Book Club on 'Treasure Island' by Robert Louis Stevenson

Over the course of ten weeks, we will enjoy and appreciate Stevenson's classic tale of adventure together. We will examine themes such as courage, self-sacrifice, loyalty and treachery through interactive discussion. Students will have many opportunities to articulate their ideas and to express them in writing. Written activities will be carefully guided so that students consistently achieve success and gain confidence and fluency.

I provide a detailed young reader's guide to the novel as part of the enrollment fee. This contains overviews of key information and written exercises focused in detail on particular moments in the novel. There are also lots of quiz questions at the back.

Classes will be a mixture of review, aimed at embedding key facts about the novel's plot, themes and characters, and close study of particular passages, leading to class discussion and written exercises. 

The lesson schedule is as follows:

1. Overview of Chapters One to Three. Detailed Focus on Chapter One: Dealing with the Captain
2. Overview of Chapters Four to Seven. Detailed Focus on Chapter Five: Meet the Pirate Crew.
3. Overview of Chapters Eight to Eleven. Detailed Focus on Chapter Eleven: Silver the Prudent Leader.
4. Overview of Chapters Twelve to Fifteen. Detailed Focus on Chapter Fourteen: Silver the Cold-Blooded Murderer.
5. Overview of Chapters Sixteen to Eighteen. Detailed Focus on Chapter Eighteen: Captain Smollett in Charge.
6. Overview of Chapters Nineteen to Twenty-One. Detailed Focus on Chapter Twenty: Smollett Versus Silver.
7. Overview of Chapters Twenty-Two to Twenty-Five. Detailed Focus on Chapter Twenty-Five: Captain Hawkins in Charge.
8. Overview of Chapters Twenty-Six to Twenty-Eight. Detailed Focus on Chapter Twenty-Eight: Jim's Courage and Defiance.
9. Overview of Chapters Twenty-Nine to Thirty-One. Detailed Focus on Chapter Thirty: The Power of Example.
10. Overview of Chapters Thirty-Two to Thirty-Four. Detailed Focus on Chapter Thirty-Four: Fitting Ends.