Welcome! This course is a deep and critical dive into some great pieces of literature! Instead of learning to read, the goal of this course is to learn from reading. Through literature, students will expand their critical thinking skills. The texts in the course are taught by genre and are arranged chronologically. Please see the schedule to see what story will be read each week. A short synopsis will be provided for parents along with any triggers/concerning content. All texts will be read outside of class. I will also provide an audio link for students that prefer to listen to the text. Most stories have content that is appropriate for ages 11+. However, every learner is different, so I recommend previewing each text.

Before students read a text, students will explore the author's biography, historical background, current events of the time, author inspirations, and more. Through strategies from Thomas Foster's "Read Like a Professor," students are provided a new way to enjoy and appreciate fiction. The only required "assignments" in this course are for students to read the text. My goal is for students to find enjoyment through literature and to gain knowledge through deep discussions. Powerpoints and all materials will be provided by the teacher. There is an optional essay prompt available for students at the end of each unit, but this is optional.

This is a great class for students who are avid readers, strong readers, enjoy literature discussion, want to prepare for advanced literature courses, or just want to discover some new stories!

Sample Schedule
Class 1:
1. Welcome to any new students
2. Warmup Writing Prompt
3. Style/Genre/Author Bio
4. Setting information
5. 5 vocabulary words
6. Important literary devices

(students will read the text for homework)

Class 2:
1. Welcome/Literary device practice
2. Quick Quiz (5 question quiz)
3. Discuss the text/analysis

JUNE:
Week of 6/6: 
Short story structure
-How characters reveal themselves
-Perspective
-Motivation
Focused text analysis: "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros and "Thank You Ma'am" by Langston Hughes

Week of 6/13-6/20
-Compare and contrast multiple aspects of characterization 
-Understand the role of motivation within a character
-Understand how poetic elements are an important aspect of character analysis
Focused text analysis: "Liberty" by Julia Alverez and "Barbie-Q," Gary Soto Texts: "Drive In Movies" and "Mother and Daughter"

Week of 7/1-8/1
Multicultural Literature
-Symbols
-Cultural perspectives
-Gender roles
-Theme
Focused text analysis: ​Chinua Achebe's "Marriage is a Private Affair," “Home” by Hena Khan, “Thrown” by Mike Jung, “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, “Toxins” by Mitu Malhorta, “Inside Out” by Francisco Jiménez

Realism: O. Henry Texts "Guilty Party," "After 20 Years"

If your student misses a class, a recording will always be accessible on the classroom page. The PowerPoint lesson and notes are always available as well. Do note that learners that leave and then come back (i.e. pausing a subscription) may not be able to see my posts if I posted anything while they are away. Reach out to see if you missed anything. Recordings are unfortunately unavailable for weeks that your learner does not attend AND if they have not been present for a live class (Outschool Policy).

REFUND POLICY 
If your student is not able to attend in person but stays enrolled, refunds will not be issued. This is because the student can still access the materials, recordings, and receive feedback for assignments. I do provide refunds for emergency situations. If you have a tech or Zoom issue, contact Support and mention the Happiness Guarantee.