This is a self-paced class, No live meetings. What this means is that the materials needed for class are posted to the classroom one day a week.  (videos, worksheets).

A fun way to help your kids learn to read and comprehend what they read, is to give them interesting subjects to read about at every level. In this class, students will read 3 fun short stories that have different topics from science and history topics. This provides students a subject matter that keeps their interest and helps them learn to love reading, all the while they are practicing their reading. The student will read each story and then answer 5 comprehension questions on kahoot.com in an activity the teacher will provide a link to in the classroom. 

Each week the teacher will post a video giving instructions and a brief summary of the weeks story topics. Then a PDF copy of each story will be provided as well for the student to read. Then the worksheet/digital document will be provided for the student to use for the writing portion of the class. This students can either print out the PDF and write out the writing, then submit with either a scan or or picture of the writing for feedback from the teacher.
A video will be posted with description of how to do this as well.

*Weekly videos plus worksheets and stories posted weekly to the classroom.
*No live classes on self-paced version outschool classes.

After the story is read and questions answered, the students will pick one of the three stories read that was their favorite and write one-2 paragraphs answering the essay question at the end of the story they picked. Students can either write this answer out on paper with pencil, or they can type up their answer. If students choose to write with pencil and paper, they can take a picture of their writing, and load it into the classroom using the paperclip icon for the teacher to give feedback. If students choose to type up the answer, they can use the provided google document link to type up their answer. This option is preferred so the teacher can offer real time feedback on their writing with grammar, punctuation, and spelling corrections. 
There are 15 weeks of stories at this level, every 15 weeks we will repeat the stories. Students will be provided a copy of the story and questions in class to print out if they wish to practice this story on their own after class. Different topics to be offered in the stories are: 

Week 1:
What is America’s oldest state capital? 
Could another ice age happen? 
Who is Nelson Mandela? 
Week 2:
Can dolphins really talk? 
What is Kwanzaa? 
What disaster can fall out of the sky? 
Week 3: 
What were the Negro leagues? 
How do spinning ice skaters keep from getting dizzy? 
Where did potato chips come from? 
Week 4:  
What place on Earth gets the most rain? 
Who was Georgia O’Keeffe? 
How can bacteria clean up our own messes? 
Week 5:  
When was the Internet invented? 
How was the Grand Canyon formed? 
What vehicle helped win a war? 
Week 6:  
What is salsa? 
How are fireworks made? 
Week 7: 
What is it like to be inside an erupting volcano? 
What useful invention was almost too late? 
Week 8: 
How can you make your own paper? 
Who is Ellen Ochoa? 
What is the truth about wolves? 
Week 9:  
Who was the “underground man”?
How can a plant invade a country? 
What is an urban legend? 
Week 10: 
Are termites helpful or harmful? 
What did Josephine Cochrane invent? 
When can elephants be backyard pets? 
Week 11:  
How can 1,000 pets fit into a city apartment? 
What was discovered in the middle of New York city? 
Week 12: 
How can you have fun and save the environment, too? 
Where did the guitar come from? 
What can be learned from garbage? 
Week 13: 
Who is Carlos Santana? 
Can a butterfly cause a tornado? 
What was Pompeii? 
Week 14:  
What is the most dangerous animal on Earth? 

Week 15: 
Who was Bertha von Suttner? 
Are you a “lefty” or a “righty”?
What was the Donner party? 




Kahoot.com is a free site that does not require an email address. The teacher will provide a link to join the online game to answer the comprehension questions.
Parents need to ensure their students complete both the comprehension questions and writing assignments each week.