Holly Van Houten

Ages: 8-10

The books we read in childhood often stay with us forever, so it’s important that those books
include some high-quality classics. This class offers students a fun opportunity to read along
with their peers and focus on improving their own reading and writing skills as they move
towards more difficult materials.

During the Fall Quarter, our books will include The Story of Doctor Doolittle, by Hugh Lofting;
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O’Brien, and The Family Under the Bridge, by
Natalie Savage Carlson. As part of our work on The Story of Doctor Dolittle, we will use a
variation of the innovative game Dialect to create OUR OWN animal language based on the
setting of the story, individual characters, and the special needs of the animal community. Doctor
Dolittle is famous for his ability to TALK TO THE ANIMALS, so as we work on this novel, our
main focus will be language and communication. As part of our discussion about
communication, we will explore a variety of ways new words are added to the language, how
those words uniquely reflect and shape a culture, and how language “lives” or “dies.” The
process of creating language will help students analyze characters, themes, and settings in the
novel, introduce them to the connections between language and culture, and give them an
opportunity to approach this novel through a really fun role-playing game.

During the Winter Quarter, our books will include many exciting adventures: The Railway
Children, by Edith Nesbit; The Sign of the Beaver, by Elizabeth George Speare, and The
Saturdays, by Elizabeth Enright. The Railway Children is a classic, “riches to rags” adventure
story that readers have loved for generations. As the “Railway Children” lose their comfortable
home and embark on a new life of poverty, they realize how much they still have. The Sign of the
Beaver takes readers back to early America, providing a unique perspective on the effects of
colonialism, as a young colonist comes to know and care for a tribe of Penobscot Indians. Our
final novel is an adventure story that follows the Melendy children as they create their own
perfect Saturday adventures, enjoying their freedom and learning important lessons along the
way.

During the Spring Quarter, our books will include From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E.
Frankweiler, by E. L. Konigsburg; Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo, and Five
Children and It, by Edith Nesbit. Even if students have read these novels in the past, discussing
them with friends will make them all the more memorable, and organizing their ideas through
their writing will help students hone their critical thinking skills. There is so much to learn from
reading and re-reading engaging works of literature, filled with adventure, humor and learning.

Even if students have read these novels before, discussing them with friends will make them all
the more memorable, and organizing their ideas through their writing will help students hone
their critical thinking skills. There is so much to learn from reading and re-reading engaging
works of literature filled with adventure, humor, and learning.

Whether a student is an enthusiastic writer or a bit reluctant, this class will strengthen skills and
lay the foundation for future success. Learning to write well involves mastering the parts of an
essay before building towards the whole. This class is designed to teach students how to
construct and structure solid academic paragraphs and give them lots of practice in planning,
developing, focusing and controlling powerful paragraphs with strong topic sentences. Over the
year, students will practice a variety of writing strategies, including description, exposition,
definition, cause and effect, narration, persuasion, analysis, summary, etc. The workshop
structure of this course will provide students with an audience to make their writing more
meaningful and encourage class discussion. They’ll receive feedback from each other, as well as
from me in class and learn revision techniques to help improve their writing skills. These
workshops not only allow students an important opportunity for feedback but allow them to be
immersed in the writing of their peers as well. This requires each student to sharpen his or her
own analytical skills as they consider how others may improve their essays. Over the course of
the semester each student will complete several writing assignments and critique many more in class – a process that will improve their writing, whatever their current level, by leaps and
bounds.

Our classes will take place each week through live, interactive, and engaging online sessions. We
will utilize various tools to enhance our classroom discussions and encourage collaboration
(breakout rooms, polls/quizzes, whiteboards, and screen sharing). The Zoom video platform will
allow us to meet like a regular classroom for lecture and discussion purposes as we immerse
ourselves in wonderful literature and the writing process.

NOTE:  There are no Materials Fees for this class, but parents must purchase the required books
for their students. Holly will provide Amazon Purchase Links for each chosen edition.

About Holly:

Students will receive instruction from Holly Van Houten, who has decades of
experience preparing young writers with the skills they need to succeed. In addition to teaching
Literature and Writing at The Huckleberry Center for Creative Learning in Valencia, California,
since 2009, Holly taught in the USC Freshman Writing Department for 10 years while
completing her Ph.D. coursework in English and American Literature.  Holly has also taught in
the English departments at Pepperdine University, California State University, Northridge, and
California State University, Long Beach. She has helped young scholars become confident
writers for over 30 years and has successfully prepared students of all abilities for college-level
writing.