The Fall Section will be reading- A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, Revolution is Not a Dinner Party Ying Chang Compestine, and "The Tiger Rising" by Kate Dicamillo.
This course is meant to provide learners with in-depth literary analysis of three to four common texts read during a middle school career. As a certified English teacher for grades 7-12, I have been teaching these texts in the classroom for over ten years. I have also worked in Social Studies classrooms so I try to choose novels that can be used to strengthen students' knowledge of historical eras and global politics/concepts. These are the main novels that I rotate in this course. If a learner chooses to attend another semester, I can always have new book selections to read. I regularly add new novels that are age appropriate for middle school learners. 

“A Long Walk To Water” by Linda Sue Park
“The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton 
“Bomb” by Steve Sheinkin
“I Am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai 
“Inside Out & Back Again” by Thanhha Lai 
"Wonder" by R.J. Palacio
"Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
"Esperanza Rising" by Pam Ryan
'Fish in a Tree' by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
"The Tiger Rising" by Kate DiCamillo
"The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba
"The Endless Steppe" by Esther Hautzig
"Revolution is Not a Dinner Party" by Ying Chang Compestine
"Refugee" by Alan Gratz

When reading novels from a global perspective, learners will be exposed to more nonfiction texts. We will also spend time discussing the geography, culture, religion, and history of each novel’s setting. Learners will learn to identify literary elements and how to discuss how authors develop central ideas or themes. Students will engage in discussions about government and society while reading the texts "The Outsiders" and "Bomb". The novels 'Speak' and 'Wonder' touch on themes of growing up and how events in one's youth can have profound effects on a person's psyche.

Learners are regularly provided with video content to supplement their understanding of the story. There is also a custom study guide for each story for learners to practice their writing skills. For several of the novels, the teacher will provide movie adaptation clips so learners can visualize the story lines while reading the text. Most of the reading will be expected to be done by learners outside of the live meetings but the teacher will select passages that are of confusion or imperative to understanding the central idea to read aloud during live class meetings. 

If learners and parents have no preference on what novels are read during the semester, I will choose the texts. Before starting each novel, teacher will provide a comprehensive study guide with questions on plot, literary elements, vocabulary, and research questions. Learners that complete written assignments will receive prompt graded feedback from the teacher. There will also be regular writing assignments that encourage learners to meet Common Core writing standards which include utilizing textual evidence to support claims regarding the main (central) idea of the novels. This course can be utilized as a supplemental course for learners attending a hybrid school model or as a stand alone English course for homeschooled learners.