2 files available upon enrollment
Student Supplies include: 
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet
Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop
The 21 Balloons by William Pene du Bois
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms, Newest Edition, Mass-Market Paperback
All of these may be purchased on Amazon or another book retailer.
A Class 3 ring binder with loose-leaf paper (There will also be weekly printables associated with this class)
Pencils or pens.

There are some supplies that students will need to complete special projects.  Parents will be given at least one week's notice to gather these special supplies. 

Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.

We are reading five age-appropriate novels in this course and comprehension and book discussion are a large part of the in-class activities, so I wanted to summarize the plot and the discussion focus of each book.  
My Father's Dragon is the imaginary story of a boy who rescues a baby dragon from a group of unkind animals.  Instead of reflecting the animal's unkind choices, our hero helps each animal in turn, and through this process rescues the baby dragon. 
Discussion Focus: We will enjoy discussing the imaginary factors in the story such as talking animals, unique solutions to their problems, as well as the bravery of Elmer, our hero.  Additionally, we will focus on the kind and helpful choices of our hero. 

The book Twenty and Ten is based on the true story of twenty children and their teacher, who show kindness and compassion as they shelter and protect ten child refugees during World War II.  This book is set in France and has an excellent underlying theme of kindness and courage.
Discussion Focus: Following a simple age-appropriate introduction of World War II (focused mainly on Germany's invasion of other countries), we will move into how the twenty children and their teacher show sacrificial kindness and compassion to the ten refugee children.  Toward the end of this book, the students and I will discuss simple everyday scenarios in which we can show kindness to others.  These will include, providing food for someone who has none, helping neighbors and lost animals, and assisting our own families as we show kindness to others.

The book The 21 Balloons is a fictional tale crafted around the true 1883 Krakatoa volcanic eruption.  The story bears no resemblance to the actual event, but rather creates a fictional settlement on Krakatoa and focuses on the creativity with which it was settled.  The story begins with Professor Sherman being rescued by a passing freighter following his exciting departure from San Francisco in a balloon.  His adventures, or should I say, misadventures find him crash landing on the Island of Krakatoa and being rescued by its 80 eccentric citizens.  The story is told in retrospect as Professor Sherman recounts his adventures to the Western American Explorers' Club of San Francisco.
Discussion Focus: Following a simple recounting of the actual 1883 Krakatoa volcanic eruption, students will be guided through discussion surrounding the misadventures of Professor Sherman and the creative lifestyle in which the fictional eccentric Krakatoan citizens live.  They have grand homes with unusual inventions and lots and lots of diamonds found in the fictional volcano.  Through our discussion of this rollicking tale, we will focus on acceptance of one another no matter the circumstances.  The citizens of Krakatoa offer unlimited hospitality to Professor Sherman and we will focus strongly on this character development.

The book James and the Giant Peach is the fictional tale of a boy, a giant peach, and 6 oversized insects who embark on exciting adventures.  James, an orphan, living with his unkind aunts, finds himself climbing into a giant peach where he discovers the kind insects who live there.  James, as the hero of our story, shows kindness and consideration for the insects even though he has not received kindness from his aunts.   
Language Alert:  In chapter 27 of James and the Giant Peach, the centipede rather annoyingly begins calling the cloud men names including the word "asses."  If you are uncomfortable with this term, I suggest that you do a read-aloud of chapter 27 for the purpose of censoring the word.  
Discussion Focus: Following a brief scientific discussion of peaches, students will be comparing the unkind aunts with the kindness that James shows the insects in the giant peach.  Through the adventures and James' help, we will see the insects and James come to find a happier more accepting group of friends.  Throughout the entire discussion, we will focus on the kindness of James and the insects.

The Poetry Unit: Following a brief lesson on the definition of poetry, students will be introduced to famous poets through their poetry.  I will focus primarily on the following poets: Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Basho, and Shel Silverstein. 
During this unit, students will learn about rhyming and non-rhyming poetry, writing their own poetry, and dramatically reading poetry. 

The book The Borrowers is a fictional story featuring a family of tiny people who live secretly in the walls and floors of an English house and "borrow" from the big people in order to survive.  The story more closely follows the tiny Arrietty Clock and her friendship with the boy who lives in the house.  
Discussion Focus: This book discussion will focus on friendships and how to be a better friend.  What does a friend look like, how do they act, and how can we show kindness to our friends and others?  Additionally, we will discuss how to respect others' property and make wise choices when we borrow another's property. 
Updated March 16, 2022