What's included
6 pre-recorded lessons
6 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
2-4 hours per week. Students will read approximately 80-100 pages a week on their own time. Each lesson, students will have access to the new video and a corresponding one page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. I will also assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions. There are also supplemental activities like vocabulary words and trivia to test their comprehension from the weekly chapters.Assessment
The more questions, comments, and posts that students share in the classroom, the more I can understand their knowledge and comprehension of the topics we are discussing. Please let me know if a grade is required.Grading
Please let me know if you would like a grade for this course.Class Experience
US Grade 10 - 12
Crime and Punishment by Russian author Feodor Dostoevsky is a world renowed classic. It is the perfect book for group discussion and analysis. Even after the translation, Dostoevksy's use of language and symbolism can be hard to appreciate and understand when reading alone. Students will read one Part per lesson (approximately 7 chapters) on their own time. Each lesson, a new video will discuss the pages that the students have previously read. This class does not meet live. The prerecorded sessions will emphasize setting, the characters, their motivations, theme, story plausibility, and inferences about what might come next. We will also refer to any symbolism within the story and discuss what the author intended to represent with those symbols. Each lesson, students will have access to a video that covers the important elements of the week's reading and a corresponding one page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. The worksheets will also address/remind the students of some of the important topics from each chapter. I also assign a short writing assignment focused around that lesson's discussion questions and ask the students to share their responses in the classroom. I also ask students to submit any vocabulary words they didn't recognize or passages they did not understand. The more questions the students ask, the more "discussion" we can have in the classroom after each chapter. Weekly breakdown: Students will receive a worksheet and discussion questions for each weekly video. There is one weekly writing assignment to complete after the weekly readings. I will post a vocabulary word from the weekly reading for the students to use in a sentence that showcases their understanding of the definition. Finally, I will post a link to an optional Kahoot! trivia game the students can complete to further immerse themselves in Dostoevsky's world. Kahoot is a free resource that does not require an account or any additional steps.
Learning Goals
Lesson One Part One Chapters 1-7
Lesson Two Part Two Chapters 1-7
Lesson Three Part Three Chapters 1-6
Lesson Four Part Four Chapter 1-6
Lesson Five Part Five Chapters 1-5
Lesson Six Part Six Chapters 1-8 and Epilogue Chapter 1-2
Syllabus
6 Lessons
over 6 WeeksLesson 1:
Part One Chapters 1-7
Video lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz
Lesson 2:
Part Two Chapters 1-7
Video lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz
Lesson 3:
Part Three Chapters 1-6
Video lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz
Lesson 4:
Part Four Chapter 1-6
Video lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz
Other Details
Parental Guidance
According to Lerner Books (https://lernerbooks.com/shop/show/14232): Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky first published this tragic story in serial form in 1866 and as a book in 1867. Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov lives in a garret in St. Petersburg. Destitute and feeling cut off from humanity, he considers committing a terrible crime—killing a pawnbroker—to steal her money. After hearing people say that society would be better off without the pawnbroker, he murders her—and her sister, who walks in while Raskolnikov is raiding the pawnbroker’s wares. As the novel’s psychological drama unfolds, Raskolnikov lives in constant fear of discovery.
Supply List
The students will need a copy of Crime and Punishment to read on their own. It can be borrowed from the library or even listened to as an audio book. The students will not need a physical copy of the story in class, although they may find it helpful to have while filling out their worksheets or working on their writing assignment. The version I will be teaching from is the Coulson translation. Other translations are acceptable although may contain minor differences.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Spalding University
I have a Master's Degree in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults. I was a substitute teacher before teaching full-time on Outschool for the past three years. I also currently teach English Composition for my local community college. I have been blessed to discuss classic books and authors like Dostoevsky in the classroom multiple times, including my own high school reading experience. It is an excellent book to discuss. While the writing can feel archaic and cumbersome at times, the themes of good versus evil and right versus wrong are timeless. I am excited to read this story alongside your student to see what emotions and feelings Dostoevsky's images and descriptions stir up for them.
Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$9
weekly or $50 for all content6 pre-recorded lessons
6 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
Completed by 2 learners
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Ages: 15-18