Captivate the imagination of your learner with a tale from Hayo Miyazaki, one of the key creators behind the Studio Ghibli films. In this six-week novel study, we'll not only journey along the path of the wind (the path Totoro takes), but we'll also explore life in Japan in the 1950s. By the end of this class, we will be able to confidently engage in book discussions. 

We'll enrich our study with excerpts from a memoir, 'Where are you from?' written by Yasuko Horioka, a young girl who grew up in Japan. Her memoir is set just before My Neighbor Totoro, but the first-hand account she provides is vital for explaining what life for children was like during this time. Yasuko's family has given me special permission to use excerpts from her memoir as a nonfiction primary source for our novel study. 

By structuring our lessons using both Totoro and our primary source, this novel comes to life. Each lesson will focus on objectives related to the Common Core State Standards in literature and speaking and listening. (Note: I have listed the 4th grade standards for this class, but I can adapt the standards depending on the grade levels and needs of the group.) I'll incorporate relevant images into our mini-lessons and leave plenty of room for questions and observations. Each lesson will include a rich discussion. The questions in the reading journal help students prepare for the discussions. For students who need more support, I will include additional scaffolding and modeling so that everyone can participate.  

An important note about this novel is that it is written for students between the ages of  9 and 11 (Grades 4-6). The novel is written at Level Q (Lexile 660-930). Learners in the 4th and 5th grade are going to be most comfortable with this material. The main character of the novel is a 4th grader, which will make the material most relatable for that age group. 

My teaching philosophy is that students need to feel safe to learn. I normalize giving it your best shot and never giving up. I provide lots of encouragement, and I believe that our class is made more rich by the unique thoughts and insights that your learner can offer. I take the confidence-building part of my work very seriously. 

I have designed this to run as a group with no more than five students so that there are plenty of opportunities for engagement. If only one student signs up, I will still run this class and work one-on-one with your learner. We'll build the skills that make it possible for students to have lively discussions about their reading.