Week One Chapters 1-2: Students will be introduced to familiar movie characters Rey, Leia, General Hux, Kylo Ren, and Palpatine. We will focus on the setting of Mustafar and the differences between this description and the movie's depictions. 

Week Two Chapters 3-4: This week our reading reintroduces movie characters Poe, Finn, and the First Order spy. It gives dangerous information to the Resistance that focuses the plot of the overall novel. 
 
Week Three Chapters 5-6: This week's reading dives deeper into the motivation of certain characters. It gives details and insights the movie just isn't able to. For example, Lando has a daughter who might be a First Order stormtrooper and the underestimation of General Hux could be a lethal oversight. 

Week Four Chapters 7-8: This week is all about secrets: Finn's, Rey's, Poe's, and Ochi's. Discussion and debate will help us come to certain conclusions, but unlocking all of these secrets might not be possible without further reading. 

Week Five Chapters 9-10: Babu Frick and Zorii Bliss become important characters this week. Like previous chapters, the book is able to give us more character details and insight than the movie could. Do students' opinions of Zorii change with the new information? Or have they always admired and respected her courage and character? 

Week Six Chapters 11-12: Rey is pushed to her limits this week. Can the students relate to the feeling of cracking under pressure? What do they think is the significance of Rey's lightning abilities? How relieved are students when they see Chewbacca on Ren's ship?

Week Seven Chapters 13-14: Kef Bir is an interest setting that will foster much discussion and debate. How surprised are students to see large surviving pieces of the second Death Star? How do the students feel about Rey's decision to force heal Kylo Ren? Would they make the same decision? 

Week Eight Chapters 15-16: Leia's death shifts roles within the Resistance that many of the characters are not prepared for. General Pryde and his master's overconfidence might be the undoing of the Final Order. 

Week Nine Chapters 17-19: How do the students feel about the story's ending? Are there any questions they still have that are unanswered? Do they think Kylo made the right choice? Was his sacrifice as noteworthy as his grandfather's? 

I have read and lead discussions on many books during my three years as a substitute teacher at the high school level. While earning my Master's Degree in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults, I had endless discussions with my screenplay writer friends about the Star Wars Universe. Star Wars is so complex and ever growing that it seems impossible to know it all! Because the Star Wars galaxy is full of hints and questions, the movies and characters make great conversation! It is also nice to find other people (and potential friends) who share a love for Star Wars, science fiction, and good storytelling. I was especially confused by this movie, and found the novel to be full of interesting tidbits of information that I am excited to share with fellow Star Wars fans. My goal is to show my students the benefits of good storytelling. I plan to use a world that they care about to help them fall further in love with the written word. 

Homework Offered
Students will read approximately two chapters a week on their own time. Each Sunday, students will have access to the new videos 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 is also a weekly Kahoot trivia game to test their comprehension from the weekly chapters. 
1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
The more questions, comments, and posts that they share in the classroom helps me to understand their knowledge and comprehension of the topics we are discussing.
Grades Offered