Prereqs:  Students should have mastered the 5 paragraph essay prior to this class.

Homework:  Required - 3 hours / week for reading and writing homework.

This course is devised to teach middle-school students the fundamentals of grammar and  introduce the various forms of five-paragraph essays. Class time will begin with a review of  weekly assigned reading, discussing plot, character development, and historical context (what  was happening in the US during the time of the story or when it was written), as well as  developing close reading skills, discussing and extracting theme, symbolism, and subtext.  Afterward, each class will include a lesson on grammar, research, or editing. Classes will  conclude with in-class writing exercises, preparing students for homework assignments.

Each trimester will include one assigned text and two major writing assignments. The first larger  assignment will be a book report. Each report will include two elements: summary (can the  student summarize the core plot, conflict, and resolution of the novel in two paragraphs?) and  thematic/symbolic extrapolation (can the student unpack, with citations, an important theme or  symbol from the novel, how it’s interwoven in the character’s development, and what  commentary it provides on the greater world?).

The second major assignment will be a five-to-seven paragraph essay. These essays will require  research, articulation of a thesis, and clear evidence of progressive development (not  procrastinating). Students will have multiple weeks to work on these essays in stages, during the  latter half of each trimester.

Note: This is a duplicate class, meaning it is taught at two different times during the week. While  the structure and educational goals are the same, the assigned text and major assignments are  different. Thus, you can take both classes, or pick whichever fits your student’s schedule, reading  preferences, or needs.