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Middle School Summer Book Club

In this ongoing class students will read a different book each week and discuss it during class.
Phyllis Bixler - Just Help Me Learn, LLC
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:
(346)
Class

What's included

1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hours per week
Homework
4+ hours per week. Read assigned text for class

Class Experience

US Grade 5 - 7
Books can be an escape filled with adventure, a window into another time, an opportunity to learn something new, and so much more!  During this book club learners will expand their minds while reading books for pleasure over the summer.  Reading for pleasure can expand vocabulary, keep students engaged in the learning process, and establish friendships with other learners from across the US and around the world!

Our book club will meet weekly and discuss the selected book. Students will be assigned reading and should arrive to class ready to discuss topics from the assigned text.  Students need to be able to read an entire book each week.

The general breakdown for class will be as follows:
 
June 10 - 16        Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
June 17 - 23         Alone by Megan E Freeman 
July  24 - 30        Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
July    1 - 7           The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead
July   8- 14           Refugee by Alan Gratz
July 15 - 21           A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
July 22 - 28         Restart by Gordon Corman
July 29 -Aug 4    Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
August 11 - 18     Believe by Julie Mathison
August 19 - 25    The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

This class is largely discussion based and require learning engagement and interaction.  “Book club is not a spectator’s sport!”  Participants should come ready to share their thoughts and ask questions about the assigned reading during our session.  Cameras will need to be on throughout class.  If extenuating circumstances prevent a learner from turning their camera on, please send me a message to discuss it prior to enrolling.   

Please note that I do allow for deviations from the schedule.  Sometimes the group wants to go deeper on one particular aspect of our content, requires more time on a topic to truly grasp it, or gets so engaged in rich conversation that it requires us to adjust our agenda.   



**********PLEASE READ*************
Outschool has recently changed its policy regarding class cancellations. We know how disappointing canceled classes can be for learners, so we too are amending our policy.  In the past we have waited for late enrollees, of which we have had MANY!  Unfortunately we can no longer do that. 

Instead we will evaluate class enrollment for ongoing classes on teach Sunday at 5pm Eastern.  IF enrollment falls below 3 students, we will push the class back a week.  When other sections are available students will have the option to transfer to another class. Full refunds will be provided for learners who cannot attend the newly scheduled class time. All other refunds will be provided as per the Outschool Limited Refund policy (see below).  If for any reason the class does not meet your expectation, you have the confidence of knowing that Outschool has a Happiness Guarantee and will provide a refund upon request via their Customer Support. 

Transfer requests within 24 hours of a scheduled class will NOT be approved.  At that point it is too late to reschedule the class, and it is unfair to other families who may have enrolled thinking there were multiple learners enrolled. Instead students will be encouraged to watch the video of the class.
 
Thank you for understanding, and for your loyalty.
Learning Goals
Students will: 
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze 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.
Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
learning goal

Other Details

Parental Guidance
Some of the books contain mature but age appropriate content, including but not limited to: gender identity, genocide, terminal illness, death, grief, fighting, civil rights movement, violence, bullying, child abuse, war, stereotypes, magical realism, some language, homelessness, racism, and more. Students MUST me mature enough to discuss this content with others. It is suggested that parents and/or students seek reviews of titles on Common Sense Media prior to enrollment to make sure this class is right for your learner.
Supply List
Students will need their own copy of each book.

For US students with a processing or other reading challenges, I encourage you to use the following link to submit an application with the National Library Service and Library of Congress to acquire free resources which may be helpful for this class: 
https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/eligibility-for-nls-services/talking-books-reading-disabilities/
Another free and valuable resource for students who learn differently is: 
https://www.bookshare.org/cms/promo/adwords/audiobooks-learning-disabilities
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined September, 2020
4.8
346reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Ohio Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
Phyllis Bixler, M.Ed., NBCT
Master's Degree in Education from Lourdes College
Phyllis Bixler, M.Ed., NBCT
Bachelor's Degree in Education from Auburn University
Tina Kaye Houston
I have been a National Board Certified English teacher in middle and high school as well as at the college level and discussed literature with mature topics and content about oppressed peoples for decades.  Additionally I am a Holocaust and genocide educator who has taught for nearly 2 decades about the atrocities committed by humans on one another.  This content is ALWAYS handled in a way that gives the victim(s) faces and identities without sensationalizing their trauma and experience.  The intent is to demonstrate the humanity in each situation and how we can be better humans by learning from the literature to treat one another with love and respect.  
I have a graduate degree in English, as well as another in Education and countless courses on how to teach content as described above. 

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$15

weekly
1x per week
50 min

Completed by 26 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-13
3-8 learners per class

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