Please note that although this is section three, this class can be taken alone; sections one and two are not required prerequisites.  If looking to take this section without first taking sections one or two please carefully read this course description to ensure your learner has the necessary background knowledge.  

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. 

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!  During this section, the rest of class will allow learners to examine the HOW and WHY literary elements are used (not simply what elements are used by an author). There will also be some direct instruction to equip learners to complete the week's assignment. 

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: "True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" chapters 1-6 

Week 3: "True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" chapters 7-16

Week 4: "True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" chapters 17-end (class activity: trial of CD)

Week 5: present "True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" project (fanfiction creative writing: new ending or next chapter), discuss "Eleven"

Week 6: "A Long Walk to Water" pgs 1-73

Week 7: "A Long Walk to Water" pages 74-end

Week 8: present "Long Walk to Water" project (student choice: time capsule or comic strip ), creative writing: two sentence stories

Main literary selections for this section include "True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" by Avi (England and the United States), "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park (Sudan, Korea, United States), "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros (Mexico and the United States). 

Literary concepts that will be analyzed include (but are not limited to): theme, plot elements (rising action, falling action, climax, etc), types of conflict, symbolism, imagery, setting, foreshadowing, point of view, genre, and characterization.

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.  Students need to have a basic familiarity of the literary concepts mentioned above. This can be achieved by completing sections one and/or two of this class, or through another course of study. 

This class can be taken alone, or as part of a full year of Homeschool Middle School ELA. If you would like to use this class as part of a full year of curriculum, combine this class with ONE of the writing courses linked below as well as the two other literature sections. It is recommended that these classes be taken consecutively and not at the same time. 

Informative Research Essay (this class is offered in a live and self-paced format; this link is for the live class):
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

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 2
https://outschool.com/classes/homeschool-middle-school-english-language-arts-world-literature-section-2-Iyb7MQwx

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.