📣 Get $5 off your first class: Coupon code CONNO9TIBC5
📣 Please note: Due to the discussion-based nature of this course, there must be at least 3 learners enrolled in order to run it. Sections with fewer learners will be cancelled or asked to transfer.
📣 This class qualifies for the Summer Smash 2023 #academic badge”

🌟 General 🌟
Join us for this fun and laid-back summer book club, full of high interest Young Adult novels that will have your learner hooked on reading! 

In this summer book club, students will read one novel per week. We'll discuss different elements and themes of the book each week, coming together to appreciate and celebrate great writing! Students are welcome to join for any or all of the books.

This is a relaxed discussion-based course, where students come together to talk about what they loved about each book, and what they didn't like so much. We'll also discuss themes, symbols, motifs, character development, conflict, literary devices, cultural relevance, and other elements at work in each novel. Where appropriate, students will practice analytic writing and receive feedback from me on their writing in each class. Students finish each novel with a cohesive and analytic understanding of the novel. 

Throughout this course, students will have a chance to get a feel for what a high-level literature course is like by participating in analytic reading, writing, and discussion. 

The aim ultimate of this course is to:
✅ promote a love of reading
✅ strengthen critical engagement with literature
✅ practice speaking and writing analytically about literature with their peers
✅ prepare students for high-level ELA classes

This course is great for students who:
✅ love reading and discussing literature
✅ are looking for a fun book-club to keep their learners engaged in reading during the summer months
✅ are ESL or ELL students looking for advanced reading classes from experienced ELA teacher with TEFL certification
✅ are neurodivergent learners seeking a safe space to learn with peers
✅ want to supplement their English language arts classes
✅ are looking for a welcoming and inclusive space to interact with peers


🌟 Weekly Breakdown 🌟

1. July 10 - July 16: Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes (Mystery; Ages 10 - 18)
2. July 17 - July 23: NO CLASSES
3. July 24 - July 30: Refugee by Alan Gratz (Historical fiction; Ages 9 - 12)
4. July 31 - August 6: Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee (Fiction; Ages 8 - 12)
5. August 7 - August 13:  The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (Fiction; Ages 9 - 12)
6. August 14 - August 20: The Ogress and The Orphans by Kellie Barnhill (Fantasy; Ages 10 - 12)
7. August 21 - August 27: Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution by Sherri Winston (Fiction; Ages 9 - 11)

**Please see book details below! Use discretion - some may not be appropriate for every family/learner. 

🌟 Teaching Methods 🌟
In this course, I gently guide students toward critical engagement with the text through socratic questioning and light direct instruction where necessary. I also engage students in short writing exercises were needed to develop their skills in thinking and writing critically about texts. Often times, students will be reluctant to answer analytic questions without thinking or writing time. Asking students to write before discussing allows students to organize their thoughts and better prepare for sharing out. 

While there are no black and white answers when it comes to analyzing literature, there are pathways that lead to rigorous critical engagement with the text. My aim is to set students on these pathways, and the challenge their thinking, all within a relaxed and engaging environment.  

🌟 Interaction 🌟
This course is heavily discussion-based and requires students to actively engage with each other in discussion about the novels, either through speaking or through the chat-box. Because of the heavily interactive nature of this class, I highly encourage students to open their videos whenever possible. 

🌟 About the Teacher 🌟
Meg Connolly is a certified teacher with bachelors degrees in literature and philosophy. She has masters degrees in teaching ELA, grades 7-12, and in teaching students with disabilities. In addition to her masters, she is TESOL certified and experienced in working with ESL students. She has nine years of teaching experience both in the US public school system and online. She also writes her own fictional short stories for podcasts. Check out her teacher profile for more info.

🌟 Meet and Greet 🌟
If you or your learner are hesitant to sign up before meeting me (understandably!), feel free to book a meet and greet here: https://outschool.com/classes/meet-greet-15-minute-session-MGpwi3mP#usXSuDFS3Z

🌟 Book List Details🌟
1. Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes (Mystery; 8 - 12)
Barnes & Noble: A room locked for 50 years. A valuable peacock ring. A mysterious brother-sister duo.Paloma Marquez is traveling to Mexico City, birthplace of her deceased father, for the very first time. She's hoping that spending time in Mexico will help her unlock memories of the too-brief time they spent together.While in Mexico, Paloma meets Lizzie and Gael, who present her with an irresistible challenge: The siblings want her to help them find a valuable ring that once belonged to beloved Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Finding the ring means a big reward — and the thanks of all Mexico. What better way to honor her father than returning a priceless piece of jewelry that once belonged to his favorite artist!

2. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (Fiction; Ages 8 - 12)
Barnes & Noble: Having spent twenty-seven years behind the glass walls of his enclosure in a shopping mall, Ivan has grown accustomed to humans watching him. He hardly ever thinks about his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan occupies himself with television, his friends Stella and Bob, and painting. But when he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from the wild, he is forced to see their home, and his art, through new eyes.

3. Refugee by Alan Gratz (Historical fiction; Ages 8 - 12)
Barnes & Noble: JOSEF is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world . . .ISABEL is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety in America . . .MAHMOUD is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe . . .All three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers — from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end.This action-packed novel tackles topics both timely and timeless: courage, survival, and the quest for home.

4. Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee (Fiction; Ages 8 - 12)
Barnes & Noble: Maizy has never been to Last Chance, Minnesota . . . until now. Her mom’s plan is just to stay for a couple weeks, until her grandfather gets better. But plans change, and as Maizy spends more time in Last Chance and at the Golden Palace—the restaurant that’s been in her family for generations—she makes some discoveries.For instance:

You can tell a LOT about someone by the way they order food.
People can surprise you. Sometimes in good ways, sometimes in disappointing ways.
And the Golden Palace has secrets...

But the more Maizy discovers, the more questions she has. Like, why are her mom and her grandmother always fighting? Who are the people in the photographs on the office wall? And when she discovers that a beloved family treasure has gone missing—and someone has left a racist note—Maizy decides it’s time to find the answers.

5. Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas (Graphic novel, fiction; Ages 8 - 12)
Barnes & Noble: Bree can’t wait for her first day at her new middle school, Enith Brigitha, home to the Mighty Manatees—until she’s stuck with the only elective that fits her schedule, the dreaded Swim 101. The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy, yet she’s forced to dive headfirst into one of her greatest fears. Lucky for her, Etta, an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain, is willing to help.

With Etta’s training and a lot of hard work, Bree suddenly finds her swim-crazed community counting on her to turn the school’s failing team around. But that’s easier said than done, especially when their rival, the prestigious Holyoke Prep, has everything they need to leave the Mighty Manatees in their wake.

Can Bree defy the odds and guide her team to a state championship, or have the Manatees swum their last lap—for good?

6. The Ogress and The Orphans by Kellie Barnhill (Fantasy; Ages 10 - 12)
Barnes & Noble: Stone-in-the-Glen, once a lovely town, has fallen on hard times. Fires, floods, and other calamities have caused the people to lose their library, their school, their park, and even their neighborliness. The people put their faith in the Mayor, a dazzling fellow who promises he alone can help. After all, he is a famous dragon slayer. (At least, no one has seen a dragon in his presence.) Only the clever children of the Orphan House and the kindly Ogress at the edge of town can see how dire the town’s problems are.

Then one day a child goes missing from the Orphan House. At the Mayor’s suggestion, all eyes turn to the Ogress. The Orphans know this can’t be: the Ogress, along with a flock of excellent crows, secretly delivers gifts to the people of Stone-in-the-Glen.

But how can the Orphans tell the story of the Ogress’s goodness to people who refuse to listen? And how can they make their deluded neighbors see the real villain in their midst?

7. Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution by Sherri Winston (Fiction; Ages 9 - 11)
Barnes & Noble: Lotus Bloom just wants to express herself—with her violin, her retro style, and her peaceful vibe, not to mention her fabulous hair.

This school year, Lotus is taking her talent and spirit to the seventh grade at a new school of the arts. The one where she just might get to play under the famous maestro, a violin virtuoso and conductor of the orchestra. But Lotus's best friend, Rebel, thinks Lotus should stay at their school. Why should this fancy new school get all the funding and pull the brightest kids out? Rebel wants Lotus to help her protest, but Lotus isn't sure. If she's going to be in the spotlight, she'd rather it be for her music.

Then, when boys throw paper wads and airplanes into Lotus's afro, Lotus finds herself in trouble for a dress code violation. Lotus must choose—should she stay quiet and risk her beloved hair, or put aside her peaceful vibe and risk everything to fight back?

Inspired by real stories of Black girls fighting dress codes that discriminate against their hair and culture, beloved author Sherri Winston introduces a memorable character who finds her way to speak up for what's right, no matter what it takes.