What's included
6 pre-recorded lessons
6 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentAssignments
3-6 throughout the classClass Experience
US Grade 4 - 7
During this class, students will learn what inference clues are and how to identify them. They will understand the importance of context clues and attention to details. I will explain inferencing to them and give them several examples of how to identify it. They will use their skills to solve a pretend crime scene I create as well as five real historical mysteries. Each week I will post a video to give the background information and clues for each mystery. Students can comment on who they think is the culprit or what they think is the answer to the mystery. I will include another short video post with the solution or answer to the mystery. Students can, again, share their feedback about this solution. I also will post some inference skill practice activities for each lesson. They can answer the inference questions in a comment on the post or in a message to me. I will always provide plenty of feedback to their responses. Finally, as a last practice activity, I will post a picture from a past newspaper article. Students will analyze the picture for details and make an inference about what is going on in the picture. They can then write a creative caption for the picture. In my final post each week, I will re-post the picture with the actual caption that was included with it in the newspaper. Students can then evaluate their own inference skills to see how close their caption was to the original.
Learning Goals
Students will be able to understand and use inferencing skills to pick out important details in what they see and read.
Syllabus
Standards
Aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS)6 Lessons
over 6 WeeksLesson 1:
A Dog-napping!
This lesson is about the mystery behind a stolen dog (this story is made-up).
Lesson 2:
The Mary Celeste
This lesson is about the mystery behind the ship called the Mary Celeste.
Lesson 3:
King Tut
This lesson is about the mystery surrounding the death of the Egyptian pharaoh, King Tut.
Lesson 4:
The City of Ubar
This lesson is about the mysterious city of Ubar.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Some of the historical mystery stories end with the likely death of the missing person or people.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
I have gathered information for this class from the following sources:
history.com, britannica.com, smithsonianmag.com, nationalgeographic.com, bbc.co.uk, jpl.nasa.gov, exploration.marinersmuseum.org, history.co.uk, historicmysteries.com
Teacher expertise and credentials
South Carolina Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
Hi! I teach a variety of English classes for elementary school through high school. I like to use multiple teaching strategies that appeal to all different learning styles in order to make learning fun and interesting. I like to laugh and have fun in class, but I also strive to inspire my students to think critically and write well. I love to talk, but I don't like to lecture. I want to hear from the learners! My classes are interactive and full of opportunities for learners to share their thoughts and ideas.
I am a certified English teacher with thirteen years of experience teaching secondary English. I graduated with honors from Lander University with a degree in English, and then I received my teaching degree from Coastal Carolina University three years later. My first job was at a public school in South Carolina, where I taught for seven years. During my time there, I received the Golden Apple Award from a local tv station after being nominated by one of my students.
Then, in 2012 my family and I moved to the Middle East where I taught high school English and fifth grade English at a private school in Kuwait. After 6 years in the Middle East, we moved to Taiwan, and I worked online with ESL students in order to help them improve their English grammar and writing skills. I have really enjoyed working with so many wonderful students from all over the world! While overseas, I continued my college courses in order to keep my teaching certificate updated and to explore new teaching ideas and strategies that I can apply to my current lessons.
We moved back to the US in 2020, and I went back to classroom teaching in 2022. I currently teach 10th, 11th, and 12th grade English classes at a local high school. However, I still enjoy teaching my Outschool classes, and I make sure to make time for my online students also. When I’m not teaching in some capacity or spending time with my family, I like trying new recipes, reading, and hiking. Fun fact about me: I LOVE to travel and experience different cultures. I have visited 17 countries so far and would love to add more to that list one day.
Reviews
Self-Paced Class
$10
weekly or $60 for all content6 pre-recorded lessons
6 weeks of teacher support
Choose your start date
1 year of access to the content
Completed by 5 learners
Choose your start date
Ages: 9-13