Along with teaching online classes with True North, I am available to teach for local PA homeschool coops. My current class offerings can be found below. For more details, please email me at thenurturedbee@gmail.com.
Current English Class Offerings:
Biography and Memoir
This course will explore the genres of biography and memoir, focusing on personal narratives, identity, and history. Students will select four memoirs or biographies to read throughout the course, providing an opportunity for independent choice and exploration of diverse voices. Weekly lessons will include reading, writing assignments, group discussions, and creative projects. The course culminates in a final project that synthesizes their learning.
World Myths, Legends, and Folklore
In this course, students will explore myths, legends, and folklore from various cultures around the world. They will learn about the cultural significance of these stories, analyze their common themes and archetypes, and explore how they shape literature and society. Additionally, students will craft two original myths or legends of their own, incorporating narrative techniques and mythological elements.
Gothic Literature
This course will explore the key themes, motifs, and styles of Gothic literature, including horror, mystery, the supernatural, and psychological depth. Students will read classic and modern Gothic texts, analyze their themes, and reflect on how the Gothic tradition continues to influence contemporary storytelling. In addition to essays and presentations, students will engage in creative assignments and write their own Gothic short stories.
British Literature Survey:
This Brit Lit Survey peruses a number of the most famous authors from the mighty islands starting with the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, and moving forward chronologically through the dazzle of King Arthur, the humor of Chaucer, and wrapping up the Fall semester with the 3 sonnet styles, with a Shakespearian focus. In the Spring we will get a bit more modern, reading Regency and Industrial Revolution pieces from favorites like Austen, Swift, Golding, and a sampling of the Romance poets: Yeats, Keats, Tennyson, and more. Students will also have the opportunity to pick one of the 4 pre-selected, classic books, to read as a “choose your own.”
Students will focus on character analysis, comprehension & analysis questions, vocabulary, and themes. Students will have the opportunity to discuss their weekly reading in class and flex their socratic skills and notetaking.
Full Year Shakespeare:
Along with walking through each play at face value, we will be using Harold Bloom’s enlightening text Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human to take a deep dive into characterization and why Shakespearean plays have stood the test of time. As it is impossible to remove literature out of context from history, we will be analyzing the literature for its place in time and impact it had. Students will be challenged to read beyond the text, write thoughtful analysis, engage in socratic discussion, and more. There may be some mature themes discussed in line with the context of the play. This class is recommended for students 10th grade and up.
American Lit Survey:
From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam, the United States has a remarkably rich history of literature. Starting at the very beginning with the Mayflower compact, we will work through chronologically including some of the most well known time periods and authors including Hamilton, Wheatley, Emerson, Dickinson, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, and more. This class will give high school students an introduction to a wide breadth of US Literature styles, assessing various themes, characterization, importance of setting, and more.
1 Semester Class: Creativing Writing
This 15 week Creative Writing class encourages students to delve into Dialogue, Haiku, Descriptive Writing, Limerick, Personal Essay, Sonnet, Monologue, Flash Fiction, Fairy Tale, Epistolary Writing, Script, Spoken Word, and Short Story. At the end of this 1 semester class, students will have a beautiful writing portfolio, as well as the experience of peer editing and self editing.
Current History Class Offerings:
Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages by Dan Jones
This class will follow the structure of Dan Jones’ book Powers and Thrones, exploring the key events, figures, and forces that shaped the Middle Ages from the fall of the Roman Empire to the dawn of the Renaissance. Students will study the political, religious, social, and cultural developments that influenced medieval Europe, the Near East, and other parts of the world. Assignments will include analytical essays, presentations, and creative projects that encourage students to engage deeply with medieval history.
American History I
This class covers American history from the period of Colonialism to the Reconstruction. The curriculum includes key themes, events, and figures while integrating essays, presentations, and creative assignments encouraging critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.
American History II
This class covers American history from the period of post-reconstruction to the present. The curriculum includes key themes, events, and figures while integrating essays, presentations, and creative assignments encouraging critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.
The Nurtured Bee 