True crime aficionados, internet sleuths, and crime junkies unite! 

In this English Language Arts (ELA) class, learners will not have any live meetings. If your learner just wants to join to hear about the cases, that is great! All assignments are optional. If you have an English Language Learner (ELL) that would like to work on their English grammar and writing skills, this class is a great opportunity! 

In this class, we will look at infamous crimes from a critical thinking point of view. We will learn about what happened and explore and discuss associated theories and events. These theories may include but are not limited to possible suspects, motives behind the crime, and other learner theories. 

Each week we will focus on a different goal, depending on the case, and learners will need to complete the following tasks:
-Watch an approximately 30  minute lecture video that presents the case information. The Dahmer and Anthony lectures are about 45 minutes. 
-Review evidence including forensic data, photographs, letters, court documents, police interviews, and autopsy reports, when available. There may be some cases where this is not available or accessible to the public- such as for ongoing or unsolved cold cases. Though crime scene photos may be shared, like in the case of Kurt Cobain and placement of his not, no blood or anything graphic will ever be shown. 
- (Optional) Complete a written and/or video response to the questions of the week. The questions involve an open-ended analysis, with no right or wrong answers. This will allow learners the opportunity to share their theories. They will need to support their theories with evidence from the lecture and documents provided. Responses can be posted in the classroom or sent to me in a private message. Written responses can be typed directly into the classroom or message, whereas video responses will need to be sent in a message as an attachment.


The lecture will begin with a discussion on what it means to be respectful- to each other and to the victims. Please note that dark and difficult topics are often approached from a humorous standpoint. The class will be kept lighthearted and humor is more than acceptable, though it must remain respectable. I will also present learning and discussion goals at the beginning of the lecture video. Two possible broader goals for classes may consist of either psychological or forensic analysis, depending on the case discussed and what data is available. Smaller goals will consists of identifying a motive for perpetrators, comparing their profiles to profiles of other serial killers learners may have prior knowledge of, identifying investigation strengths and weaknesses, and occasionally creating theories indicating who the perpetrator may be- if he/she/they are unknown or if there is a possible wrongful conviction. 

Certificates of completion are available upon request.  Personalized feedback will be provided weekly, typically on Sundays (Central Time) along with advice for additional practice that learners can do at home with their grownups. This may include additional, but optional, assignments for submission and feedback. Feedback will include areas your learner is accelerating in, as well as areas needing improvement.


Topics in this class may be sensitive to some learners and may include death and/or murder. I encourage parents/grownups to look at the schedule and make sure they feel the topics are appropriate for their learner(s). Since learners have different maturity levels and parents know their learners best, the age range is flexible. I have included trigger warnings next to the topics. 

A schedule can be found in the syllabus.