What's included
1 live meeting
1 in-class hours per weekClass Experience
When our children develop passions, we want to encourage them! In Tell Me All About Warrior Cats, your kids will spend an hour telling me about their passion for Erin Hunter's popular Warrior series. I will listen and ask questions designed to elicit more detailed descriptions and explanations of the would Hunter builds within her books. I even want to know about their original Warrior cat characters (OCs) and clans. Discussion between students about these topics is highly encouraged! We will strive towards conversations that are respectful and involve active listening. The focus of this class is developing conversation skills with peers and adults, as well as learning to describe things with clarity and specificity so that someone will less familiarity with a subject can learn something new. Along with discussing the books, students share artwork, fiction, polls & quizzes, songs, and other creative works inspired by the Warriors series. I will offer positive feedback about a topic that students feel strongly about and give them an opportunity to feel heard and see their opinions and knowledge are valued. The students in these classes typically form a tight bond and many build friendships that extend beyond the classroom. The first week of each month, we have game week, which follows the normal class format for the first half of class, and a game for the second half, typically a quiz game like Blooket or a drawing & guessing game. All games are held in private virtual classrooms that no one but students can access, and all game content is provided by me to ensure it is appropriate and on topic. My students continually surprise me with their maturity when it comes to exploring topics and themes within this series. I encourage them to engage with these books through the lens of literary and social criticism. What we read can greatly impact how we see the world!
Other Details
Parental Guidance
PARENTS PLEASE NOTE: Ongoing classes are subscription based and renew weekly on Sunday for the following week. If you know your student will miss a class, you can pause or end the subscription to the class through the classroom page, or you may choose to continue enrollment to hold the spot. I cannot issue refunds for missed meetings or hold spots for students who are not currently enrolled. I will work with you to transfer your learner to another section in the week that will work better for your schedule.
Students often wish to exchange contact information to connect with each other outside of the classroom. Adults may exchange usernames to others platforms (such as Roblox or Wattpad) for their learners through the classroom. I encourage adults to use the classroom to connect with other students' parents/guardians for outside conversation. If you need assistance with this, please let me know!
Due to the topics and themes explored within the books, conversation topics may include such issues as character death, forbidden relationships, spiritual and cultural beliefs as depicted within the series, and contemporary/current social issues (some examples include colonialism, eugenics, and representation of marginalized groups) which have parallels to storylines in the books or are broadly relevant to middle grade literature. The 8-13 age range is intended to take into account students' varying levels of maturity.
This is not a spoilers-free zone, but I do have a policy for handling spoilers in class in a way that doesn't ruin the story for those who aren't yet at that point in the series. The students have been very respectful of this policy!
Please note that I do not share recordings for social/non-academic classes.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree from Kennesaw State University
I teach creative writing and popular media & culture to learners from age 8 through high school.
I offer a range of courses that focus on specific literary genres, some traditional and some popular/contemporary, as well as multiple socially-geared classes on popular culture. As a neurodivergent member of the LGBTQ+ community, my classroom is an anti-racist, LGBTQ+ positive, and neurodivergence-embracing space, and I actively include these topics as part of literary analysis.
In my classes, young writers learn to develop characters, to craft a well-structured narrative, and to hone their descriptive language skills. New and reluctant writers will find a supportive environment here. My students workshop with classmates, learning to peer edit and self-edit, as well as receive constructive feedback on their work from me.
I am a veteran writer and editor with a BA in English and an MA in Professional Writing, working primarily in genre fiction, most notably horror, urban fantasy, LGBTQ, and YA literature, though my master's thesis was a collected volume of poetry. My work has been published in print and online, and includes creative fiction, technical writing (particularly tabletop roleplaying games), and topical articles in both local and national publications. With my husband, I own Salt Circle Games, a small tabletop roleplaying game publishing company. I have public high school teaching experience and have also taught creative writing classes for homeschooled students in private homes, through co-ops, and online. You can also find me speaking on panels at scifi/fantasy/comics conventions, discussing popular culture and media.
I am always open to arrange parties, private lessons, group classes for Scouts or other organizations, and to develop new classes to meet students' needs.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$15
weekly1x per week
60 min
Completed by 428 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-13
2-12 learners per class