What's included
12 live meetings
12 in-class hoursClass Experience
This is Part B of a year-long English class for fourth and fifth-grade students. Part A and Part B are independent of each other, however, so Part B can be taken before Part A (and vice versa). This course will be entirely devoted to reading and writing. Reading twelve novels in twelve weeks may seem fast, but these are excellent books and well worth the effort. Rather than studying these novels in depth in terms of their literary worth, we will focus on the writing techniques these amazing authors use to grip their readers and get across their story. Focusing on the authors' writing will allow us to both improve our own writing and get the most out of our reading. We will learn to recognize carefully crafted sentences, beautifully organized paragraphs and chapters, carefully constructed characters, and plots that are meant to teach growth and, often, redemption and/or resolution. My teaching style is discussion-oriented. I want to hear everyone's ideas and opinions. While studying English, it is difficult to be wrong, because most of the study of English is opinion. It is, however, sometimes difficult to allow ourselves to think, often because we are afraid to express our opinions, especially to our peers. I will work hard to make our class environment open and safe so that opinions of all kinds can be shared. 15 minutes of class discussion on "our favorites" meaning a scene or a character we loved and why. Everyone will share something during this part of the discussion, and I will direct the conversation with a focus on critical thinking. 15 minutes of group writing practice including games and activities to generate ideas and stretch students ideas about language. This part of class will be focused on writing skills applicable to all types of writing. We will use examples from the book we read as we play our games and complete activities. 10 minutes of "plot talk" where we will discuss the novel from beginning to end, including the character's problem, their attempts to fix their problem, the climax, and resolution. 10 minutes of sharing our favorite sentences with each other. This portion of class will focus on the things we learned about writing during writing practice. 10 minutes of working in small groups to brainstorm that week's writing assignment together. This period will be a time to bounce ideas off each other for character/plot if we are working on a fiction assignment. If we are working on a nonfiction assignment that week, we will help each other develop possibilities for our arguments. I will rotate between groups if the class is large enough to separate. Assignments will be submitted to me on a weekly basis, and students will receive feedback from me on every assignment the day after submittal. My feedback will be focused on guiding them on topics we have talked about in class. Small portions of the students' work will occasionally be shared with the class (everyone will share, not a select few), but we will not be focused on critiquing each other's work as a class. I intentionally keep class sizes small so that everyone has a chance to participate. The class schedule will be as follows: Week One—One Crazy Summer by Rita Garcia Williams and blog assignment Week Two—Matilda by Roald Dahl and blog assignment Week Three—Misadventures of Maude Marche by Audrey Couloumbis and nursery rhyme assignment Week Four—The Story of Salt by Mark Kurlansky and story poem assignment Week Five—Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier and tall tale assignment Week Six—El Deafo by Cece Bell and tall tale assignment Week Seven—A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park and critical essay assignment Week Eight—The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P. T. Barnum by Candace Fleming and critical essay assignment Week Nine—The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Keatley Snyder and graphic novel assignment Week Ten—Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin and graphic novel assignment Week Eleven—Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay and nonfiction assignment Week Twelve—The Great Brain by John Fitzgerald and nonfiction assignment
Learning Goals
Students will increase their love of reading, first and foremost. At this age, maintaining (or beginning) a love of reading is paramount. Students will also learn to lose their fear of writing. Children at this age have usually developed a hatred of writing because they fear the teacher's red pen ripping apart their words. We will learn to be fearless, creative, and to welcome the red pen. We will learn that editing is not fixing something bad, it is taking something good and polishing it up until it shines. Our writing projects will be fun and engaging, and I will provide positive written feedback on every assignment.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
None of the books we are reading are objectionable for 4th or 5th grade, in my opinion. Parents are welcome to read the book descriptions and message me with any questions or concerns they might have. I am always up for book substitutions if a book makes a parent uncomfortable.
Supply List
Students will need a copy of each book, but they can be purchased or checked out from the library.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia
Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
Misadventures of Maude Marche by Audrey Couloumbis
The Story of Salt by Mark Kurlansky
Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
El Deafo by Cece Bell
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P. T. Barnum by Candace Fleming
The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin
Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay
The Great Brain by John Fitzgerald
Teacher expertise and credentials
I teach history and social studies, language arts and English, and art classes. I have a Bachelor's degree in History (Brigham Young University) and a Master's in Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults (Vermont College of Fine Arts). I have studied art with some of the premier abstract artists working today. I have three novels for children published with Scholastic. I have taught homeschool co-op classes in writing and social studies, and I have homeschooled off and on my seven children. My family is full of professional educators, and I have developed a clear teaching philosophy I try to stick to in my daily teaching. I believe in creativity, fearlessness, experimentation, intuition, and effort. I try to avoid formulas, multiple-choice questions, and rubrics. Students need information presented to them in different ways, particularly when being taught online, and I try to vary my methods throughout each class period. Storytelling is important in any kind of teaching, and I try to present information in the form of a story. I encourage participation, and I am not an adamant "muter". Positive, personal feedback is important, and I always send an informal note at the end of each class to each student telling them the strengths I saw in them during class. Fun fact about me: in 2019, my family bought an unfinished 1893 home that we finished by ourselves (because we couldn't find contractors and ran out of money!). I now know a great deal about laying all kinds of flooring, drywall, plumbing, electricity, sprinkler systems, and carpentry!
Reviews
Live Group Class
$150
for 12 classes1x per week, 12 weeks
60 min
Completed by 31 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-11
3-11 learners per class