This course is part three of a series of intensive semester courses that are Common Core aligned to the grade 6 to 10 American English Language Arts standards. It begins our exploration of overlapping themes and topics across various forms (short stories, novels, poems, audio readings, and films), styles (narrative, sonnet, free verse, etc.), and genres (fantasy, realistic fiction, Gothic, mystery, allegory, historical fiction, adventure, dystopian, etc.), with attention to historical accounts, points of view, figurative language, diction, syntax, structure, allusions, and the interaction of setting, character, and plot.

NOTE: The courses may be taken in any order.

⭐This course is rich in content and is a good fit for advanced and gifted learners but is also encouraging and supportive for all learners! I maintain an encouraging, creative, low-stress environment for all learners to thrive, with much support, so that everyone can make growth and stimulate each other. There is a full course load, but I am accommodating of various needs, levels, and schedules. I feel that learners do what they can when treated with respect and encouraged to grow. Therefore, there will be no grading in this course (A, B, C, etc., or percentages). Instead, I record feedback (video) with specific praise and suggestions for the future, believing that essay writing and English skills develop over time (for a lifetime) and at varying rates for all individuals. Individual growth and sustained/renewed interest are the most important. Thus, this course will be a wonderful fit for any learner who has time for a full English course load, can read, write, and participate independently, and is ready for a thrilling deep dive into the genre!

⭐Do reach out to me for accommodations and support! I do my best to connect with and support every learner.

We will have a rotating schedule to build up the various reading (literature and informational text), writing, speaking, listening, and language skills. Therefore, each weekday will have a particular focus, as follows:

VISIT IT! (DAY 1)
NOTE: The warm-up and feedback activities should be completed PRIOR TO each class, except for the first week. Meanwhile, essay writing should be completed by the FINAL class of the week. Extensions and accommodations are available upon request.

These classes set the stage for the literature to be covered and for our weekly writing focus (as we develop our fantasy short stories). This will be done by reading nonfiction articles, researching, introducing key concepts, discussing documentaries, or planning, crafting, revising, and editing essays.

EXPLORE IT! (DAY 2)
NOTE: Homework should be completed PRIOR TO each class. This will include completing a summarizing activity and posting it in our classroom.

These classes will begin with storytelling and exploring the literature! The students will take turns retelling the story with a summarizing activity in the classroom (their homework). At the beginning of class, we will briefly respond to the contributions. These classes will be the time to focus on comprehension via exploration of the vocabulary, syntax, structure, figurative language, point of view, and themes in the selected reading for the week (fiction). There will be opportunities to listen to and read the literature aloud. 

Summarizing Options: Pick an Activity!
Choose one summarizing activity per week. Just say the magic words, “I’m going to . . .” 

✔️Find It - Complete the scavenger hunt by scanning for the vocabulary in the novel and writing summary sentences.

✔️Journal It – Imagine that you are the character writing in your diary about what you have experienced and how you feel about it.

✔️Appreciate It - Find examples of figurative language, like imagery, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, personification, and hyperbole, and arrange the quotations into a poem.

✔️Draw It - Create a comic illustrating the main events.

✔️Map It – Map out the plot on the story mountain, while thinking about whether it is the beginning of the story, the rising action with increasing conflict, the climax where the character must address the conflict, the falling action with the results of the character's choice, or the ending.

✔️Graph It – Draw a graph or a series of thermometers reflecting the rising/falling conflicts.

✔️Order It – Put the story in chronological order on a time line (or, another way like a chart) to show when things happened.

✔️Voice It - Have another character tell the story with their thoughts and opinions.

✔️Witness It – Imagine that you are an inanimate object that came alive and witnessed the story. Describe what you saw or heard!

✔️Quote It - Choose the most important three sentences of the passage. Then, record yourself reading them aloud together with voice and sound effects. You may choose to add props. Add the chapter and page numbers with your work.

✔️Re-set It: You are the set and stage manager, so change the setting of the story and reimagine it in another country or time period. Rewrite the story to reflect these changes! Then, present your story using sound effects, suitable backgrounds, etc. or create a model of the new setting.

✔️Live It: Imagine that you are transported into the story. Describe your experience in writing. Then, present your story using sound effects, suitable backgrounds, etc.

✔️Script It: Create a play script of a scene from the story and perform it. Consider adding music, sound effects, and props.

✔️Think It: Develop a scene where the character is alone but is talking out loud (so we can know their thoughts). Write out their monologue and then record it.

✔️Transport It: Transport a character into our world and describe their experiences living in your community.

✔️Transform It: Convert a poem to prose or the other way around without losing the core elements of the setting, characters, and plot.

✔️Freeze It: Write and role play a scene where the character must make a choice. Have everything freeze while they talk through their options and thoughts. Have everything unfreeze as they make their decision.

✔️Advertise It: Create a poster advertising a new version of the story and pitch your idea.

✔️Orchestrate It: Choose music for a production of the story with a focus on the audience's mood, the author's tone, and the story's themes. Then, describe your choices in writing.

IMAGINE IT! (DAY 3)

This is a day for creative writing! This is when you will work on crafting your own fantasy short story!

SCHEDULE

▶️Week 1 - The Fantasy Genre
Required: "The Little Mermaid" by Jerry Pinkney
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Definition Essay) - Write a definition essay together to define the fantasy genre using several nonfiction and fiction sources (supplied). Complete the essay for homework.
*Choose your independent novel.

Fiction - Identify the fantasy elements of the poems and begin using poetry terminology like stanza, line, rhyme scheme, speaker, lyric poem, narrative poem, free verse poem, quatrain, sestain, and octave. "Fantasy" by Gwendolyn Bennett (lyric poem); "The Nixie's Pool" by Leah Bodine Drake (sestain stanzas with an AABBBA rhyme scheme); "The Last Faun" by Leah Bodine Drake (narrative ballad quatrain); "The Centaurs" by Leah Bodine Drake (free verse poem with a limited rhyme scheme); "The Old World of Green" by Leah Bodine Drake (alternate rhyme ABAB quatrain poem); “Over The Misty Mountains Cold” by J.R.R. Tolkien (ten quatrain stanzas with an AABB rhyme scheme); “One Ring” by J.R.R. Tolkien (octave with an ABABACCA rhyme scheme)

Short Story - Introduction to short stories with "The Little Mermaid" by Jerry Pinkney. Then, determine which type of fantasy short story you would like to write.

▶️Week 2 - Story Elements: Setting
Required: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Expository Essay) - Find support for expository paragraphs about chalk hills, downlands, lowlands, wolds, feudal system, and/or barons using the provided nonfiction sources and quotations from the novel. Then, write an expository essay teaching about the the setting of the novel.

Fiction - The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (Chapter 1)

Short Story - Describe the setting.

▶️Week 3 - Story Elements: Characters (STEAL characterization - Speech)
Required: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Compare & Contrast Essay) - Write PEEL paragraphs comparing Tiffany's storybook witches with the witches she knows, Miss Tick and Granny Aching. Complete the paragraphs for homework.

Fiction - The Wee Free Men (or "For Fear of Little Men") by Terry Pratchett (Chapters 2 & 3)

Short Story - Plan your main character.

▶️Week 4 - Drama & Story Elements: Characters (STEAL characterization - Speech, Effect on Others & Actions)
Required: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett & Independent Novel
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Analytical Essay) - Select suitable quotations to develop PEEL paragraphs analyzing Tiffany's characterization with your own inferences.

Fiction - Independent Reading
"Jack and the Bean Stalk: A Radio Play: by Ruth Landowne-Giordano (Play Script)
"Jack and the Bean Stalk" by Andy Pavey (Play Script)
"Mad Tea Party" by Ruth Landowne-Giordano (Play Script)

Short Story - Add your main character to your story, as you think about their unique STEAL characterization.

▶️Week 5 - Story Elements: Plot
Required: Onward Movie
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Expository Essay) - Read an essay about the Hero's Journey to determine the author's purpose and analyze the essay structure, and insert the missing sentences in the correct places.

Fiction - Onward (Movie on Disney+ and may be available at your local library) & Independent Reading

Short Story - Plan the plot of your story using the story mountain and character development graphic organizers.

▶️Week 6 - Story Elements: Characters (STEAL characterization - Thoughts: Opinions, interests, struggles, emotions, and plans)
Required: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Personal Narrative Essay) - Read an essay about siblings to determine the author's purpose, analyze the essay structure, and insert the missing sentences in the correct places. Then, write your own personal narrative essay about your relationship with someone, a time when you did something without permission, or an account of a dream/nightmare.

Fiction - The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (Chapters 4-6)

Short Story - Continue writing your short story.

▶️Week 7 - Story Elements: Conflicts
Required: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Persuasive Essay) - Read science and health advisories to gather support for your essay, and share your opinion/advice with the Nac Mac Feegles, trying to persuade them to make some life adjustments.

Fiction - The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (Chapters 7-9)

Short Story - Continue writing your short story.

▶️Week 8 - Story Elements: Characters (STEAL characterization - Looks)
Required: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett & Independent Novel
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Analytical Paragraphs) - Read examples of classic fictional and historical nonfiction representations of foreigners and write PEEL paragraphs about their representation. Then, write PEEL paragraphs about the appearance and diversity of the characters in The Wee Free Men.

Fiction - Independent Reading

Short Story - Add intriguing and respectful diverse representation in your short story.

▶️Week 9 - Story Elements: Characters (STEAL characterization - Effect on Others/Relationships)
Required: Maleficent 1 Movie (2014) & The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Comparative Essay) - "'Them as can do, has to do for them as can’t. And someone has to speak up for them as has no voices'" (Pratchett 227). Consider how this quotation applies to both The Wee Free Men and Maleficent, and compare the characters' interactions.

Fiction - Maleficent 1 (2014 movie on Disney+ and may be available through your local library) & Independent Novel

Short Story - Develop the relationship between two characters in your short story.

▶️Week 10 - Story Elements: Characters (STEAL characterization - Actions)
Required: Independent Novel & Poems/Monologues in Classroom
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Comparative Essay) - Share your comparative essay. Revise and edit it based on the peer and teacher feedback.

Fiction - Reader's Theatre
"Curious Story" by Leah Bodine Drake (cinquain poem with an ABCCB rhyme scheme)
"The Stranger (To Lord Dunsany)" by Leah Bodine Drake (ballad quatrain)
"Witches on the Heath" by Leah Bodine Drake (octave poem with an ABBCCCDDA rhyme scheme)
"Unhappy Ending" by Leah Bodine Drake (tercet poem with an ABB rhyme scheme)
Song of the Witches: “Double, double toil and trouble” by William Shakespeare (rhyming couplets and a refrain)
"Wulf and Eadwacer" by (elegy and ballad poem with refrain; modern translation)
"The Beanstalk" by Tara Meddaugh (dramatic monologue)
"Scientist's Address" by Drama Notebook (comedic monologue; give it a fantasy twist)
"Blue River" by Drama Notebook (comedic scene; give it a fantasy twist)
"The Viper" by Drama Notebook (comedic scene; give it a fantasy twist)
"Sonnet 1" by Gwendolyn Bennett (Italian sonnet)

Short Story - Continue to develop your short story.

▶️Week 11 - Story Elements: Theme
Required: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Analytical Essay) - Form a conclusion about a theme (belonging, courage, power, responsibility, family, identity, good vs evil, life, free will vs fate, hope, childhood, home, decisions, etc.) in the novel and choose suitable quotations as you plan your essay.

Fiction - The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (Chapters 10 & 11)

Short Story - Consider the messages that are developing in your story as you approach the climax.

▶️Week 12 - Story Elements: Theme
Required: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Analytical Essay) - Write your essay about a theme (belonging, courage, power, responsibility, family, identity, good vs evil, life, free will vs fate, hope, childhood, home, decisions, etc.) in the novel.

Fiction - The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (Chapters 12 & 13)

Short Story - Consider the messages that are developing in your story as you craft the falling action.

▶️Week 13 - Author's Choices: Craft (Figurative Language, Diction, and Syntax)
Required: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Analytical Essay) - Revise and edit your essay about a theme (belonging, courage, power, responsibility, family, identity, good vs evil, life, free will vs fate, hope, childhood, home, decisions, etc.) in the novel.

Fiction - The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (Chapter 14)

Short Story - Consider the messages that are developing in your story as you craft the conclusion.

▶️Week 14 - Author's Choices: Inspiration, Influences & Allusions
Required: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett & Independent Novel
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Research Essay) - Organize the sources about English Wiltshire, chalk hill figures, Stonehenge and the Avebury circle, trilithon, bronze age burial mounds, sheepherding, sheepdogs, Yan Tan Tethera, sheep and cattle rustling, kilts, bagpipes, bogle ghosts, devil dogs, "scunner", "kelda", "cailey/ceilidh", "crivens", "jobbies", the Big Yin/Yan, William McGonagall, "Fairy Fellers' Master-Stroke", and Richard Dadd, as well as the references to Wizard of Oz, "To a Mouse", The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Lord of the Rings, Moby Dick, Tam Lin, and the author's note into categories. Then, write several PEEL paragraphs about some of the cultural and historical influences on the novel.

Fiction - Research about something that is important in your independent novel and teach your classmates about it with a slideshow presentation or an activity using headings, key points, illustrations, and a list of your sources. Share why it is important in the novel.

Short Story - Create a second version of your short story by adding illustrations, changing the presentation style (book, slideshow, etc.), or changing the format entirely (comic, audio recording, video, etc.)

▶️Week 15 - Share Your Work!
Required (time permitting): Nanny McPhee Movie
Nonfiction/Essay Writing (Any Essay) - Choose the essay that you feel the proudest of and share it in the classroom with a brief explanation of why you chose it and why you are proud of yourself.

Fiction - Present your short story with a brief description of your process and why you are proud of yourself.

Finale (Only if there is time left after the presentations on the last day) - Nanny McPhee (Movie on Amazon Prime)

CORE LITERATURE

Required:
Short Story - "The Little Mermaid" by Jerry Pinkney 
Novel - The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Films - Onward, Maleficent, and Nanny McPhee
Independent Novel

Optional:
Audiobook - The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

Learner's Choice (Choose One of the Following for Individual Novel Study):
Before the Sword by Grace Lin (Ancient Chinese Adventure-Fantasy; Chinese Mythology)
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston (African-American Mysterious Adventure-Fantasy; Popular Mythology; Award)
The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice) by John Flanagan (Earthsea Archipelago Medieval Adventure-Fantasy; Native American Legends & Norse Mythology; Multiple Awards)
A Wizard Of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (Adventure-Fantasy; Celtic-Norse Mythology; Multiple Awards)
Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper (British Arthurian-Fantasy; King Arthur Tales and Celtic, Norse, and English Mythology; Award)
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (British Arthurian-Fantasy; King Arthur Tales and Celtic, Norse, and English Mythology; Multiple Awards)
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (Dwarfish Middle-earth Adventure-Fantasy; Germanic and Scandinavian Mythology; Multiple Awards)
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (Romantic-Fantasy; Fairy Tale Parody; Award)
The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones and Ursula Jones (Adventure-Fantasy; Inspired by Mesopotamia, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and England; Award)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (World War 2 Adventure-Fantasy; Greek Mythology; Biblical Allusions; Award)
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo (Animal Adventure-Fantasy; Awards)
Redwall (Redwall Series) by Brian Jaques (Descriptive Animal Adventure-Fantasy; Multiple Awards)
Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll (Victorian Adventure-Fantasy; Literary Nonsense; Award)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (Adventure-Fantasy; Greek Mythology; Award) 
The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series) by Michael Scott (Action-Packed Adventure-Fantasy; Mixed Mythology; Alternate History)
Watership Down by Richard Adams (British Adventure-Fantasy; Hero Archetype; Multiple Awards)

Poetry (Supplied):
"Fantasy" by Gwendolyn Bennett (lyric poem)
"The Nixie's Pool" by Leah Bodine Drake (sestain stanzas with an AABBBA rhyme scheme)
"The Last Faun" by Leah Bodine Drake (narrative ballad quatrain)
"The Centaurs" by Leah Bodine Drake (free verse poem with a limited rhyme scheme)
"The Old World of Green" by Leah Bodine Drake (alternate rhyme ABAB quatrain poem)
“Over The Misty Mountains Cold” by J.R.R. Tolkien (ten quatrain stanzas with an AABB rhyme scheme)
“One Ring” by J.R.R. Tolkien (octave with an ABABACCA rhyme scheme)
"Curious Story" by Leah Bodine Drake (cinquain poem with an ABCCB rhyme scheme)
"The Stranger (To Lord Dunsany)" by Leah Bodine Drake (ballad quatrain)
"Witches on the Heath" by Leah Bodine Drake (octave poem with an ABBCCCDDA rhyme scheme)
"Unhappy Ending" by Leah Bodine Drake (tercet poem with an ABB rhyme scheme)
Song of the Witches: “Double, double toil and trouble” by William Shakespeare (rhyming couplets and a refrain)
"Wulf and Eadwacer" by (elegy and ballad poem with refrain; modern translation)
"The Beanstalk" by Tara Meddaugh (dramatic monologue)
"Scientist's Address" by Drama Notebook (comedic monologue; give it a fantasy twist)
"Blue River" by Drama Notebook (comedic scene; give it a fantasy twist)
"The Viper" by Drama Notebook (comedic scene; give it a fantasy twist)
"Sonnet 1" by Gwendolyn Bennett (Italian sonnet)

Play Scripts (Supplied):
"Jack and the Bean Stalk: A Radio Play: by Ruth Landowne-Giordano
"Jack and the Bean Stalk" by Andy Pavey
"Mad Tea Party" by Ruth Landowne-Giordano

* * * * *

SPECIAL!
Get $200 off my class with coupon code BELLGFALL200 until Aug 14, 2023.

▶️Due to rising costs and lower enrollment, I have had to increase my prices. However, I am dedicated to finding a solution for all families! Do reach out to me if your learner would like to take my class and you need a discount. In fact, I am offering at least one pay-what-you-can spot for each confirmed section (with other learners). Reach out to me for details!

▶️If you are able to pay the current fee, I thank you for your support since I work hard to provide creative, inspiring content while balancing the challenges of living with disability and chronic illness. Thank you!