Powerful Stories Book Club #2 - From the Desk of Zoe Washington (Black Author)
In this 6-week course, students will practice literary analysis in a fun, interactive way with roles like the writer, reporter, designer, adviser, magnifier, theme tracker, connector, and predictor, as they lead in-depth discussions.
Alaina Bell Gao
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(428)
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What's included
6 live meetings
5 in-class hoursHomework
2-4 hours per week. Prior to each class, each student MUST read that week's chapters and prepare to lead part of the discussion. I will ask you to choose a role after you sign up. Join early to get your pick of the roles! Then, you'll get a new role each week! ROLES Writer Illustrator Designer Adviser Reporter Magnifier Word Master Theme Tracker Librarian Connector Predictor *The students will use our class site to share notes, quotations, or passages to help them guide the discussion, but they can also prepare a small PowerPoint presentation to share each week (optional). LibreOffice is free and has a great Presentation program. The students can upload their presentation files to the class site or have them open on their screens for screen-sharing. (Tip: I recommend saving files as PDFs so the slides will look the same when they are opened on other computers.) SCHEDULE *Please read the chapters before class because this is a literature circle where we discuss the book in a creative way (with different roles). There will definitely be no time to do the reading in class, including the first class. That is your time to present your conclusions and creations based on your reading. So, sign up early and get started! Then, we can have plenty of fun! Lesson 1: Read chapters 1 to 6 Lesson 2: Read chapters 7 to 12 Lesson 3: Read chapters 13 to 18 Lesson 4: Read chapters 19 to 24 Lesson 5: Read chapters 25 to 30 Lesson 6: Read chapters 31 to 36 and the epilogueClass Experience
US Grade 4 - 7
This novel features a black protagonist and focuses on her normal life, hobbies, and challenges. It was written by a black author and truly communicates the message that all aspects of black lives matter, whether it is an interest in baking, family life (wanting to know more about her dad, her relationship with her grandma, etc.), preteen emotions, hurdles in friendship, or dealing with racism. I recommend that you read this novel with your child because there are rich conversations to be had about safe choices, trust, mistakes, forgiveness, unfairness, systematic racism, etc. We will also discuss these topics in our literature circles as themes. Furthermore, we will examine the main character's choices with a new role: the Adviser! So, what is a literature circle? A literature circle is fun and lively. There is a discussion leader (the teacher, in this case), but each student will take an active part in preparing for and leading each literature circle (class). A literature circle is when a group of students (or anyone) pre-reads the selected chapters and then discusses the literature deeply and passionately. Our classes will be filled with discussion and creativity! Each student will have a specific role to fill each class (and it will change each week). The discussion leader (the teacher) will invite you to lead the discussion when it is your turn. Before that, you should also participate actively as others lead the discussion. As you are reading before the class, you should pay attention to what you will be doing in class (your role - see below). *Choose your first role as soon as possible. As long as no one else has chosen the same one, it's yours! Be quick! STUDENT ROLES *The students will use our class site to share their writing, quotations, and pictures to help them guide the discussion, but they can also prepare a small PowerPoint presentation to share each week (optional). LibreOffice is free and has a great Presentation program. The students can upload their presentation files to the class site or have them open on their screens for screen-sharing. (Tip: I recommend saving files as PDFs so the slides will look the same when they are opened on other computers.) Writer: Write a short riddle or poem about an character OR write a brief letter or journal entry from a character’s point-of-view based on their experiences in the chapters. You must share your riddle, poem, letter, or journal entry BEFORE the class on our class site to help everyone recall the chapters and move into literature mode! Your job is very important because your riddle or letter will become a summary and will set the tone of the class! Illustrator: Draw your favourite scene from the chapters and explain why you like that part. Share your picture on our class site BEFORE the class. Designer: Design some new clothes or a useful object/invention for a character. Explain why it is suitable for the character. What do they like? What do they need? Which colour would they love? Will it help them to solve a problem? Share your creation on our class site BEFORE the class. Adviser: Your job is to notice when the character makes a choice and to brainstorm the consequences of her actions. Then, you will give advice to the character based on the dangers and possibilities of their actions. Think of it as giving advice to a friend! Reporter: Prepare some well-thought-out questions to ask the characters about what they felt, thought, or experienced in this week’s chapters. Imagine that the characters will actually be in the class and that you will have the opportunity to interview them. When it is your turn, your classmates will imagine that they are the characters and try to answer from their point-of-view! Magnifier: Your job is to narrow in on one or two short, well-written sections of the reading and to explain what makes the writing powerful. You should focus on diction (word choice), syntax (sentence style: length, punctuation, grammar, word order, etc.), and creativity (imagery, personification, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, alliteration, allusion, etc.). Share the quotations on our class site BEFORE the class. Try to get your classmates talking about what they notice about the quotation. Then, add your thoughts about why it is special and powerful. Word Master: Your job is to list the most powerful words from the passage and explain how they strengthen the passage. Why did the author choose that word and not another one? What’s the word’s connotation (negative/positive)? How does it change the feeling of the passage? Which other words could the author have used instead? Why are these ones better? Share your quotations on our class site BEFORE the class. Theme Tracker: Your job is to connect the chapters to previous chapters. Consider the subjects of friendship, family, love, passion, music, emotions, goals, determination, persistence, choices, secrets, lying/deception, truth, language, versions, innocence, forgiveness, punishment, justice, injustice, appearance, belonging, and life. Choose one subject that stands out to you as being important in the novel. What are the author’s big ideas (opinions)? Add some quotations that show the theme on our class site BEFORE the class. Support your choice by explaining how the quotations and plot reveal the themes. Then, ask your classmates if they noticed any other big ideas in the novel. Librarian: Can you think of another story or movie that is similar to this one? How? What is similar? What is different? Connector: Your job is to find connections between the chapters and the real world (your own life, current events, the news, or history). Have you ever felt like the character? When and why? Has a similar event happened in your country? What about in another country? Could the same thing happen in the world today? Why? When? Where? How? What are the similarities? Be ready to share your story during our class. Predictor: Your job is to spot the author’s clues (foreshadowing) and guess what will happen in the story. If you already know the story, do not give the ending away! Add some quotations to our class site BEFORE the class. Then, during the class, explain some probable directions the story could take. Remember that great stories are full of new conflicts and plot twists! You can also ask your classmates what they think will happen and why. SCHEDULE *Please read the chapters before class because this is a literature circle where we discuss the book in a creative way (with different roles). There will definitely be no time to do the reading in class, including the first class. That is your time to present your conclusions and creations based on your reading. So, sign up early and get started! Then, we can have plenty of fun! Lesson 1: Read chapters 1 to 6 Lesson 2: Read chapters 7 to 12 Lesson 3: Read chapters 13 to 18 Lesson 4: Read chapters 19 to 24 Lesson 5: Read chapters 25 to 30 Lesson 6: Read chapters 31 to 36 and the epilogue
Learning Goals
My classes are largely focused on higher thinking skills. By engaging with the novel actively, the students will focus on characterization, plot structure, conflict, and themes, as they make connections between the novel and their lives. They will develop critical thinking skills and presentation skills.
Ontario (Canadian) Curriculum:
1.4 demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts by summarizing important ideas and citing supporting details
1.5 make inferences about texts using stated and implied ideas from the texts as evidence
1.6 extend understanding of texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them
1.7 analyse texts and explain how specific elements in them contribute to meaning (e.g., narrative: characters, setting, main
idea, problem/challenge and resolution, plot development
1.8 express opinions about the ideas and information in texts and cite evidence from the text to support their opinions
2.3 communicate in a clear, coherent manner, presenting ideas, opinions, and information in a readily understandable form
2.4 identify various elements of style – including alliteration, descriptive adjectives and adverbs, and sentences of different types, lengths, and structures – and explain how they help communicate meaning (e.g., alliteration and rhythm can emphasize ideas or help convey a mood or sensory impression)
American Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.2
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.A
Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.B
Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.C
Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.D
Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
The main character has a loving, supportive family, but her biological dad is in prison (wrongfully convicted). After she receives a letter from him, she makes a series of potentially dangerous choices (secretly writing back, lying to her parents and grandmother, determining to clear him by tracking down a witness, going to meet a stranger with a friend who is also underaged, etc.) Throughout all of this, she is safe, but it could turn out to be different in real life. The novel explores why she made these decisions, the danger of her choices, and the consequences. However, without full discussion, the novel may lean in favour of her having made the right choices. Therefore, in our classes, we will focus on alternative endings that could have come about as a result of her choices. The story is a bit "too good to be true" as it stands. I recommend that parents read the novel at the same time, since there are numerous conversations to be had about safe choices, trust, mistakes, forgiveness, systematic racism, etc.
Supply List
Each learner must have their own copy of From the Desk of Zoe Washington.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined January, 2020
4.9
428reviews
Star Educator
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Bachelor's Degree in English from University of Windsor
Associate's Degree in English from Canadian College of Educators
Hi! My name is Alaina Bell Gao, and I am an experienced Canadian English teacher with 15+ years of professional teaching experience. As a dedicated, creative, gentle, and patient neurodivergent teacher, many neurodiverse learners thrive in my classes, including those with ADHD, OCD, Autism, anxiety, and dyslexia. Additionally, I have experience working with gifted and 2E learners, many of whom have thrived in my classes. Finally, I am trained and experienced in teaching English as a second and foreign language and welcome international learners!
Teaching Style:
● Share the joy of learning
● Learn with my learners
● Welcoming class culture
● Patient and cheerful nurturer/encourager
● Passionate, fun, creative, and imaginative
● Interactive and engaging (with flexible requirements and accommodations)
● Inquiry and experiential teaching
● Creative projects and enrichment activities
● Academic deep dives with critical thinking
● Multidisciplinary real-world and culture-centred lessons
● Social-emotional connections
● Literature and writing specialty
● Unique content (self-designed)
● Passionate discussion, storytelling, games, projects, and activities
In the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, I teach students “to long for the endless immensity of the sea" to stimulate a desire for learning in an encouraging and fun environment. To this end, I consciously model a lifestyle of endless learning.
Professional Highlights:
● Teaching English literature and history at a top-ranking national exemplary Sino-American high school in China
● Tutoring gifted students in critical thinking, close reading, literary analysis, and essay writing
● Teaching college English and launching their social and cultural anthropology course
● Teaching English language learners (English as a second/foreign language; TESL/TEFL certified)
● Guiding AP English Language and Literature, IELTS, and TOEFL learners to success
● Teaching Chinese history and culture for a Chinese cultural association and in schools
● Developing specialized programs for student needs so struggling learners could thrive
● Developing curriculum for private use and for organizations
● Writing children's historical and cultural books
● Authoring a textbook on project-based learning (Teacher's Discovery)
● Authoring a high school English textbook (Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press)
● Performing as a Department of Tourism Management voice actor and for the exam board
● Teaching beginner readers with games and activities
● Transforming reluctant readers and writers into confident ones
● Leading book clubs and literature circles
● Transforming learner perceptions of poetry and close reading
● Facilitating the yearbook and drama clubs
● Connecting with learners from around the world
As you can see, I work with learners of all ages and abilities. I have much experience supporting learners in achieving academic and personal success, whether that is entering an Ivy League university, a gifted education program, passing an IB or AP English course/exam, reading branches and early chapter books with excitement, reading a novel with comprehension, learning to love reading for the first time, gaining the confidence to express themselves, overcoming personal barriers to success, picking up a pencil to write and to write with passion, voicing their emotions and experiences powerfully, or completing a large project for the first time. I celebrate every success!
My classes are very creative and interactive, with an encouraging, caring, stimulating, and inspiring environment, which is full of thought-provoking questions, deep discussions, meaningful connections, social-emotional reflections, interdisciplinary learning, and an international worldview. For most of my classes, we take time to savour the literature and I host plenty of engaging literature circles and book clubs, with an increasing range of multicultural novel options, in addition to the classics and Newberry award winners.
My classes are an enthusiastic deep dive into literary appreciation, close reading, and literary analysis without overwhelming the learners with heavy terminology. (I still incorporate references to figurative language, as well as the reader's response, formalist, historical, socio-cultural, and archetypal lens into my lessons, but this is done in a way that the learners can grasp, even without prior training.) Annotation and research skills are a focus in many classes, too. Additionally, I often talk about the power of a learner's choices and the impact those choices will have on their audience. This is to encourage an awareness of the creative process and of themselves as writers, poets, artists, and creators.
As for social studies, I am fascinated by people and cultures, as I am by stories and histories. Although I am Canadian, I lived in China for ten years, integrated into the culture, studied the history extensively, learned Mandarin, and started an educational not-for-profit organization with my Chinese husband. I am an experienced educator and am trusted by Chinese parents, the Chinese Association of Mississauga, and local teachers to teach Chinese history and culture. I also have friends and connections within many other cultures, so building up global awareness, cultural competence, and empathy is important to me!
Additionally, I care about each learner's well-being, so learners are welcome to bring a snack, drink, or fidget spinner to class if that will help and won't be a distraction to others. Learners are also welcome to take stretching breaks. Please reach out to me for any concerns or accommodations. Also, I have recently raised my prices at Outschool's recommendation (smaller class sizes and inflation), but I want to make this work for you! Do reach out to me if you are interested in one of my classes and are in need of a coupon.
Finally, I am an experienced and passionate educator, but I also live with chronic illness and a disability, which means that I greatly appreciate your support. This is my main job and I can only do it thanks to fabulous parents like you! Thank you! So, what are you looking for? Let me know! I would be happy to accommodate you, if possible! I look forward to hearing from you soon!Reviews
Live Group Class
$90
for 6 classes1x per week, 6 weeks
50 min
Completed by 6 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-13
3-9 learners per class
