Spring Literature Class (Grades 3-4)
Grades 3-4 Spring Session
Tuesdays 4:45 to 5:45 PM EST
January 3, 2023 to June 20, 2023
Overview
This literature class will guide students through timelessly important and stirringly beautiful works of age-appropriate literature, in a manner that allows students to grasp them intellectually and connect with them emotionally. The goal of studying these works is to help students develop as readers while they learn more about themselves and contemplate the kind of life they wish to lead.
This curriculum has been developed by Lisa VanDamme, the founder of a private school in Southern California. Lisa has extensive experience teaching literature, bringing to her work great passion and emotion, and this curriculum is part of her journey to bring her methodology to a wider audience so more students can reap the benefits of meaningful, guided study of great works of literature.
Course Content
Students will read The Kite Fighters and Abel’s Island.
Class Size
6 students maximum
Sessions
Grades 3-4
Schedule: Tuesdays 4:45 PM – 5:45 PM EST
First Class: Jan. 3
Last Class: June 20
No class held:
2/21 (Mid-Winter Break)
4/11 (Spring Break
Spring Semester Enrollment Fees
- $1380, payable in two installments of $690 each
>Instructor
Ms. Heather Turpin has served as a K-12 private educator and tutor in the disciplines of reading, spelling, and writing. In 2015, she began using Barton, an Orton-Gillingham-based curriculum, which led her to the IEW Structure and Style methodology, and ever since she has taught writing the IEW way. Heather holds her accreditation from the Institute for Excellence in Writing as a Certified Instructor. She is also fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), trained as an ASL interpreter, and conversational in Spanish.
>Required Materials
Students must obtain their own copies of the books.
>Homework
The only required homework will be to read assigned chapters and compose short written responses to key questions. Discussion questions will be shared each week for students to consider, and students may engage in online discussion about the book with their peers in Google Classroom.
>Technology Requirements
Google Classroom. Students must have either their own email or access to a parent’s email.
Zoom. Students can follow Zoom’s hardware and software guidelines to prepare their environment.
Printer. Students should know how to scan and submit their work, and they should have access to a printer.
>Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites to enroll in this class.
>Continuing Education
A literature class will be offered in the summer as well.
Note: The minimum enrollment required for this course is four (4) students. Rose Writing Center reserves the right to cancel this course in the event that fewer than four students enroll. Students enrolled in a canceled course will be duly notified and may choose to either receive a full refund or transfer to another course by Rose Writing Center.
In 2013, Ms. Lauren Bridgeford graduated with a BA in Languages, Literature, and Criticism from Hunter College. She has also obtained her DELTA (Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certification from Cambridge University. Currently, Ms. Bridgeford is a Registered Instructor accredited by the Institute for Excellence in Writing, and she is pursuing her master’s degree in Secondary Education.
Deanna Heikkinen has been privately teaching writing as well as history, literature, and art history to students grades 2-12 for over six years. Prior to that, she was a tenured professor of humanities at Los Angeles Valley College with a focus on teaching the Great Books of Western Civilization. Additionally, she taught world history, western civilization, Native American history, and anthropology at the college level. Whether teaching elementary, middle, or high schoolers for Rose Writing Center, Deanna's diverse background allows her to serve as our test prep, academic support, and custom lesson specialist.
