6th & 7th Grade; Reading Comprehension & Literary Response, Fiction & Nonfiction
Fall & Spring Semesters: Short stories & real world passages; I'll present a valuable blend of genres, critical thinking skills, test-taking strategies, discussion, and a touch of response writing (short answer).
Marisa Hammond Olivares; (GT, ELA, ESL, ELL, SPED)
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(304)
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What's included
2 live meetings
1 hrs 40 mins in-class hours per weekHomework
1 hour per week. After each class, I will upload that day's text to the Outschool classroom. Students are welcome to complete any of the questions we did not complete together during the live session. Therefore, students may have some light reading and writing outside of the classroom.Class Experience
US Grade 6 - 7
Intermediate Level
Pods are welcome to request a private schedule Small-Group Instruction (8 Max) This allows me to work closely with each student to evaluate students' learning strengths, locate gaps in their reading development, and tailor lessons focused on specific learning objectives. Disclaimer: Parents, please be aware that January 2025 will include topics related to the civil rights movement, and May 2025 will include Anne Frank, the Holocaust, and WWII. See the following areas of this listing for more information - the course timeline (below), Parental Guidance, Teacher Expertise, and Sources. Feel free to message me with any questions or concerns about these topics. LEARNING SESSIONS Students will experience a combination of direct instruction, note-taking, discussion, Socratic seminars, reading, writing, vocabulary, and the application of skills. In addition, students can expect independent and group interactions with the teacher and classmates. Please note that this course's writing is in the form of guided literary responses (short paragraph answers - not essays). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Week of September 9th: Perseverance ~ Literary Devices; Main idea and Theme ~ Introduction to the author and the passage; identify vocabulary, apply test-taking strategies, and begin reading. ~ Reading, annotation, and discussion; includes reading comprehension questions and literary response. Week of September 16th: Credibility ~ Fact, Opinion, and Hyperbole ~ Introduction to the author and the passage; identify vocabulary, apply test-taking strategies, and begin reading ~ Reading, annotation, and discussion; includes reading comprehension questions and literary response. Week of September 23rd: ~ Plot, Conflict, and Conflict Resolution ~ Introduction to the author and the passage; identify vocabulary, apply test-taking strategies, and begin reading. ~ Reading, annotation, and discussion; includes reading comprehension questions and literary response. Week of September 30th: ~ Characterization and Motivation ~ Introduction to the author and the passage; identify vocabulary, apply test-taking strategies, and begin reading. ~ Reading, annotation, and discussion; includes reading comprehension questions and literary response. Week of October 7th: ~ Inferences and Context Clues ~ Introduction to the author and the passage; identify vocabulary, apply test-taking strategies, and begin reading. ~ Reading, annotation, and discussion; includes reading comprehension questions and literary response. ******************************** Mid-Fall Break No Classes the Week of October 14th ******************************** Week of October 21st: ~ Figurative Language; similes, metaphors, and imagery ~ Introduction to the author and the passage; identify vocabulary, apply test-taking strategies, and begin reading. ~ Reading, annotation, and discussion; includes reading comprehension questions and literary response. Week of October 28th: ~ Figurative Language; personification, symbolism, and motifs ~ Introduction to the author and the passage; identify vocabulary, apply test-taking strategies, and begin reading. ~ Reading, annotation, and discussion; includes reading comprehension questions and literary response. Week of November 4th ~ Outlining ~ Introduction to the author and the passage; identify vocabulary, apply test-taking strategies, and begin reading. ~ Reading, annotation, and discussion; includes reading comprehension questions and literary response. Week of November 11th ~ Paraphrasing and summarizing ~ Introduction to the author and the passage; identify vocabulary, apply test-taking strategies, and begin reading. ~ Reading, annotation, and discussion; includes reading comprehension questions and literary response. Week of November 18th ~ Poetic Forms ~ Introduction to the author and the passage; identify vocabulary, apply test-taking strategies, and begin reading. ~ Reading, annotation, and discussion; includes reading comprehension questions and literary response. ******************************** Holiday Break: Thanksgiving No Classes the Week of November 25th ******************************** Week of December 2nd ~ Rhetoric; Ethos, Pathos, and Logos ~ Introduction to the author and the passage; identify vocabulary, apply test-taking strategies, and begin reading. ~ Reading, annotation, and discussion; includes reading comprehension questions and literary response. Week of December 9th ~ Topics, Claims, and Thesis Statements ~ Introduction to the author and the passage; identify vocabulary, apply test-taking strategies, and begin reading. ~ Reading, annotation, and discussion; includes reading comprehension questions and literary response. Week of December 16th ~ Argument and Persuasion ~ Introduction to the author and the passage; identify vocabulary, apply test-taking strategies, and begin reading. ~ Reading, annotation, and discussion; includes reading comprehension questions and literary response. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ END OF FALL SEMESTER no classes until the week of January 6th ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Week of January 6th Nonfiction; Empathy, Imagery, Sensory Details, and Rhetoric ~ Day One: Martin Luther King and The Civil Rights Movement ~ Day Two: Excerpts of the I Have a Dream Speech (Focus on Imagery & Figurative Language) Week of January 13th Nonfiction; Laws and changes during the Civil Rights Movement ~ Day One: Civil Rights Act of 1964 & Voting Rights Act of 1965 ~ Day Two: Synthesis; A brief look at the Emancipation Proclamation, WWII, and the Civil Rights Movement. * I can affirm that these nonfiction articles have been researched and cross-referenced. Sources include history.com, brittannica.com, and kinginstitute.stanford.edu (The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute). Week of January 20th Genre: Fiction Theme: Adversity Focus: Characterization, Extended Metaphor, Morale & Synthesis ~ Day One: The Friday Everything Changed (Short Story) ~ Day Two: An Obstacle by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (poem) Week of January 27th Genre: Fiction Theme: Finding Purpose, Leadership, Living in the Present Focus: Plot, inferencing, theme, and synthesis ~ Day One: The Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy ~ Day Two: The Elephant's Child by Rudyard Kipling Why is this text important? ~ In Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy, we have the theme of wisdom, knowledge, awareness, kindness, forgiveness, and acceptance. ~ In The Elephant's Child, the theme shows how curiosity can open up new abilities, ideas, and knowledge. Week of February 3rd Genre: Nonfiction; historical and cultural text ~ Day One: The Great Migration (millions of African-Americans fled the South in search of a better life) ~ Day Two: The Harlem Renaissance (African American Artists in the 1920s) Important Topics: ~ This week will include text identifying Jim Crow Laws and the Great Depression. ~ The focus will be on seeking opportunity and how the arts and artists helped build American culture. THIS SEGMENT IS BEING REVISED Week of February 10th ~ Day One: ~ Day Two: ~~~~~~~~~~ Spring Break #1 No classes the week of February 17th ~~~~~~~~~~ Week of February 24th Day One: Day Two: Week of March 3rd Day One: Day Two: Week of March 10th Day One: Day Two: Week of March 24th Day One: Day Two: Week of March 31st Day One: Day Two: Week of April 7th Day One: Day Two: Week of April 14th Day One: Introduction to WWII (nonfiction) Day Two: The Tuskegee Airmen (Nonfiction) ~~~~~~~~~~ Spring Break #2 No classes the week of April 21st ~~~~~~~~~~ Week of April 28th ~ Day One: Introduction to the Holocaust (Nonfiction - ushmm.org) ~ Day Two: Courage in Denmark: Resistance to the Nazis in WWII by The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Week of May 5th ~ Day One: Introduction to Anne Frank (Biography - annefrank.org) ~ Day Two: Miep Gies; The Woman that Helped Anne Frank (Biography) Week of May 12th - Empathy, Imagery, Sensory Details, and Rhetoric ~ Day One: Excerpts of Anne Frank's Diary; June 6, 1944 ~ Day Two: General Eisenhower's Order of the Day and Excerpts of Ronald Reagan's 40th Anniversary D-Day speech ************************************* End of Spring Semester *************************************
Learning Goals
My goal is to create a connection between prior knowledge, new knowledge, literary text, and the real world. Aside from improving reading comprehension, developing analytical skills, and encouraging higher-order thinking, I want my students to be confident with their interpretations and responses.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT: Students will be exposed to themes related to injustice, inequality, and racism.
~ Excerpts of I Have a Dream will be for the students to understand the symbolism behind the metaphors that MLK used in his speech.
~ 16th Street Church Bombings; Students will become aware of how bombings were prevalent in Alabama. In addition, they will learn of the children that were victims of the 16th street church bombing.
~ Sit-in Movement; the students will learn why MLK preferred a non-violent approach to creating protest. Learners will read about how protesters were treated during these protests.
HOLOCAUST: Students will be exposed to themes related to genocide, injustice, and inequality. However, the primary focus will be on Anne Frank, the Frank family, and WWII - specifically, D-Day.
*** All reading material will be guided and is published at a 5th - 7th-grade reading level.
Supply List
All I need is YOU and an open mind! Paper for notes is optional. However, I think it would be a great idea for you to keep a composition book to hold all of your notes and titles of the different topics you are reading about. :)
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
All of the reading materials will be provided through the Outschool Classroom. I display the text on the screen and the students will witness my annotations as we read the text. The students will receive a copy of the annotated text after the class ends.
I have done extensive research on the civil rights movement and the Holocaust. As a researcher, educator, and as a human that is passionate about these topics, I have cross-referenced all of the facts presented in the nonfiction articles we will be reading.
The Holocaust
~ I have verified all reading materials and cross-referenced facts through annefrank.org and ushmm.org
The Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King
~ I have verified all reading materials and cross-referenced facts through history.com, biography.com, si.edu (Smithsonian)
Tuskegee Airmen
~ I have verified all reading materials and cross-referenced facts through tuskegee.edu, history.com, and nps.gov
Joined July, 2020
4.9
304reviews
Star Educator
Popular
Teacher expertise and credentials
Texas Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
Bachelor's Degree from Texas Woman's University
I will handle all topics, texts, and discussions with discretion and maturity. Everything will be presented in a factual and unbiased fashion. I will redirect any conversations that I deem inappropriate for this age group. However, I will encourage the students to make personal connections with any ideas that are synthesized through the text.
About me -
~ I have taught English Language Arts in middle school for 18 years.
~ I am ELA certified for grades 4th through 8th.
~ I am certified as a generalist in Early Childhood - 4th Grade.
~ I am certified in ESL for grades Early Childhood - 12th Grade.
~ I am certified in Special Education for grades Early Childhood - 12th Grade.
Confirmation of Reliable Holocaust Materials and Experience -
~ I have taught about Anne Frank and the Holocaust for 15 years in the public classroom.
~ I have done extensive research on the Holocaust and was the curriculum writer for over ten years in my district.
~ Anne Frank is required reading in Texas public schools, the state that I have taught in for 15 years.
~ I have met, interviewed, and attended Holocaust seminars with Holocaust survivor Max Glauben.
~ I have read The Upstander: How Surviving the Holocaust Sparked Max Glauben's Mission to Dismantle Hate.
~ The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam shared my classroom project on their Twitter page.
~ I have verified all reading materials and cross-referenced facts through annefrank.org and ushmm.org
Confirmation of Reliable Civil Rights Movement Materials and Experience -
~ I have taught about Martin Luther King and related civil rights materials for 15 years in the public classroom.
~ I have done extensive research on this topic to verify the facts presented in the nonfiction articles I present to my students.
~ Websites that I have used to cross-reference facts are history.com, biography.com, si.edu (Smithsonian)
Reviews
Live Group Class
$32
weekly ($16 per class)2x per week
50 min
Completed by 31 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 10-13
4-8 learners per class
