Homeschool Middle School Literature Full Curriculum Y2|Novel Study|ELA Book Club
A middle school English literature ongoing course where students read classic novels and analyze them through Socratic discussions and optional writing; perfect for students who love reading and/or homeschoolers in need of ELA courses
Meg Connolly, Certified ELA Teacher
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(37)
What's included
1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
US Grade 6 - 8
📣 Get $5 off your first class: Coupon code CONNO9TIBC5 Please note: Due to the discussion-based nature of this course, there must be at least 3 learners enrolled in order to run it. Sections with fewer learner will be cancelled or asked to transfer. **Please be aware that, as indicated on the schedule, I will be on maternity leave from October 2nd - January 7th. I'll be offering a complementary independent study of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien during this time (details below). Thank you for your understanding! Don't hesitate to reach out with questions! 🙏 🌟 General 🌟 Welcome to YEAR 2 ongoing middle school classics book club! This course is best suited for students in 6th to 8th grade (ages 11-14). If you’re looking for a novel study course for 4th to 6th grade (ages 9-12), you can find here: https://outschool.com/classes/homeschool-middle-school-literature-full-curriculum-y1ornovel-studyorela-book-club-sSMvSxQo?usid=XSuDFS3Z&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link This course if for you if you want your learner to: ✅ (further) develop a love of reading ✅ strengthen critical engagement with literature ✅ practice speaking and writing analytically about literature with their peers ✅ prepare for high school level reading and discussion In this ongoing middle grades literature course, we will meet once a week to discuss great classic literature that is typically taught in middle grade levels. Students will read one classic novel over 4-week time periods. This allows us to dive deeper into literary analysis and have more in-depth discussions. Students are welcome to join for any or all of the discussions that pertain to a certain book, or for some books but not others. This is a relaxed but rigorous discussion-based course, where students come together to talk about themes, symbols, motifs, character development, conflict, literary devices, cultural relevance, and other elements at work in each novel. Students also practice analytic writing and receive feedback from me in each class. Students finish each novel with a cohesive and analytic understanding of the text and its place within the wider canon of literature. Throughout this course, students will have a chance to get a feel for what a high school-level literature course is like by participating in analytic reading and socratic seminar. Please note that because of the nature of this course, and of the reading content, sensitive topics are often discussed. I aim to create a judgement-free zone where students feel free to express themselves, and I ensure that students discuss sensitive topics appropriately and with respect for their classmates. This course is great for students who: ✅ love reading and discussing literature ✅ are looking for homeschool full year language arts curriculum ✅ are preparing to be English majors in college ✅ want to get high school ready ✅ are ESL or ELL students looking for advanced reading classes from experienced ELA teacher with TEFL certification ✅ are neurodivergent learners seeking a safe space to learn with peers ✅ want to supplement their English language arts classes ✅ want opportunities to receive feedback on their written work ✅ are looking for a welcoming and inclusive space to interact with peers 🌟 Class Format 🌟 Warm up discussion (~10'): As students enter, we do introductions if there are new members, and talk about our first impressions of what we read for the week Literary Analysis Writing (~10'): After discussion, students write for 10 minutes, responding to a literary analysis prompt that gets them thinking about character development, themes, symbols, etc. Although this is a discussion class, the written portion allows students to understand what they think about the novel on a deeper level. Ultimately, it helps students not only practice writing analytically, but also deepens our subsequent discussion. During this time, I encourage students to send their responses to me in the chat, where I provide individual feedback and extension questions wherever time allows. Analytic discussion (~25-30'): We then discuss the questions, using them as a jumping off point for deeper discussion. During this time, I also encourage students to pose their own discussion questions to the group. Sign off (~3'): We close with a short activity that asks students to make an observation or a prediction about the book. 🌟Materials & Optional Homework🌟 For each book, I provide guided reading questions or workbook pages for the upcoming chapters. Students can use these materials alongside their weekly reading to facilitate critical thinking and engagement with the text. For each book, I offer students an extension essay assignment or project that they can complete and submit to me for individual feedback. There is not direct essay-writing instruction in this class, but I do provide literary analysis prompts and feedback to students who wish to practice their writing semi-independently. Essays and projects will be submitted via Google Classroom. 🌟 Weekly Breakdown 🌟 🍁 Fall Semester 2023 Book 1: The Golden Compass by Phillip Pulman 1. September 4 - September 10: The Golden Compass 2. September 11 - September 17: The Golden Compass 3. September 18 - September 24: The Golden Compass 4. September 25 - October 1: The Golden Compass ***Please be aware that, as indicated on the schedule, I will be on maternity leave from October 2nd - January 7th. During maternity leave, there will be no live scheduled classes. However, I'll be offering a complementary 6-week independent study for the novel "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien. This is a great novel for middle schoolers to read on their own. However, if it proves challenging, it's also a fun novel to read as a family! What does "independent study" include? - Suggested reading schedule - Guided reading questions - Weekly lecture video of section read (10-15') posted in the OS classroom - Weekly discussion questions posted to the OS classroom for students to discuss *Note that you will only receive this content if you remain enrolled, but you WILL NOT be charged for these weeks/this content since there are no live classes. The idea is to keep the students reading while I'm on leave :). Thank you for your understanding! Don't hesitate to reach out with questions! 🙏 Book 2: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - Independent Study 5. October 2 - October 8: Maternity leave/Independent Study 6. October 9 - October 15: Maternity leave/Independent Study 7. October 16 - October 22: Maternity leave/Independent Study 8. October 23 - October 29: Maternity leave/Independent Study 9. October 30 - November 5: Maternity leave/Independent Study 10. November 6 - November 12: Maternity leave/Independent Study November 13 - January 7th: Maternity leave *NO CLASSES 🌸 Spring Semester 2024 Book 3: Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman 1. January 8 - January 14: Catherine Called Birdy 2. January 15 - January 21: Catherine Called Birdy 3. January 22 - January 28: Catherine Called Birdy 4. January 29 - February 4: Catherine Called Birdy Book 4: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson 5. February 5 - February 11: Brown Girl Dreaming 6. February 12 - February 18: Brown Girl Dreaming 7. February 19 - February 25: Brown Girl Dreaming 8. February 26 - March 3: Brown Girl Dreaming Book 5: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry 9. March 4 - March 10: Number the Stars 10. March 11 - March 17: Number the Stars 11. March 18 - March 24: Number the Stars 12. March 25 - March 31: Number the Stars Book 6: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park 13. April 1 - April 7: A Single Shard 14. April 8 - April 14: A Single Shard 15. April 15 - April 21: A Single Shard 16. April 22 - April 28: A Single Shard Book 7: Crispin by Avi 17. April 29 - May 5: Crispin 18. May 6 - May 12: Crispin 19. May 13 - May 19: Crispin 20. May 20 - May 26: Crispin Book 8: The Giver by Lois Lowry 21. May 27 - June 2: The Giver 22. June 3 - June 9: The Giver 23. June 10 - June 16: The Giver 24. June 17 - June 23: The Giver 🌟 Teaching Methods 🌟 In this course, I gently guide students toward critical engagement with the text through socratic questioning and light direct instruction where necessary. I also engage students in short writing exercises, usually in the middle of class, to develop their skills in thinking and writing critically about texts. While there are no black and white answers when it comes to analyzing literature, there are pathways that lead to rigorous critical engagement with the text. My aim is to set students on these pathways, and the challenge their thinking, all within a relaxed and engaging environment. 🌟 Interaction 🌟 This course is heavily discussion-based and requires students to actively engage with each other in discussion about the novels, either through speaking or through the chat-box. The level of peer-engagement in this course is akin to that of a high school-level literature course. 🌟 About the Teacher 🌟 Meg Connolly is a certified teacher with bachelors degrees in literature and philosophy. She has masters degrees in teaching ELA, grades 7-12, and in teaching students with disabilities. She has ten years of teaching experience both in the US public school system and online. She has taught a wide range of courses throughout her career, from self-contained special education ELA to Advanced Placement Literature and Language & Composition. In addition to her masters, she is TESOL certified and experienced in working with ESL students. She also writes her own fictional short stories for podcasts. Check out her teacher profile for more info. 🌟 Meet and Greet 🌟 If you or your learner are hesitant to sign up before meeting me (understandably!), feel free to book a meet and greet here: https://outschool.com/classes/meet-greet-15-minute-session-MGpwi3mP#usXSuDFS3Z
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Please be aware that many of these novels tackle difficult events and themes such as racism & racial violence, poverty, mild violence, mild drug use, mild profanity and rebellion. Please use your own discretion in determining if your learner is mature enough to handle the content of each novel specifically.
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pulman
(From Barnes & Noble) (From Barnes & Noble) Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal—including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.
Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and as fierce and true a champion as Roger or Asriel could want.
But what Lyra doesn't know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other...
Ages: 12 - 17
Content advisory: kidnapping, violence, death, abuse
The Giver by Lois Lowry
(From Barnes & Noble) In Lois Lowry’s Newbery Medal–winning classic, twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind his fragile community.
Life in the community where Jonas lives is idyllic. Designated birthmothers produce newchildren, who are assigned to appropriate family units. Citizens are assigned their partners and their jobs. No one thinks to ask questions. Everyone obeys. Everyone is the same. Except Jonas.
Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Gradually Jonas learns that power lies in feelings. But when his own power is put to the test—when he must try to save someone he loves—he may not be ready. Is it too soon? Or too late?
Ages: 12 - 17
Content advisory: warfare, starvation, dystopian themes, mild sexual content, violence
Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
(From Barnes & Noble) Catherine feels trapped. Her father is determined to marry her off to a rich man—any rich man, no matter how awful.
But by wit, trickery, and luck, Catherine manages to send several would-be husbands packing. Then a shaggy-bearded suitor from the north comes to call—by far the oldest, ugliest, most revolting suitor of them all. Unfortunately, he is also the richest.
Can a sharp-tongued, high-spirited, clever young maiden with a mind of her own actually lose the battle against an ill-mannered, piglike lord and an unimaginative, greedy toad of a father? Deus! Not if Catherine has anything to say about it!
Catherine, a spirited and inquisitive young woman, narrates in diary form the story of her fourteenth year—the year 1290.
Ages: 12 - 17
Content advisory: harsh lifestyle, very mild violence
Parrot in the Oven by Victor Martinez
(From Barnes & Noble) Dad believed people were like money. You could be a thousand-dollar person or a hundred-dollar person -- even a ten-, five-, or one-dollar person. Below that, everybody was just nickels and dimes. To my dad, we were pennies.
Fourteen-year-old Manny Hernandez wants to be more than just a penny. He wants to be a vato firme, the kind of guy people respect. But that's not easy when your father is abusive, your brother can't hold a job, and your mother scrubs the house as if she can wash her troubles away.
In Manny's neighborhood, the way to get respect is to be in a gang. But Manny's not sure that joining a gang is the solution. Because, after all, it's his life -- and he wants to be the one to decide what happens to it.
Ages: 13-17
Content advisory: abuse, teen-pregnancy, gangs, mild drug use and profanity
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson
(From Barnes & Noble) Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.
Ages: 10 - 14
Content advisory: Racism and racial themes, imprisonment of family member, death of family member
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
(From Barnes & Noble) The unforgettable Newbery Medal–winning novel from Lois Lowry. As the German troops begin their campaign to "relocate" all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen’s family takes in Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family.
Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.
Ages: 10 - 14
Content advisory: Racism and racial themes, WWII themes, mild violence
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
(From Barnes & Noble) The Newbery Medal-winning tale of an orphan boy whose dream of becoming a master potter leads to unforeseen adventure in ancient Korea.
Tree-ear is an orphan boy in a 12th-century Korean village renowned for its ceramics. When he accidentally breaks a delicate piece of pottery, he volunteers to work to pay for the damage. Putting aside his own dreams, Tree-ear resolves to serve the master potter by embarking on a difficult and dangerous journey, little knowing that it will change his life forever.
Ages: 10 - 12
Crispin by Avi
(From Barnes & Noble) Crispin is a poor thirteen-year-old peasant in medieval England. Accused of a crime he did not commit, he has been declared a "wolf’s head," meaning he may be killed on sight, by anyone. He flees his tiny village with nothing but his mother’s cross of lead.
In the English countryside, Crispin meets a man named Bear, who forces Crispin to become his servant yet encourages him to think for himself. But as Crispin’s enemies draw ever closer, he is pulled right into the fortress of his foes, where he must find a way to save their very lives.
Ages: 10 - 14
Content advisory: mild violence
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined September, 2021
5.0
37reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Teaching Certificates
Massachusetts Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
Non-US Teaching Certificate in English to Speakers of Other Languages
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in Education from Fordham University
Bachelor's Degree in English from Fordham University
Meg Connolly is a certified teacher with bachelors degrees in literature and philosophy. She has masters degrees in teaching ELA, grades 7-12, and in teaching students with disabilities. She has ten years of teaching experience both in the US public school system and online. She has taught a wide range of courses throughout her career, from self-contained special education ELA to Advanced Placement Literature and Language & Composition. In addition to her masters, she is TESOL certified and experienced in working with ESL students. She also writes her own fictional short stories for podcasts. Check out her teacher profile for more info.Reviews
Live Group Class
$29
weekly1x per week
50 min
Completed by 17 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-14
3-10 learners per class
