This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
If you want your student to write confidently about what he or she has read, then this is the course for you! Continue your student’s growth in critical thinking and writing skills as we go further into defining and using literary analysis for better reading and writing skills. Get a deeper view into literature, and become comfortable with writing about literature when you join this course! This course is Part 2 of a two-part series; take both courses for a full year’s credit of literature and writing!
Special Notes: Course materials are provided free. This is Part Two of a two-part course.
Total classes: 12
Duration: 45 to 50 minutes per class
Prerequisite: Introduction to Literature and Writing: How to Read, Interpret, and Write about Literature, Part One
Suggested grade levels: 6th to 8th grade
Suggested credit: One full semester credit Writing or Literary Analysis
Description
Continue studying and writing about literature with this middle school course, where students will learn how we read, interpret, and write about literature — for high school, college, and beyond. This course continues guiding students to understanding the literary genres, increasing your student’s critical thinking through the knowledge of story elements in literature, while introducing authors’ writing techniques such as alliteration, assonance, colored narrative, dialogue, narrative elements, tone, description, and more! We’ll analyze stories and famous poems, including works by Tolkien, while also focusing on group discussions that lead to stronger analysis and writing. Students will get a chance to explore more literary elements – and learn how to write about the elements with confidence. During the course, students will get a chance to write every week – and after the course, students will be prepared to move into any middle or high school literature course with confidence. This course is Part 2 of a two-part series; take both courses for a full year’s credit of literature and writing!
Outline
Class 1: A solid review of key literary genres and devices used by authors (from Part 1)
Class 2: Examining new literary devices (tone, description, imagery, narrative elements, etc.) with a focus on prose
Class 3: Identifying literary devices and terms in an examination of literary works, gaining practical skills for writing
Class 4: Examining new literary devices (colored narrative, author’s use of dialogue, foreshadowing, and more) with a focus on prose
Class 5: Identifying literary devices and terms in an examination of literary works, gaining practical skills for writing
Class 6: Practicing in-depth prose analysis with short story, Leaf by Niggle, by Tolkien
Class 7: Continued discussion and analysis of Leaf by Niggle
Class 8: Continued discussion and analysis of Leaf by Niggle, short analysis paper preparation
Class 9: Why poetry analysis – and how do you write about it? Introducing key poetic terms and devices
Class 10: Identifying and examining important poetic terms and devices
Class 11: Poetic scansion and rhythm: how to identify and examine author’s intent
Class 12: Bringing it all together with tools for approaching any piece of literature
Materials and Homework
Course materials: All reading materials are provided free by the instructor. Microsoft Word or the ability to convert a document to a Word-compatible document. If you do not own Microsoft Word, you can use a system such as Google Docs that converts to Word documents FREE.
Homework: Between classes each week, students have a reading and writing assignment (a paragraph to page-long assignments) each week, with analysis questions to answer. Depending on the student’s reading level, families can expect approximately one to two hours of homework/preparation for the next class.
