Read 6 novels, expanding your reading schema.
Learn to create high-quality, thoughtful projects and present them with confidence.
Participate in Socratic Seminars with intelligence, confidence, and respect for a community of learners.
Write a research essay.
Learn to respond to literature in writing through multiple genres and especially literary analysis.

Mrs. Lemons, who developed this course, has a B.A. in English Literature, a minor in Education, and a Master's in Education Administration. She has her teaching certificate and principal's license, and she is certified to teach English / Language Arts and History / Social Studies. She has many years of experience at the middle and high school levels. Further, she is an adjunct faculty member at Colorado Christian University, supervising teacher candidates in their undergraduate and graduate programs. She is a teacher of teachers. All that being said, middle school is her jam! 

All teachers that teach this course also think middle school students are awesome! Further, they have English degrees and teaching certificates. They are qualified experts who love kids!

2 - 4 hours per week outside of class
Homework
Frequency: 1-2 per week
Feedback: as needed
Details: Students will read one middle grade novel every two weeks. They will have short grammar homework, writing assignments, and hands-on projects to complete. Last, they will have one sheet of grammar to complete before each live class. This is a full semester of English!
Assessment
Frequency: included
Details: Students will take comprehension quizzes on the novels they read. We give specific and authentic feedback on student writing through the teacher tab of the classroom and on Google Docs. We also give feedback orally and with the chatbox immediately in class. Students complete reading quizzes to assess their completion and comprehension of the class novels.  
Grading
Frequency: included
Details: Letter grades can be controversial, so it is good to know how we approach grading ahead of time. As I (Karen Lemons) homeschooled my children without formal tests and grades, they had difficulty adjusting to college. I realized that as a teacher, I need to give tests! Further, students on Outschool are more likely to complete their work on time if there are grades. They need to learn to perform under a little pressure, and this will bring out the best in them! Therefore, all students are formally graded, and parents have access to those grades. We use the Outschool-approved, COPPA-compliant Google Classroom LMS for this.