This is a 13-week semester-long full curriculum course that develops students’ reading, analysis, and writing skills while exploring our course’s essential question: “How do individuals change?” A fitting option for students who are in homeschool or need a supplement to their school studies, this course is planned to connect students with themselves and enrich their understanding of others.

Be aware that the course meets 3 times a week and 1-2 hours of homework is expected between each class meeting. The homework is typically reading and analysis that will aid class discussions, as well as work on students’ projects. The homework allows students to independently practice their skills as they further develop those skills during our collaborative class meetings.

Our course is divided into four units. At the end of each unit, students will demonstrate their understanding with a project that captures the concepts learned throughout the unit and course.

Unit One engages students in poetry. Students will analyze various poems to develop an understanding of sensory details, adjectives, adverbs, strong verbs, present tense, metaphors, alliteration, assonance, enjambment, and punctuation. By the end of the unit, students will utilize the mentioned concepts to write and present a collection of poetry centered on people and moments that changed them.

Unit Two has students reading and analyzing the historical fiction novel Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Students will become familiar with direct vs. indirect characterization, annotating, citing textual evidence, outlining, writing a thesis statement, and organizing a presentation. By the end of the unit, students will utilize the mentioned concepts to create and present a character analysis slideshow that explains how the the novel’s main character is transformed by her interactions with other characters.

Unit Three builds on the previous two units by preparing students to write an original short story. Students will read and analyze various short stories to develop an understanding of protagonists, secondary characters, character wants and flaws, setting, Freytag’s Pyramid, and peer feedback. Students will also build upon their knowledge of sensory details and indirect characterization. By the end of the unit, students will utilize the mentioned concepts to write and present an original short story that follows a protagonist on a journey that leads to personal transformation.

Unit Four further develops students’ reading, analysis, and writing skills as they engage with the dystopian sci-fi novel Maximillian Fly by Angie Sage. Students will become familiar with the components of the dystopia genre as they develop their vocabulary. Students will revisit concepts from throughout the course as they build towards writing a personal narrative essay about a time when they misjudged something or someone.

Students should be prepared to participate in class and engage with texts at grade level. I am here to aid students as they develop, but that can only happen if students are prepared to read our texts with moderate to minimal assistance.

Two novels must be purchased/rented for this course: Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan (purchased/rented by Unit 2) and Maximillian Fly by Angie Sage (purchased/rented by Unit 4). Others course texts will be provided during the course and be accessible via the Outschool Classroom.

Weekly Breakdown

Unit One: Poetry

Week 1 (3 meetings)
- Unit project preview, introduction to poetry, free verse, and sensory detail
- Adjectives, nouns, and using the 5 senses
- Strong verbs, brainstorming poems. Homework: read poems for discussion

Week 2 (3 meetings)
- Bringing emotion to poems, present tense, metaphors. Homework: Give feedback to sample poems
- Slowing down and using specifics, alliteration, assonance. Homework: Begin work on poetry collection
- Enjambment and punctuation

Week 3 (3 meetings)
- Reading poetry, structuring poetry, critiquing poetry
- Develop poetry collections
- Poetry performances and unit wrap-up

Unit Two: Character Analysis

Week 4 (3 meetings)
- Unit project preview, background knowledge. Homework: Read assigned chapters of Esperanza Rising
- Discussion, direct vs. indirect characterization, citing textual evidence. Homework: Read assigned chapters
- Analyzing supporting characters. Homework: Read assigned chapters

Week 5 (3 meetings)
- Analyzing supporting characters, read novel, discussion. Homework: Read assigned chapters
- Discussion, analyzing Esperanza, begin focusing on selected secondary characters. Homework: Read assigned chapters
- Discussion, finish novel, continue working on project

Week 6 (3 meetings)
- Organizing a character analysis, continue working on project
- Finishing a character analysis, project checklist
- Slideshow presentations, unit wrap-up

Unit Three: Short Story Writing

Week 7 (3 meetings)
- Unit project preview, brainstorming ideas. Homework: Read assigned short story
- Protagonist, want and flaw, discussion. Homework: Read assigned short story
- Discussion, settings and sensory detail. Homework: Read assigned short story

Week 8 (3 meetings)
- Discussion, Freytag’s Pyramid. Homework: Read assigned short story
- Discussion, Freytag’s Pyramid, short story analysis. Homework: Read assigned short story
- Discussion, secondary characters

Week 9 (3 meetings)
- Formatting dialogue, revealing character
- Continue working on project, peer feedback
- Short story readings, unit wrap-up

Unit Four: Personal Narrative

Week 10 (3 meetings)
- Unit project preview, background knowledge, begin Maximillian Fly. Homework: Read assigned chapters
- Discussion, Freewrite, read chapter. Homework: Read assigned chapters
- Discussion, elements of a dystopia. Homework: Read assigned chapters

Week 11 (3 meetings)
- Discussion, creating a dystopia, read chapter. Homework: Read assigned chapters and finish creating dystopia
- Discussion, dystopia presentations, read chapter. Homework: Read assigned chapters
- Discussion, changing POV and tenses, read chapter. Homework: Read assigned chapters

Week 12 (3 meetings)
- Discussion, character voice. Homework: Read assigned chapters
- Discussion, read chapter, personal narrative example. Homework: Read assigned chapters
- Discussion, read chapter, outlining a personal narrative. Homework: Read assigned chapters, work on personal narrative

Week 13 (3 meetings)
- Discussion, novel wrap-up, personal narrative writing. Homework: Finish draft
- Peer feedback and revision
- Personal narrative presentations and semester wrap-up