Oscar Wilde's the Picture of Dorian Gray Book Club
In this 4-week course, students will read and discuss Oscar Wilde's classic, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Janelle Fila
Average rating:
4.6
Number of reviews:(903)
Star Educator
What's included
4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentHomework
1-2 hours per week. Students will read approximately 65 pages a lesson on their own time. Each lesson, students will have access to the new video and a corresponding one page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. I assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions. There are also activities like vocabulary words and trivia to test their comprehension from the weekly chapters.Assessment
The more questions, comments, and posts that students share in the classroom, the more I can understand their knowledge and comprehension of the topics we are discussing.Letter Grade
includedClass Experience
US Grade 8 - 11
The Picture of Dorian Gray centers around a portrait painted by an artist obsessed with Dorian's beauty. It is the perfect book for discussion and analysis because Oscar Wilde's use of language and symbolism can be hard to appreciate and understand when reading alone. Students will read 4-5 chapters (approximately 65 pages) a lesson on their own time. Each lesson, a new video will discuss the pages that the students have previously read. This class does not meet live. The prerecorded sessions will emphasize characters, their motivations, theme, story plausibility, and inferences about what might come next. We will also refer to any symbolism within the story and discuss what the author intended to represent with those symbols. We may also discuss the history, politics, ethics, or religion that Wilde references in individual chapters. Weekly breakdown: Students will receive a worksheet and discussion questions for each video. There is one weekly writing assignment to complete after the reading. I will post vocabulary words from the weekly reading for the students to use in a sentence that showcases their understanding of the definition. I also post a link to an optional Kahoot! trivia game the students can complete to further immerse themselves in Oscar Wilde's world. Kahoot is a free resource that does not require an account or any additional steps.
Learning Goals
The prerecorded sessions emphasize characters' motivations, theme, and story plausibility. Students will examine their own thoughts through a worksheet, a writing assignment, vocabulary words, and an optional Kahoot! review quiz.
Syllabus
4 Lessons
over 4 WeeksLesson 1:
Prologue and Chapters 1-4
Video lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz Lesson 2:
Chapters 5-9
Video lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz Lesson 3:
Chapters 10-14
Video lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz Lesson 4:
Chapters 15-20
Video lesson, worksheet, vocabulary words, writing assignment, and optional Kahoot! review quiz Other Details
Parental Guidance
From a homeschooling blog: There are occasional cursing and profanity, along with a few references to smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, and even using opium. Lovers, orgies, and harlots are all briefly mentioned, but no lurid detailed descriptions are found. However, one source gives the Age Range as 12 and up.
https://homeschoolbookreviewblog.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/the-picture-of-dorian-gray/#:~:text=There%20are%20occasional%20cursing%20and,Range%20as%2012%20and%20up.
Supply List
The students will need a copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray to read on their own. It can be borrowed from the library or even listened to as an audio book. The students will not need a physical copy of the story in class, although they may find it helpful to have while filling out their worksheets or working on their writing assignment.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined June, 2019
4.6
903reviews
Star Educator
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Spalding University
I have a Master's Degree in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults. I was a substitute teacher for three years before teaching full-time on Outschool for the past two years. I also currently teach English Composition for my local community college. I have been blessed to discuss classic authors like Oscar Wilde in the classroom multiple times, including my own high school reading experience. This is an excellent book to discuss. While the writing can feel archaic and cumbersome at times, the themes of honesty, friendship, age, beauty, and art are timeless. I am excited to read this story alongside your student to see what emotions and feelings Wilde's images and descriptions stir up for them.Reviews
Self-Paced Course
$10
weekly or $40 for all content4 pre-recorded lessons
4 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
Completed by 1 learner
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Ages: 13-18
