Teacher:  Holly Van Houten

Homework:  1-2 hours/week

Ages: 9-12

Location: Live Online Class

Prerequisites: Students should be able to write several sentences on a single topic.

 

Kids love Adventure Books, so this class is designed to use exciting novels to help students learn about the literary elements that will help them think critically about the stories they are enjoying. Students in “The Writing Workshop” may be particularly interested in this class, as a literature supplement, because although students will do writing projects during class time, this course will not require additional writing homework. For homework each week, students will be asked to simply read a new section of the novel we are working on. They will annotate as they read – a skill they will learn in class – and then together, during class, students will enjoy lively and engaging discussions about the novels, explore the literary techniques each author uses, and work on short writing projects to share with classmates. Students will learn to analyze important passages, recognize connections, and discern how authors use setting, point of view, symbolism, characterization, figurative language, and imagery to create their intriguing adventure stories.

 

We will read a variety of classic and contemporary adventure books and discuss the literary elements that make them great. Even if students have read these novels in the past, discussing them with friends will make them all the more memorable, especially as they learn to think critically about the literary elements that make these novels successful. There is so much to learn from reading and re-reading engaging works of literature, filled with adventure, humor and learning. This is a class that students will enjoy all year long, but it’s also fine to jump in at any time and become a part of our book club! The books for each quarter are as follows:

 

Fall Quarter

• Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls: In this story, a young boy demonstrates incredible grit and determination as he saves to buy two Redbone Coonhounds and trains them to hunt. Together, they confront many dangerous situations, but the friendship and loyalty that develop between the dogs and the boy is inspiring and exhilarating. As we look at this novel, we will focus on how the author characterizes Billy, the young boy, but also how he manages to delineate the personalities of the two dogs.

• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin: This novel focuses on the adventures of a young girl who is on a quest to help her family. She is determined to find the Old man in the Moon, and along the way, she makes friends with a dragon, a talking goldfish, a king, and a boy with a buffalo. The story is interwoven with short stories rich in symbolism. We will discuss how the author uses symbols and figurative language to reinforce her theme about the importance of gratitude.

• My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George: This exciting novel takes place in the Catskill mountains of New York and follows the adventures of a young boy named Sam Beecher who decides to live in the woods after he becomes tired of city life. As Sam learns to survive in the woods, he confronts the challenges of isolation and loneliness, while learning independence. Our focus for this novel will be to analyze quotes that are related to these important themes. Students will learn how to use literary quotes as evidence to support their own critical thinking about the novel.

 

Winter Quarter

• The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman: Set in medieval times, this novel tells the story of how a spoiled prince learns gratitude and humility when he becomes friends with his clever “whipping boy,” and they work together to try to sabotage the devious plans of conspirators plotting against the prince. Our focus as we read this story will be to closely examine both the heavy realism of the historical setting and the hilarious dialogue Fleischman includes.

• The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi: This adventure novel, set in 1832, tells the story of a 13-year-old girl left to make her way across the Atlantic from England to America. She faces multiple adventures at sea, as she deals with a mutinous crew, a brutal sea captain, and a murder accusation. This is a coming-of-age novel or “bildungsroman,” so our focus will be on the theme of transformation.

• The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster: In this popular classic novel, a young boy named Milo, bored with his life, receives a tollbooth in the mail that takes him on a strange and wonderful adventure where he learns about the importance of imagination and creativity. Our focus in this novel will be on figurative language, and students will learn about metaphors, similes, idiomatic expressions, puns, and personification.

 

Spring Quarter

• Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen: In this exciting novel, about a young boy named Brian who is stranded in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash, we will explore the nature of conflict. We often think of conflict as a battle between two individuals, but here Brian must battle nature and his own fears and insecurities to survive.

• Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George: This book pits a young girl against the fearsome forces of nature, as she tries to survive. As we work on this book, we will focus on plot structure and the technique of beginning in medias res. Additionally, we will look at how the author uses figurative language to depict the nature that is both friend and foe to our protagonist.

• Pax, by Sara Pennypacker: A young boy named Peter befriends a fox named Pax, but when they are separated, Peter begins his long search, while Pax is busy with adventures of his own. As we look at this novel, we will consider how the author uses alternating points of view to challenge the readers’ understanding of perspective as they follow this exciting story.

 

Regardless of writing ability level, students will have an opportunity to polish and improve their writing as they work on our in-class writing activities. They will learn to organize their ideas as they structure paragraphs and develop details. Students will learn how to use quotes from the novels to support their analysis. They will get lots of practice choosing meaningful quotes, providing context for them, and following up with clear explanations of how and why their chosen quotes support their ideas. As they work on these short, in-class writing projects, they will have many opportunities to articulate the critical thinking they apply during our class discussions. With regular practice, students will gain confidence in their writing abilities, as their thinking matures and their organization skills advance. Students will gain valuable experience planning, drafting, and revising their writing, as they learn how to conquer the dreaded “writer’s block” and get their very first ideas down on paper. Much like the characters in our adventure novels, students will conquer their fears, surmount obstacles, and accomplish their writing goals!  

 

The workshop structure of this course will provide students with an audience to make their writing more meaningful.  They’ll receive feedback from each other, as well as from me in class and learn revision techniques to help improve their writing skills. Students share their writing in class so that they can learn about the reactions their writing elicits from others and receive helpful feedback to aid with the revision process.  These workshops not only allow students an important opportunity to receive revision suggestions 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 writing.  Over the course of the year, each student will complete several in-class writing projects and critique many more in class – a process that will improve their writing by leaps and bounds. 

 

Our classes will take place each week through live, interactive, and engaging online sessions, and we will utilize a variety of tools to enhance our classroom discussions and encourage collaboration (breakout rooms, polls/quizzes, discussion forum questions, video access, and screen sharing for our writing activities). The Zoom video platform will allow us to meet like a regular classroom as students are immersed in wonderful literature and practice a variety of in-class writing projects. The class will also utilize Google Classroom for assignments, discussion forums, and work-sharing both during class sessions and outside of class. Taking advantage of the incredible, collaborative power of Google Docs will allow us to share ideas and revision techniques far more efficiently. This class will be a great opportunity to enjoy some wonderful literature and practice essential literary analysis and writing skills.

 

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.