LITERATURE & COMPOSITION FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL

MEET THE INSTRUCTOR:  KIM GUILLIAMS

Kim's obsession with words began at 18 months old when she sang her ABCs everywhere she went. She wrote her first story about a soccer-playing lizard when she was in first grade. In high school, she had a two-year writing mentorship with a published author. Her literature classes consisted of borrowing the entire section of classic authors like Dickens, Austen, and Wodehouse from the library. Kim graduated from college with a B.A. in English and minor in Technical Writing, and she recently received a M.A. in Theological Studies with a published writing component.  Kim hopes to pass on her enthusiasm for reading and writing to the next generation. She can always be found combing through books at local thrift stores to add to her home library.

LITERATURE & COMPOSITION FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL 

Target Level:  Ages 11 - 13

12 Weeks

Dive into classic stories and poems and hone your writing skills.

This Literature and Composition course cultivates the enjoyment of reading and the excitement of story-writing while introducing students to literary criticism with a biblical worldview. Students will analyze story elements (plot, genre, theme, etc.) and literary devices (idioms, metaphors, irony, etc.) and develop writing skills through personal narratives, storytelling, and essays.

Classroom time includes

1) teaching story elements, literary devices, and writing skills

2) dramatic short story readings with class participation

3) analyzing those stories using the terms we've studied

4) fun and games that reinforce what we are learning

5) explanations of the assignments for the following week

Homework includes

1) reading a few chapters of an assigned novel

2) writing quotes in their commonplace book

3) writing a weekly composition

4) very occasional memory work

Compositions will not be graded but will be corrected so that students can learn from their mistakes and have a portfolio to be proud of at the end of the semester.

(Please let me know if your student has learning difficulties. I'm willing to allow audiobooks and other accommodations for those who have legitimate reading struggles. I want students to fall in love with literature and writing.)

Short-story books, worksheets, and journals/notebooks are included in the price of the class. Students may have to purchase up to three novels, but they will be short classics that can be found online used for around $5 each. Booklist to be announced before class begins.

Tuition: $240.00.  $20 sibling discount 

For full schedule details, please view our Class Matrix.