engage more deeply with classic literature.
Bringing Guided Reading Into Our Family Learning Time
I was able to read The Great Gatsby at a deeper level with the Guided Reading questions. I am looking forward to changing up our homeschool next term and reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Call of the Wild as a new couch time family read-aloud and working through it together with the guided questions. While I’m not always confident in my own ability to teach higher-level literature, I know I can trust the experience of the editor to guide me along.
If you’re looking for a practical way to build critical reading, close reading, and writing strategies for AP English at home, I highly recommend exploring the Guided Editions of the Classics from Telemachos Publishing. They also offer volume discounts, which are especially helpful for homeschool families or co-ops.
With these guided reading editions, I get to create a new family experience while also building important critical reading skills for my students. By reading it together, we can savor the story together while learning to read at a deeper level and build an appreciation for classic literature at the same time. It’s a simple but powerful way to help students grow in critical thinking, strengthen their understanding of the classics, and develop the skills they need for high school and beyond.
