How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay: Flex Class

In this multi-day class, students will learn the basics elements of literary analysis essays, breaking down a prompt, and writing the essay, all while receiving constructive feedback from the teacher.  Students will read the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart," using tried and true close reading methods. After, the teacher will walk students through the writing process, covering steps such as brainstorming, finding evidence, and an essay outlining.

There are NO live meetings for this class. Students will be given links to weekly presentations that will guide them through the lesson. Each lesson will have students posting to collaborative boards and engaging in discussions with both the teacher and other classmates. The teacher will also post weekly videos describing the purpose and focus of each week and a discussion topic that students will be required to respond to both the teacher and classmates. Each week, students will be given a new interactive presentation to guide them in this determination. I've included several audio-visual components to the lesson to ensure students understand the big ideas of the lesson. Many activities in each lesson will give students the ability to respond to other learners in the course, to increase the interaction among all learners. Students will also have the opportunity to message me with questions, through the classroom. The weekly activities are listed below:

Week 1: Passage Close Read, Prompt Breakdown & Brainstorm
1.) Students will read the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" and post a summary to the collaborative board
2.) Students will create a Flipgrid video summarizing their thoughts on the short story, then reply to another classmate
3.) Students will break down the writing prompt & brainstorm ideas for their essay

Week 2: Evidence Investigation
1.) Students will view a presentation covering different types of evidence to support an answer
2.) Students will re-read the text to find pieces of evidence that support their ideas

Week 3: Essay Outlining
1.) Students will learn the purpose of an outline, crafting introductions, thesis statements, topic sentences, and conclusions.
2.) Students will complete the outline graphic organizer for their essay.
3.) Students will work in pairs to peer review their graphic organizers.

Week 4: Writing the Essay & Submission
1.) Students will be introduced to basic MLA format
2.) Students will write their essay and submit for grading by the last day of the course.

My philosophy behind teaching can best be summed up in two words, "holistic learning." In my experience, kids learn best when learning skills in environments that are most engaging to them, lead by a facilitator, rather than a lecturer. My classes revolve heavily on discovery learning principles, allowing students to become fully immersed while making connections between their interests and key academic skills. I say all of this to say, the more fun a student has, the more they learn in the end. 

This class is perfect for reinforcing writing skills learned in school, while at home. As a classroom English teacher, these are all essential writing skills I notice many students struggle with learning. In my experience, students learn best when being able to discuss and apply the skills that are taught to them. As the teacher, my job is to guide and be a support figure for students as they progress through the lesson.  To ensure each learner is able to comprehend and internalize the skills covered in class, students should have an age-appropriate reading ability and a basic understanding of essay writing.