This middle school language arts class is a great companion to your homeschooling experience.  Students are provided with opportunities to engage in deep discussion about what they read, learn key elements of literature, and complete creative projects, all while growing their abilities to think critically.  The focus of this class is world literature-- authors and subjects that span the globe.   This is section two of three but can be taken as a stand-alone class. All three literature sections can be combined with my "Informative Research Essay" or "Argumentative Research Essay" class to form a complete year of middle school ELA. 

Each week during class students will discuss the reading assignments from the past week using Blooms Taxonomy question starters, with student-created questions.  As a teacher, I am always amazed at the depth of questions student ask and engage in!  There will be interactive teaching time where students learn different components of literature or writing, or anything else students need to be equipped for the week's assignments.  

Because this is a homeschool class, much of the work is done outside of class.  Students will be given weekly assignments that cover reading, writing, and reinforcement of literary concepts.  Assignments are not broken down by day so they can be adapted to each family's learning style and schedule.  Assignments have a checklist for learners to grow in their ability to track their own progress and be responsible for their academic work.  Work is clearly marked so students and parents know what is required to be able to fully participate in the next class, and what is up to the parent's discretion. Parents of younger students may wish to simplify assignments, while parents of older students will be given many opportunities for enrichment each week.  This is truly a homeschool language arts class that you can customize to your family's needs. 

Topics below are the main reading selections that will be discussed during each week's class. 

Week 1: Introduction to class format / assignments, guided poetry discussion
               
Week 2: "The Boys Who Challenged Hitler"

Week 3 "The Boys Who Challenged Hitler"

Week 4 "The Boys Who Challenged Hitler" (project choice: timeline or visual image)

Week 5 "Lather and Nothing Else" (short story), compare and contrast with BWCH

Week 6 Logical Fallacies overview / background for "Breaking Stalin's Nose"

Week 7 "Breaking Stalin's Nose"

Week 8 present "Breaking Stalin's Nose" project (six word memoir), create Blackout Poetry

Main literary selections for this section include "The Boys Who Challenged Hitler" by Phillip Hoose / Knud Pedersen (Denmark), "Breaking Stalin's Nose" by Eugene Velchin (Russia / USSR), "Lather and Nothing Else" by Hernando Tellez (Colombia).

During this class students will complete a compare / contrast essay analyzing "The Boys Who Challenged Hitler" and "Lather and Nothing Else." This assignment is adapted for different writing levels from those who can write an essay easily and effectively to those who have never written an essay before. Literary concepts that will be covered include (but are not limited to): plot elements (rising action, falling action, climax, etc), types of conflict, symbolism, irony, imagery, setting, foreshadowing, point of view, simile, metaphor, personification, genre, characterization, cause and effect, compare and contrast. 

Who would do well in this class?  Because this course is aimed at students in grades 6-8, students should have completed grade 5 Language Arts (any curriculum or course of study, homeschool, public, or private school).  Students reading and writing at or above grade level should be able to work on this class independently.  Students reading and writing below grade level can still be successful in this class if they have support at home to be able to help with weekly assignments.  Reading and writing levels should not affect student's abilities to participate during weekly class meetings. 

This class can be taken as a stand alone class, or as part of a complete year of ELA.  If you'd like to use it as part of a complete year, here are other helpful links: 

Homeschool Middle School Language Arts: World Literature, Section 1
https://outschool.com/classes/homeschool-middle-school-english-language-arts-world-literature-section-1-X7ewWtT9

Homeschool Middle School Language Arts: World Literature, Section 3
https://outschool.com/classes/homeschool-middle-school-english-language-arts-world-literature-section-3-ixlyij8c

Combine that section with ONE of the following writing courses:

Informative Research Essay (this class is offered in live and self-paced formats; this link is for the live classe):
https://outschool.com/classes/essay-essentials-the-complete-informative-research-essay-gVAL0qKb

Argumentative Research Essay (this class is offered as a self-paced class:
https://outschool.com/classes/writing-an-argumentative-research-essay-YIE7jMUK

REFUND POLICY: I understand that booking in advance is appealing to guarantee a spot in the class, but I also realize that plans can change. Please know that if you need to withdraw your learner for any reason up to ten days before the start date of this class, I will be happy to issue a full refund. Please contact me if this is the case.