Sure, you can do literature at home. But you know what makes it even better?
LIVE CLASSES.
With a real teacher.
With real classmates.
With real interaction.
With real learning.
The last few years online learning has gotten a bad rep.
But virtual learning can not only be done well, but extremely successfully!
Along with over a decade of teaching experience, I have had extensive training as an online teacher. This means students get an interactive, challenging, and engaging class experience. More than just looking at a screen and completing assignments, we will be taking advantage of as much technology as we can in each class. We will be using programs like Canva, Prezi, Google, Padlet, and more. But have no fear. Students will be given plenty of opportunity to create with their hands with each unit’s creative project and other flexible projects. Group projects, and getting to interact with teachers and other students in our live classes make us different from other online formats.
The Classes 2023-2024 School Year:
Dystopian & Post Apocalyptic
Though the popularity of such series like The Hunger Games have brought Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic literature to the forefront of many young adult readers’ bookshelves, it’s been around for decades. In this full-year class we will be reading 3 Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic novels:
- 1984 George Orwell
- Brave New World Aldous Huxley
- The Lottery Shirley Jackson
- A Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic story of choice
Each unit will include a formal writing assignment, presentation, summative assessment, and artistic assignment. Rubrics will be provided.
While students are reading their choice of dystopian/apocalyptic book, we will be learning about identity and creating a character. They’ll be using this knowledge to round out our year and write their own version of a Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic story. We will be using a variety of story-writing methods and plans. For final submission, students will have the option to submit their final assignment as a screenplay, short story, graphic novel, or other pre-approved medium.
Austen & Brontë
Austen & Brontë will take a deep dive into three of the most famous female authors of all time- Jane Austen, Emily Bronte & Charlotte Bronte. This course is a full-year class.
The first half of the full-year will be a study of Jane Austen, and her works Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice. The second half of the year (Spring Semester) we will be reading Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre.
In Jane Austen & Bronte we will be assessing character development, cultural norms, the effects these literary works had in their time, as well as what we can take away from them as modern readers. Each unit will include a formal writing assignment, presentation, summative assessment, and artistic assignment.
Honors distinction is an OPTION for this course. Students who choose this option will read 1 additional Austen novel, one additional Bronte novel, and write a corresponding essay for each.
“Alas poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio”– Hamlet
This class is an incredible chance for your student to know Shakespeare too. This course will walk through 6 of Shakespeare’s most profound works:
Romeo & Juliet
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
Macbeth
Henry V
The Merchant of Venice
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. Prerequisite: at least 1 year of a lit & comp.
Honors distinction is an OPTION for this course. Students who choose this option will write a 10 page capstone paper. Topics may include: cultural implications, character analysis, or comparative. Students are always encouraged to “create their own prompt,” for approval as well.
The Nurtured Bee 