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Novel Study - The Witches by Roald Dahl

In this 4-week class, students will read and learn more about The Witches by Roald Dahl, analyzing character growth, discussing theme and plot, making connections to the text, and much more. #academic
Tayler Morrell, Licensed History and ELA Teacher
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(200)
Class

What's included

4 live meetings
3 in-class hours
Homework
1-2 hours per week. Students will be expected to read every night following the reading schedule. Students should also finish each in-class assignment if they have not during class (especially if the parent wants the class graded).
Assessment
Each class, I will check for comprehension. This will be based off participation as well as individual answers given during questions that students can answer privately. If you would like me to grade a student's work and progress and provide a letter of achievement after the course finishes, please let me know as soon as possible. As a certified teacher, I know many parents appreciate this for their state homeschool/charter school requirements.
Grading
included

Class Experience

US Grade 3 - 6
Use coupon code MORRELLWITCHES5 for $5 off.

Formula 86, witches that think kids smell like dogs' droppings, and a sly old grandma? That's how the biggest adventure of the boy's life began in Roald Dahl's novel, The Witches. Roald Dahl is one of my favorite childhood authors and I own almost all of his books. I have loved reading through all of them with my own two elementary-aged children and I am excited to share that wondrous world with your children!

Over four weeks, we will read and study the novel The Witches. We will check for comprehension, discuss some book club questions, analyze the characters and themes of the novel, then either complete an activity or writing prompt that connects to the story. As a certified literature teacher, I will not only have the students discuss the book, like a book club, but I will be teaching about literary analysis as well. We will discuss character growth, figurative language, themes and motifs, the use of songs and poems within the novels, plot development, and much more. 

Roald Dahl's books can easily be found at local libraries, or can easily be found at any local bookstore. Students will be required to read the books before coming to class. Students should be able to read and have at least a 2nd or 3rd grade reading level. ***We will NOT be reading the books during class.***

Week 1: Chapters 1-5 (Finish the chapter "Summer Holidays")
Week 2:chapters 6-11(Finish the chapter "The Ancient Ones")
Week 3: chapters 12-16 (Finish the chapter "The Plan")
Week 4: finish the novel

Each week, prior to class, I will post on the classroom page not only the reading assignment, but what we will be doing in class each week to give families a  heads up if they need to gather supplies.

I love student participation, but I understand some students don't love participating as much. That is fine with me - I don't require students to talk and discuss if they aren't comfortable doing so. If your student just wants to come to listen to the discussion and do the activity, that is wonderful. I tend to have a pretty lax policy with Zoom microphones, but I do prefer that students keep their cameras on during class. 

Students do not need any prior knowledge or experience for this class. We will be utilizing NearPod - students do *not* need an account to use NearPod, they will join with a code that I will share. At the end of the novel, I will also show a preview for a movie version of each book. Watching the movie is *not* part of the class nor a homework requirement. But, it can be a fun activity after reading the book.
Learning Goals
Students will be able to summarize The Witches.
Students will be able to analyze characters, plot development, themes, and more.
Students will be able to made text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections.
learning goal

Other Details

Parental Guidance
We will be utilizing NearPod, however, students do *NOT* need an account to participate. Roald Dahl is a notable and world-famous children's author. His works are all complete fiction. But, he does tend to use hyperbole and exaggerations a lot. Usually this tends to be in the form of adults insulting kids or scary-looking witches that want to get rid of kids. If your learner is sensitive about more tense aspects in the novel, please let me know ahead of time. However, these books were specifically created for children in this age range, and I have read the books numerous times. I've read all of these novels out loud to my own two children (currently 8 & 5) and they both have seen the movie interpretations.
Supply List
Students will need their own copies of The Witches by Roald Dahl (these can be found at local libraries or local bookstores, or even online).

Students may need to print out a worksheet before class - specific materials for each class will be posted a few days before class begins.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
  • Nearpod
5.0
200reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Utah Teaching Certificate in Social Studies/History
Bachelor's Degree in Education from Brigham Young University
I am a certified ELA teacher in the United States and taught 7th-9th graders at a public charter school for 2 years. I have also taught an ongoing class on Roald Dahl's shorter children's stories since the beginning of summer 2022.

I also have two children of my own (ages 8 and 5) whom I have read all these novels to them.

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$12

weekly or $45 for 4 classes
1x per week, 4 weeks
45 min

Completed by 1 learner
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-12
2-8 learners per class

This class is no longer offered
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