30
weekly
Class
Play

Building Reading Confidence (ELA): Non-Fiction Comprehension for Teens

Completed by 10 learners
Ages 13-16
Live Group Class
Reading comprehension practice designed for teens who need extra support. This class strengthens key reading skills for non-fiction texts, building vocabulary and improving understanding of social studies, history and general knowledge.
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(86 reviews)
Star Educator

Live video meetings
1x per week
1-8 learners per class
30 min

What’s included

1 live meeting
30 mins in-class hours per week

Class Experience

US Grade 7 - 10
Beginner - Intermediate Level
This weekly reading comprehension class is designed for teens who may feel uncertain about their reading skills or are reading at a lower grade level. Each session provides a welcoming and supportive environment where students can build their confidence and enhance their ability to engage with non-fiction texts.

Every week features a different non-fiction text that allows learners to explore various topics within social studies, history, and general knowledge. The class focuses on developing essential skills like identifying main ideas, making inferences, and improving vocabulary—all designed to help students grow as confident readers.

Each session stands alone, so students can join at any time without worrying about missing prior lessons or content.

This class is ideal for teens who benefit from extra encouragement and are looking for a judgment-free space to develop their reading and comprehension skills.

Example weekly topics or texts:

1. Who was Mary Anning?
2. World War II
3. Climate Change
4. The Galapago Islands
5. Sharks

The texts used are short texts, and this class is suited for learners who benefit from support to develop independent reading skills.

An example of the text used is:

"Mary Anning (1799–1847) was a famous fossil hunter and collector. She lived in Lyme Regis, Dorset. Despite her limited education and poor background, she was the first to unearth and identify many important prehistoric fossils. In 1811, Mary and her brother, Joseph, were out fossil-hunting when Joseph saw a skull protruding from the cliff. Over time, they slowly uncovered the rest of the skeleton. It turned out to be a nearly-complete 17-foot skeleton of a marine reptile from the time of the dinosaurs named an Ichthyosaur (‘fish lizard’ in Greek). Mary sold the skeleton to a local collector for £23, and in 1817 it eventually went to the Natural History Museum in London. Mary lived at a time when female scientists were rarely taken seriously and so, during her lifetime, she received little recognition for her incredible work which helped to inform our understanding of ancient creatures and evolution."

The lesson would then revolve around answering comprehension questions based on the text.

Learning Goals

Build confidence and improve ability to understand and analyze non-fiction texts, focusing on key reading skills such as identifying main ideas, making inferences, expanding vocabulary, and connecting texts to real-world knowledge.

Other Details

Supply List
The text will be provided onscreen. Learners do not need anything with them.
 1 file available upon enrollment
Language of Instruction
English (Level: B2+)
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:

Meet the teacher

Joined January, 2024
5.0
86reviews
Star Educator
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Non-US Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
Bachelor’s Degree in Education from University of Brighton


👋 Hi there! I'm Ms. Riot, your certified and passionate educator with a flair for innovation and a heart for student growth. Hailing from London, England, I qualified as a teacher in 2007 with my Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) in Primary Education and certified with my Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Here in the UK, I am certified to teach from 5-18 years old.

🌏I have taught around the world, including at a not-for-profit summer camp in New York, volunteering in Kenya and India, and completing a teaching placement in Arizona.

🏫As a classroom teacher, I developed creative classrooms where students felt safe enough to fail. My passion for reading also allowed me to develop a new career as a high school librarian, supporting teens who had not discovered that a library could be a space for them. I have also taught students English up to the age of 16 at a prestigious online school.

🖼️More recently, I have worked within the learning department in a large museum, teaching at a range of online schools and designing curriculum for education resource companies. I also deliver lectures to trainee teachers, supporting them to develop their practice.


✨Ms Riot on Outschool✨

🌈I am passionate about helping teens strengthen core skills to succeed. This can often mean applying the content and skills often covered in lower-grade levels, allowing teens to develop skills and confidence by meeting them where they are.

🌈I focus on building confidence and foundational skills in a nurturing and empowering environment. I help teens master core concepts, overcome academic challenges, and develop a love for learning that extends beyond the classroom.

🌈At the heart of my teaching philosophy lies a belief that learning should be an adventure, sprinkled with curiosity. We can be serious about learning without it always being too serious.

🌈I am a teacher who welcomes all students exactly as they are. I have a lot of experience with neurodivergent children and am a neurodivergent adult myself. Cameras can be turned off if preferred (after a quick hello with the camera on).

🌈I create quite low-demand classroom experiences. I encourage and welcome participation, but am very quick to adapt to learners who are unable or unwilling to partake in an obvious and active manner. This can mean only using the chat, or even only listening.

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