This is a course. By Outschool's current definition, that means it is a class that may occasionally, or always, build on itself. New learners can join anytime, with the exception of a couple of weeks with building content, noted below. 

Research shows that learners learn best through hands on activities and application of skills, so minimal lecture time is most beneficial. Class will begin with a fifteen minute mini-lesson on the weekly topic(s). This mini-lesson will be lecture style, with some discussion. Students are expected to participate and answer questions vocally and via the chat box, but do not have to. When learners need extra practice, I offer feedback and additional activities that can be completed at home with their grownups. Progress reports can be provided upon request. If I do see that your learner needs assistance with a certain skill, I will reach out to you, regardless of if you have requested progress reports or not. 

Lessons within the same week may be connected, but lessons not within the same week do no build upon each other.  This means that your learner can join any week, and will be able to jump right in without the worry of them being "behind." This class is designed for multiple grade levels, but most of the work will be on a 7th to 8th grade level. I enrich and extend when possible, meaning if your learner is accelerating, I will question them in a way that allows for them to delve even deeper into the skill being practiced.

To meet Common Core State Standards, the course is designed to include the following:
-Active reading of texts for reading comprehension purposes; that is to understand what is being said both explicitly and what can be logically inferred. 
-Analysis of both fictional and nonfiction texts from various literary periods to examine text structure, elements of literature, arguments and claims, word choice, historical and cultural influences, and personal responses. 
-Writing for various purposes including but not limited to: developing claims, writing cohesive expository essays, literary analysis, personal response, and narrative writing. 
-Various listening and speaking skills
-Collaboration

The fall semester is offered in the fall, and the spring semester is offered in the spring. The fall semester does not need to be taken prior to taking the spring semester. They do not build on each other, but rather contain units that, in their totality, comprise an entire year of ELA. 


**Monday/Tuesday class began the week of August 12. Monday/Wednesday began the week of August 26. That might help you figure out what week we are on. 
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Unit 1: Fiction (nonfiction and genre studies will be sprinkled throughout as secondary material)

Week 1:  
Day 1: Plot Devices & Characterization- Read "The Elevator" by William Sleator and create our own ending as a class that incorporates the resolution and falling action
Day 2: Plot Devices & Characterization- We will analyze the theme song from "The Fresh Prince of Belair" and fill out a plot diagram. Then, learners will be design a shoe based on characteristics they notice about Will. 

Week 2:
Day 1- Theme & Author's Purpose- Read "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" & "Ambition Over Adversity" by Tupac Shakur, write a short essay comparing/contrasting the themes in each.
Day 2- Theme & Author's Purpose- We will continue our study using Taylor Swift songs/lyrics. We will also play a game where we not only identity the themes and purposes within her songs, but try to identify who said certain quotes- Swift or Shakespeare.

Week 3: 
Day 1: Inferring & Making Predictions- Watch and discuss approx. 3 videos without dialogue, using body language and actions to infer
Day 2: Tone & Mood- We will watch two recut movie trailers and compare them to the original to see how clips, music, and filters affected the tone and mood. Then, learners will rewrite a love song into a "hate song" or vice versa, so the mood becomes dark and unloving based on word choice. For example, one of my favorite loves songs, "All of Me" by John Legend could very easily be turned into a song about dislike and disdain. "You're so Vain" by Carly Simon could become "You're so Lovely." Learners can also change the music behind the lyrics. 

Week 4: 
Day 1: Perspective, point of View, inferring- Mini-lesson on werewolves. Read and discuss "The Wife's Story" by Ursula Le Guin.
Day 2: Perspective, point of View, inferring-Write "The Husband's Story," a narrative piece from the husband's perspective detailing his thoughts and feelings which the reader does not know based on the original text. 


Week 5:  Reading Comprehension: The Dark History of the Sea Shanty "The Wellerman"
Day 1: We will explore the origin of sea shanties with the help of a nonfiction article and we will read/listen to a few
Day 2: We will listen to a viral TikTok rendition of "The Wellerman" by Nathan Evans (who is now a well renowned artist)  and read a text on it's meaning and history then discuss it while focusing on comprehension.

DUE TO MY LOVE FOR HALLOWEEN AND ALL THINGS SPOOKY, THE MONTH OF OCTOBER WILL INCLUDE MYSTERIES, GHOST STORIES, AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT. *For this material, we will discuss the haunted histories and alleged encounters while attempting to debunk them. Ultimately, learners should see there isn't any factual evidence to support hauntings and undocumented creatures, but rather anecdotes and the like. 

Week 6:
Day 1: Read and analyze "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
Day 2: Read and analyze "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl and compare it with "The Landlady while considering author's craft. 
*Both stories involve a murder


Week 7: History's Mysteries
Day 1: Paraphrasing, Summarizing, Main idea, & notetaking- Escape From Alcatraz: Today's lecture will also run the entire class, but it will be in discussion format. Learners will be presented with information in regards to the infamous escape from Alcatraz as well as theories about what may have happened to the three men. Class will begin with a quick explanation of BIG IDEAS then learners will be expected to take notes as I go over the material, writing down the big ideas and paraphrasing the content. At the end of class, they will share the main idea for the content. 
Day 2: Continuation of Day 1

Week 8: Reading Comprehension with Mothman
Day 1: We will read the lore about Mothman and learn about the festival in Point Pleasant. We will also watch some alleged videos of him and discuss some encounters. 
Day 2: Mothman Escape Room- learners will work as a group and answer questions and riddles derived from the material discussed on day 1. 

Week 9: A Haunting
Day 1: Evidence versus support: Winchester Mystery House: Support & Evidence- Pseudoscience versus facts
Day 2: Descriptive language and word choice: Two sentence horror stories. 

Week 10: 
Day 1: Reader's Theatre of Frankenstein. Learners will be assigned roles and will act out the play. Discuss. 
Day 2: Finish reading & Discussion of Frankenstein

Week 11: 
Day 1: Learners will draw a monster of their own creation, then write a paragraph describing it. They will then share this description with one or more learners who will draw what they think it looks like based on the paragraph description. The creatures will then be compared to see how similar they are. 
Day 2: Read and analyze "The Tell-Tale Heart" by  Edgar Allan Poe focusing on mood, tone, and suspense. Write an acrostic summary for the word MADNESS, all while eating smores! *this story also involves a murder.


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Unit 2: Biographies, Autobiographies, & Memoirs

Week 12: 
Day 1- We will read a several short biographical texts and write tweets for the subjects.

Day2- Tea party! Learners will need to read a short biography of their subject choice prior to meeting today. Please let me know who you picked and/or get with me for suggestions. Learners will dress as the person they researched and act like that person at our tea party. They will stay in character for most of the class and can interact with others in ways they believe the person would have. We will all ask each other questions and try to guess each other's identities. If learner's feel uncomfortable doing this, they are more than welcome to record themselves in character and share that with the class.

We will also read The Jacket by Gary Soto (memoir)

Week 13: Focus on Indigenous Authors and Creators
Day 1: 
We will listen to some, or all, of the Indigenous Peoples Day podcast episode from Young and Indigenous (YAI)
We will read and discuss "The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island" by Jessica McBirney
Day 2: Watch short documentary on Juana Maria, The Lone Woman
Read and discuss "The Plymouth Thanksgiving Story" By Chuck Larsen

Week 14: 
Day 1: Read and discuss "Diary of a Teenage Refugee" by Amira
Day 2: Read and Discuss "Little Things are Big" by Jesus Colon

Week 15: Women making History
Day 1: Malala Yousafzai- Topic & Central Idea/Thesis- Learners will read a biography on Malala, identify theses, and learn a helpful formula, and write their own. 


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Unit 3: Narratives (fiction and nonfiction). I have noted stories that involve/mention holidays.  They do not have religious themes. They may have ghosts and haunted houses, but those too will be approached from a secular perspective. 

Week 16 : 
Day 2:  “Smee” by A. M. Burrage (1931)* set in winter, Christmas is mentioned once, but not important to the setting

Week 17:
Day 1: Elements of a narrative, tense, and transitions; Read "I Will Never Visit my Grandma for Christmas Again*" (This is a Christmas story centered around Santa, who is not the good guy everyone thinks he is. He sees you when you're sleeping ;) ) and excerpts from  "Staircases in the Forest," a park ranger narrative.
Day 2: Using sensory details: Creating/describing the setting.

Week 18: "The Old Nurse's Story" by Elizabeth Gaskell (set in the winter, if I recall correctly, Christmas is mentioned once, but not central to the story).
Day 1 & 2: 
Character Development & Using dialogue correctly and effectively
Pacing: Conflict and Climax

Week 19: Narrative Writing (fiction and nonfiction)
Day 1: Resolution and Conclusion.
Learners will be given several prompts to choose from and will begin writing a three to five paragraph narrative. They will be provided with an example and outline. 
Day 2 (last day of class): Leaners will finish up their narrative and use to a checklist to revise and edit it.