Building ELA Skills (Reading and Writing): The Power of Words to Create Change
What's included
8 live meetings
6 in-class hoursMastery Evaluation
1 hour per week. It would be ideal for learners to have completed some reading prior to each lesson. This is encouraged but not mandatory. I design classes to be turn-up-and-learn if needed.Certificate of Completion
A certificate is available on requestClass Experience
US Grade 8 - 10
Beginner Level
Teens will get a chance to boost their confidence with reading and text analysis, whilst enjoying learning in a way that feels engaging and accessible. These small group classes will run even with one enrolled learner, so you have no worries about a class being cancelled. If your learner would prefer not to work in a 1-on-1 class, I am happy to refund the lesson, should no other learners enroll. Learners will gain a variety of skills and insights, both in terms of their understanding of texts and their ability to express their own viewpoints. 🏵️Critical Reading and Analysis🏵️ -----> Identifying Persuasive Techniques: Students will learn to identify and analyze rhetorical strategies (like logos, ethos, and pathos) used in speeches and texts that argue for social change or advocate for a cause. ----->Understanding Point of View: They will develop the ability to understand different perspectives, including how and why speakers or writers take a stand on specific issues. 🏵️Empathy and Awareness🏵️ ----->Building Empathy: By examining texts on social justice, advocacy, and personal courage, students will become more empathetic to the struggles and challenges faced by others. ----->Awareness of Social Issues: They will gain greater awareness of social and global issues like gender equality, civil rights, environmental activism, and other movements, fostering a broader understanding of the world. The texts covered are age appropriate to provide the right level of engagement from teens. Learners will not be required to write long responses, as this course is designed for those who may need some extra support and/or encouragement. The focus is on confidence and encouragement. All written work will be be completed digitally during the lesson. No paper or pens will be required. There will be suggested pre-reading of texts, as the lessons will be of most value with this pre-reading completed. However, learners can still access the lessons even without this pre-reading. The texts discussed over the 8 lessons are: 🌺The 1843 poem, "The Song of the shirt" by Thomas Hood 🌺The 1906 novel, 'The Jungle' by Upton Sinclair 🌺The 1966 TV play, "Cathy Come Home" by Jeremy Sandford 🌺The 2017 song, "Blinded by Your Grace" by Stormzy 🌺The 2023 article, "Building on the greenbelt will not solve the housing crisis" by Kunie Barker 🌺The 1945 novel, "Animal Farm" by George Orwell 🌺The 2016 speech from Michelle Obama on the "Let Girls Learn Initiative" 🌺The 2022 article, "Just Stop Oil protesters are incapable of winning hearts and minds" by Tom Gomez 🌺The 2022 article, "My suffragette grandmothers are now seen as heroes. Today’s climate protesters will be too" by Helen Pankhurst 🌺The 1789 poem, "The Chimney Sweeper" by William Blake 🌺The 1862 fairy tale, "The Water Babies" by Charles Kingsley 🌺The 1955 protest song, "Where have all the flowers gone" by Pete Seeger
Learning Goals
Learners will explain how writers express their convictions with passion and support their opinions using personal experiences, expert views, and political contexts.
Learners will identify Aristotle's rhetorical appeals (logos, ethos, pathos) and evaluate how different writers take a stand.
Syllabus
Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created Curriculum8 Lessons
over 8 WeeksLesson 1:
Expressing convictions
Exploring how novels, TV , songs and poems have been used to express views and address social issues.
45 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Analysing an opinion article about protecting the greenbelt
Understanding how writers can use personal experience, expert views and wider politics to express their opinions.
45 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Logos, ethos and pathos
Identifying and using Aristotle's triad in writing.
45 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Analysing a speech about the right of girls to have an education.
Identifying Aristotle's triad in writing.
45 mins online live lesson
Other Details
Parental Guidance
All texts explored are listed in the class description. Themes of inequality and injustice are discussed. Please contact me prior to class if you need further information.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Non-US Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
Bachelor's Degree in Education from University of Brighton
If this is your first class on Outschool use coupon code MsRiot20 for $20 off your first class.
Hi, I’m Ms Riot, an experienced classroom teacher specializing in small-group online classes for home-educated teens. I teach ELA subjects like spelling, grammar, book studies, comprehension and writing units, as well as some math, history, RE, art and science classes. My lessons help students build essential skills and develop confidence and the teens I work with benefit from exploring core content often taught in lower grades. This allows a safe space to give things a try and experience success to build and grow from.
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👋 Hi! I'm Ms. Riot, a certified classroom teacher dedicated to helping teens grow and succeed. 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.
🖥️I have been teaching online for a year, for different schools and platforms.
✨✨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.
Reviews
Live Group Course
$21
weekly or $168 for 8 classes1x per week, 8 weeks
45 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-17
1-4 learners per class