Animal Farm - A Charlotte Mason Style Literature and Writing Course
Students will develop reading comprehension and writing composition skills while reading Animal Farm by George Orwell.
Cara Howard
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(279)
What's included
6 live meetings
5 in-class hoursClass Experience
In this course, we will meet weekly to learn many comprehension and writing skills through the reading of Animal Farm, by George Orwell. During class, we will read a short portion of the book together, share our ideas, opinions, and observations from the text, practice retelling the text, and learn how to compose a written narration about the text. Reading comprehension topics covered in the live classes will include note taking, oral summarizing, character development, conflict/resolution, predicting and inferring, and more as needed. Writing instruction will include basic outlining, summarizing, paragraph organization, editing and revising, and more. Charlotte Mason was a turn of the century educator who believed that children are deserving of the best literature the world has to offer. Additionally, she believed that these quality "living books" should be read slowly to give time for the ideas to ruminate in the mind of a child. This course will encourage the students to think deeply and reflect on the information as they immerse themselves into the world of literature, and they are encouraged to share their thoughts and questions frequently in the classroom between live meetings. Live meeting schedule: Welcome, Homework Sharing, and Review: 10 minutes Journal (Comprehension) Instruction: 10 minutes Read Aloud (teacher or student volunteers): 10 minutes Writing Instruction and In-Class Practice: 15 minutes Questions and Homework Instructions: 5 minutes This class will rely heavily on conversation and interaction. Students will not be muted (except in cases of excessive background noise), and students should keep their cameras on throughout the course except when requested by a parent. Students will retell portions of the story, discuss ideas, opinions, and experiences related to the text, and occasionally listen to short instructional lectures (less than 10 minutes) about specific reading or writing skills. Prerequisites and Accommodations: No previous knowledge of Orwell's works are required. Students may use the audiobook if they choose instead of reading independently, and are welcome to use speech to text for the writing portion of the homework assignments if needed. Homework: The homework assignments are required for this course, as the majority of the book will be read independently between live sessions. Other homework assignments (journaling and writing) are highly recommended to gain the full benefit of the in-class instruction. Journal: A digital copy of the journal will be made available one week before the start of class. The journal can be completed by hand, or completed in Google docs and shared with the teacher (to make text-to-speech more accessible.) Drawings can be completed on paper or digitally. Live Course Schedule: Week 1: Introductions, Course Expectations, Begin Reading Chapter 1-2, Writing Instruction, Homework Expectations and Questions Week 2: Share Homework and Journals, Comprehension Journal Instruction, Begin Reading Chapter 3-4, Writing Instruction, Homework Expectations and Questions Week 3: Share Homework and Journals, Comprehension Journal Instruction, Begin Reading Chapter 5-6 Writing Instruction, Homework Expectations and Questions Week 4: Share Homework and Journals, Comprehension Journal Instruction, Begin Reading Chapter 7-8, Writing Instruction, Homework Expectations and Questions Week 5: Share Homework and Journals, Comprehension Journal Instruction, Begin Reading Chapter 9-10, Writing Instruction, Homework Expectations and Questions Instruction, Homework Expectations and Questions Week 6: Share Homework, Journals, and Final Projects; Reflect on the book and personal progress; Watch a clip of the movie to celebrate the end of class **Class discussion will not be politically-centered and the teacher will not share personal political opinions. Instead, the students will be encouraged to reflect on the text as written, and discuss personal political opinions with their families privately.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Common Sense Media says, "Parents need to know that Animal Farm is a biting satire of totalitarianism, written in the wake of World War II and published amid the rise of Soviet Russia. Although it tells a fairly simple story of barnyard animals trying to manage themselves after rebelling against their masters, the novel demonstrates how easily good intentions can be subverted into tyranny."
Class discussion will not be politically-centered and the teacher will not share personal political opinions. Instead, the students will be encouraged to reflect on the text as written, and discuss personal political opinions with their families privately.
Additionally, regarding violence, Common Sense Media says, "The animals rebel against their human master and chase him from the farm. When Farmer Jones returns with his neighbors, the animals attack the intruders and inflict various bites and cuts on them. Later, the pigs use their guard dogs to keep order on the farm. Some animals are executed for crimes for which they have supposedly confessed. The violence in the novel is not described in detail, but its emotional implications might be upsetting to some readers."
Finally, the animals in the story participate in drinking alcohol. The teacher will directly discourage children from consuming alcohol.
Supply List
An unabridged copy of Animal Farm, by George Orwell (or access to an audiobook) A digital copy of the Journal will be provided one week before the start of class. Students should have access to basic writing and drawing implements.
1 file available upon enrollment
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Animal Farm, by George Orwell
Joined February, 2020
4.9
279reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
The teacher has a California Teaching Certificate and taught Literature and Writing in a public school for 3 years. She currently writes for a weekly newspaper while homeschooling her four children. She has been homeschooling using the Charlotte Mason method for 7 years.Reviews
Live Group Class
$60
for 6 classes1x per week, 6 weeks
50 min
Completed by 8 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-14
4-9 learners per class
