High School English Club: Sharpen Your Vocabulary, Reading, Writing, & Grammar

In this class, we will meet three days per week to learn vocabulary and grammar, read short stories, and practice our writing skills in a relaxed, low-pressure setting. Every class will be different, but here is a general overview of what we will do each week: 

Mondays: Vocabulary- We will learn high school and college-level vocabulary words that will help your students succeed in their high school English classes, standardized tests, and college-entrance exams. Many of our word lists will be derived from PSAT, SAT, ACT, and AP word lists. 

Wednesdays: Reading/Writing- On reading weeks, we will read a short story, poem, or other short work as a class. We will then discuss the piece as a class and practice key reading comprehension and analysis skills. On writing weeks, I will give the students a famous quote, adage, or aphorism. We will discuss the meaning of the quote, its historical background, and any other thoughts we may have. After that, students will have approximately 25 minutes to free-write about the quote. Students will have the opportunity to share their writing at the end of class if they wish. 

Fridays: Grammar Practice- Each grammar lesson will consist of some note-taking of a new grammatical concept followed by engaging games and quizzes for practice.  
Since this class is in an on-going, subscription-based format, students have the flexibility to subscribe and un-subscribe based on their availability. The content will be new each week, so students can jump in and out as it works for their schedules. 

The goal of this class is to provide a relaxed, fun way to sharpen students' English skills. There will be no grade book and no outside homework; however, supplementary materials will be provided each week if students would like to take self-administered quizzes and spend extra time practicing grammar and vocabulary. 

Spring 2025 Schedule: 

January 20 (Monday)
January 22 (Wednesday)
January 24 (Friday)

January 27 (Monday)- Vocabulary and Literary Terms 1
January 29 (Wednesday)- Common Comma Rules
January 31 (Friday)- Read “The Lottery Ticket”

February 3 (Monday)- Vocabulary and Literary Terms 2
February 5 (Wednesday)- Capitalization Rules
February 7 (Friday)- Discuss and Write- Mark Twain Quote

February 10 (Monday)- Vocabulary and Literary Terms 3
February 12 (Wednesday)- MORE Comma Rules
February 14 (Friday)- Read “Luck”

February 17 (Monday)- Vocabulary and Literary Terms 4
February 19 (Wednesday)- Using Semicolons
February 21 (Friday)- Discuss and Write- Aristotle

February 24-28- NO CLASS THIS WEEK! If you remain enrolled, your spot will be saved, but you will not be charged.

March 3 (Monday)- Vocabulary and Literary Terms 5
March 5 (Wednesday)- Using Colons
March 7 (Friday)- Read "An Angel in Disguise”

March 10 (Monday)- Vocabulary and Literary Terms 6
March 12 (Wednesday)- The Versatility of the Quotation Mark
March 14 (Friday)- Discuss and Write- Temple Grandin

March 17 (Monday)- Vocabulary and Literary Terms 7
March 19 (Wednesday)- Quotation Marks Continued
March 21 (Friday)- Read "A Letter for Emily"*

March 24 (Monday)- Vocabulary and Literary Terms 8
March 26 (Wednesday)- Parallel Sentence Structure
March 28 (Friday)- Discuss and Write- Van Gogh

March 31 (Monday)- Vocabulary and Literary Terms 9
April 2 (Wednesday)- How to Use Hyphens and Dashes
April 4 (Friday)- Read and Analyze "A Sound of Thunder" 

April 7 (Monday)- Vocabulary and Literary Terms 10
April 9 (Wednesday)- Hyphens, Dashes, and Apostrophes, Oh My! 
April 11 (Friday)- Discuss and Write- Ben Franklin

April 14 (Monday)- Vocabulary and Literary Terms 11
April 16 (Wednesday)- Misplaced Modifiers and How to Fix Them
April 18 (Friday)- Read "David Swan"

April 21-25- NO CLASS THIS WEEK! If you remain enrolled, your spot will be saved, but you will not be charged.