Literature Based Language Arts: Complex Characters and Central Ideas
In this focused literary analysis and language arts course students will dive deep into The Palace Thief to focus on how authors develop complex characters to support a central theme.
Malikai Bass M.A
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(316)
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What's included
9 live meetings
7 hrs 30 mins in-class hoursHomework
1-2 hours per week. Between classes students will be asked to read and respond to excerpts. Students will have time in class for the final project but will need to work on it outside of class as well.Projects
Students will have regular informal assessment through in-class writing as well as the take-home assessment of our final project.Assessment
Students will have regular informal assessment through in-class writing as well as the take-home assessment of our final project.Class Experience
US Grade 9 - 10
Intermediate - Advanced Level
This is the sixth course in a year long rotation designed to support twice exceptional learners in developing high school level English Language Arts skills. Texts chosen are available on platforms with dyslexia-friendly options including audiobooks and a variety of writing supports and accommodations are available. Texts are chosen at challenging lexile levels but with age appropriate content and to provide new perspectives unlike books students might self-select. Scaffolding is provided for new or non-literal language. The course is taught by a neurodivergent educator. In this unit, students will engage in close reading of a short story tragedy to identify the central theme and how complex characters develop and support a theme
Learning Goals
RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development
over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by
specific details; provide an objective summary of the text
Syllabus
Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created CurriculumStandards
Aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS)9 Lessons
over 3 WeeksLesson 1:
Unit Launch
We will launch our unit by introducing our central question, class goals, and our text. We will do a shared reading, dive into annotation, have group discussions, and focus on understanding the opening. For homework, students will continue our close read and annotation as well as do writing activities focused. 50 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
How do authors introduce complex characters?
We will read the first section of the story focusing on the introduction and interactions between the major characters. We will investigate our first impressions using graphic organizers and participate in reading writing and discussion. For homework, students will continue our close read and annotation as well as do writing activities. 50 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
How do character actions showcase complexity?
We will continue our reading of the text and use graphic organizers to support our analysis including a collaborative exploration of character choices and how they show the complexity of characters. 50 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
How do flaws add to character complexity?
We will continue our reading of the text and use annotation and graphic organizers to focus on the challenges to the character's moral code and the "flaws" in the character through a jigsaw activity For homework, students will complete a mid-unit assessment. 50 mins online live lesson
Other Details
Learning Needs
This course is designed and taught by a 2E educator to include 2e and ND students
- careful font selections
- graphic organizers
- transcripts of video content
- lined writing spaces
- ability to dictate written work if needed
Parental Guidance
We will use Nearpod. Students must click a link to join but no personal information other than first name is collected.
Pre-Requisites
Learners should be able to read and analyze texts at an early high school level. Learners should be able to write a multi-paragraph essay.
Joined April, 2021
5.0
316reviews
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Teacher expertise and credentials
I have been involved in classical literature and mythological study since I was a small child. I have always loved looking back into the past and using it as a mirror to examine today's ideas both as a benchmark for progress and an inspiration for further improvement.
I began reading at the age of three and have averaged multiple books a week since. I have a honor's in discipline in English from East Tennessee State University where my focus was on middle grades and young adult literature. I was a peer tutor for four years teaching college level English including preparing students to take the GRE for an additional two years. I have been teaching online book clubs for two years online and last year my average student who took standardized pre-post tests (The NWEA MAP Growth exam) improved their reading placement by two grade levels.
I completed my undergraduate thesis on the subject of middle grades literature and won local and state wide awards including having the honor of presenting at a statewide conference for outstanding undergraduate research.
Relevant Coursework:
Read 3100 Teach Read for K-6. This course is exceptionally relevant to this course as it provided a foundation in the science of reading approach which provides explicit, direct, and accurate phonics based instruction to support all readers. This is utilized in this course despite the difference in age ranges through optional spelling activities to support learners who may have lagging skills in reading and spelling.
Read 3200: Teaching Writing and Language Arts. This course provided frameworks and strategies for teaching writing in motivating ways to students and for understanding the development pathways of writing and language arts.
Eng 3118: Honor's Lit Focus. In this focus I explored representations of American History, focusing on the complex history of California, through a variety of literature for adolescents. This class also modeled engaging ways of teaching literature for this age group and dealing with complex subject matter.
English 4077: Literature For Adolescents This class focused on the teaching, critical analysis, and exploration of literature for middle school students. It explored methods of education and dealing with complex subject matter as well as strategies for evaluating texts both academically and developmentally. Reviews
Live Group Course
$50
weekly or $148 for 9 classes3x per week, 3 weeks
50 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-15
3-6 learners per class
