Literature Courses
Our approach to teaching literature is unique. It’s not about tests, defining literary terms, or memorizing names and dates.
It’s about the books. It’s about the experience of reading great works of literature.
We read a lot of good books together, and we talk about them. As time goes by, we learn to read with greater insight and appreciation and to talk about literature more intelligently. Sure, we teach literary terms like plot, conflict, and theme. But we don’t use the literature to teach the terms. We use those terms to help us understand and appreciate the works.
HOW WE APPROACH MIDDLE SCHOOL
We see middle school as the time to build students’ understanding and enjoyment of literature. It’s a less rigorous program than our high school courses, which focus on the Great Books—works that have proven to be influential and culturally significant.
The middle school program is designed to prepare students for the challenge of these later years of study by introducting them to the basic concepts and terminology of literary analysis. The works I have chosen are age appropriate, varied, and engaging.
My objective in these courses is two-fold: to lay a foundation for future study of literature and to nurture an interest in and enjoyment of literature. It’s a simple philosophy: people who like reading read, so I do all I can to make the course fun for kids. If I can win a student over to the pleasure of reading, they are more likely to become life-long readers. Every student won’t like every book, of course, but I do my best to select works of literature that they tend to enjoy. And I run my class in a fun, informal way that I hope both inspires and engages students so that they like showing up and are motivated to complete the weekly reading.
Whether your student is an avid or reluctant reader, a WriteAtHome middle school lit class is guaranteed to be a positive learning experience.
HIGH SCHOOL LIT: YES, YOUR STUDENT CAN HANDLE THESE BOOKS
I know the reading list can seem intimidating. Parents and students sometimes wonder if they are ready for difficult classic works like The Aeneid, Crime and Punishment and Moby Dick. But trust me—I've been teaching this stuff for more than twenty years to high school students of a wide range of abilities. They are capable of much more than you or they would expect.
Some books will seem beyond students when they first attempt to read them, but I provide various online resources to help along the way. And, of course, we spend much of the time in our class discussions on the basics—sometimes just figuring out exactly what is going on.
We will challenge students of every ability. Some will be ready to go beyond simple comprehension into literary analysis and criticism. Others will simply work to get a feel for the basic purpose and plot of each work. Either way, students will come away with life-changing encounters with some of the best writing our culture has ever produced.
Be aware that the high school classes are geared for students in grades 9-12, though 8th grade students have participated successfully. We don’t recommend high school lit classes for students below 8th grade, but we have three great middle school literature classes for them.
Give it a try. You won't regret it!
How WriteAtHome Literature Works
Approach
High School Lit 1-4 courses focus on the great books of Western civilization while our high school conventional track literature courses align with typical school reading requirements. These courses are geared toward students in grades 8-12.
We also offer three middle school courses that introduce students in grades 6-8 to a variety of works that will challenge and inspire them to love reading.
Expectations
Each week, students are given a reading assignment, a discussion post, and a quiz to complete before class time.
Our literature courses are more rigorous than our writing courses and require a few hours per week to complete the assignments.
Delivery
Our literature courses include weekly lectures and discussions led by WriteAtHome founder Brian Wasko. These live courses include individual student support from our dedicated Teacher Assistants. We also offer most of our literature courses as self-paced, which can be completed in any order and at any pace.