English
Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass Book Discussion: Flexible Schedule
In this 7-week course, students will read and discuss Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, the first book in the His Dark Materials Trilogy #academic
12-17
year olds
1-6
learners per class
$60
Charged upfront
$9 per week
Flexible schedule
Over 7 weeks
No live meetings
There are no open spots for this class, but you can request another time or scroll down to find more classes like this.
Description
Class Experience
The Golden Compass is an internationally bestselling fantasy story with memorable characters that takes readers through a moral battle of good versus evil. The plot revolves heavily around the characters' interpretations of science and religion which makes it an excellent story for a book discussion. Students will read three to four chapters a week on their own time. Each week a new video will discuss the pages that the students have previously read. This class does not meet live. The...
Week 1 Part 1: Chapters 1-3 Week 2 Chapters 4-6 Week 3 Chapters 7-9 Week 4 Part 2: Chapters 10-13 Week 5 Chapters 14-17 Week 6 Chapters 18-20 Week 7 Chapters 21-23
I have an MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults. I was a substitute teacher for three years before teaching full-time on Outschool. I also teach English Composition as an adjunct university professor. I have been blessed to discuss Pullman's international bestselling series in the classroom multiple times. Pullman is an excellent storyteller and world builder. He creates dark and tragic magical worlds that I feel honored to share with students! His books offer an excellent opportunity to discuss this immersive and sinister world that is similar to our own in many ways. This book particularly leads to good discussion about politics and power, right and wrong, and good versus evil.
Students will read three to four chapters a week on their own time. Each Sunday, 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. Each week, I assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions and ask the students to share their responses in the classroom. There are also daily activities each day like vocabulary words, an I Spy game, and a Kahoot! quiz to test their comprehension from the weekly chapters.
Students will need a copy of The Golden Compass 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.
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
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.
No live meetings, and an estimated 1 - 2 hours per week outside of class.
Parents need to know that The Golden Compass is the first book in the highly acclaimed His Dark Materials series. A mediocre movie was made of the book in 2007, and a better HBO miniseries began airing in 2019. This book is often banned because of author Philip Pullman's take on religion, though it's quite specific to more dogmatic religious thought, and this plays much more of a role in the third book in the series, The Amber Spyglass, and the companion Book of Dust series. Most readers, young adult and adult, will be more focused on this stunning world where humans each have a daemon (animal companion that's part of their soul). Expect some scary and gory scenes. Many children are kidnapped and experimented on, and some die after the experiments. Two of those deaths are very sad for the main character, Lyra, who fears that she will also be experimented on. Gory moments in skirmishes and battles include a heart ripped out and eaten, a jaw torn off, an arrow through the neck, gushing blood, and more. There's also underage drinking and smoking, and a bear drinks to drunkenness. Lyra finds trouble easily and lies often, but much of it is to protect herself and others. In the course of The Golden Compass, Lyra discovers her powerful intuition and her own bravery. The class also includes access to a user-friendly weekly Kahoot! trivia quiz. An account is not required. The quiz is 100% optional. Any students that have timed quiz anxiety may simply ignore the link.
Teacher
About Me
I currently teach English Composition at the collegiate level. I have a Master's degree in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults, so I teach reading and writing classes. I worked as a substitute teacher for 3 years, in all age ranges and...
