The instructor provides all materials. Students will use Google Docs & Drive.

In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
vocabulary.com (optional)
Google Docs
Google Drive

***While we read many touching and sweet stories, others have mature themes, such as murder, violence, suicide, revenge, alcohol, death, prejudices, guilt, racism, betrayal, etc., and are intended for mature secondary students. For example, in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," the main character is a murderer getting revenge. He takes a drunken man down to a cellar and buries him alive. We discuss revenge, the potential for wickedness in men, the dangers of drunkenness, verbal irony, and how people can use deceptive language to manipulate others. I AVOID stories with sexual themes as well as modern stories. Many stories have religious allusions, and I sometimes point them out so that students understand the literary and cultural relevance of such. Discussion is focused on what the characters believe, what the author believes, and what beliefs were central to literary periods of time, such as the romantics or even the dark romantics. A particular religion or a belief system is neither favored nor advanced. The stories we do read are classics and most--if not all--were written a century ago or longer and are commonly read in high schools. They help students understand the world in which they live as they ponder deep questions that are as relevant now as they were then. Stories are written with a Lexile score between 700-1400. Parents are welcome to listen in to class or to watch the recording, which I automatically post. I encourage students to talk to their parents about the stories and the issues we discuss.***