Language Arts Class Descriptions



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Compass Kindergarten- Language Arts (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 8, 2025

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 3 Hours

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: K

Prerequisites: None

Can your child sit in a circle for story time? Line up for lunch? Take turns talking? This one-day, 3-hour (half-day) program is a "taste" of kindergarten for 5- year-olds. Start your child's week off right with "Mornings with Miss M" at Compass Kindergarten. Children will work in a small group with an experienced early elementary educator for this dynamic, play-based program that offers regular interaction and socialization.

This fun, activity-based program will create rhythm and routine in a homeschooled kindergartner's week and give them a sense of community and a peer group. Children will practice routines and transitions as they move through the morning. Each session will include some simple structure such as a daily arrival song/greeting, circle time, story, snack time, activity, lunch, active game, and closing/goodbyes. Through games and activities, they will also practice key childhood social skills such as sharing, taking turns, and entering play with others. Academic basics such as the ABCs, days of the week, colors, shapes, and number sense will be integrated into activities involving fairy tales, nature and art. The teacher will provide ideas for parents to work on at home with their child during the week.

Compass Kindergarten is offered in three weekly sessions: Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. Registration is stand-alone for each day so parents can register for one, two, or all three. While each kindergarten class will give children the opportunities for learning and playing in a social environment along with classroom routines, each of the three days will focus on a particular area of study and discovery of how each is connected.

On Mondays, the focus will be on Language Arts where students will be exposed to folktales, seasonal stories, and classic favorites while also practicing some foundational language arts skills. The stories read in class will be used as inspiration to connect aspects of literacy such as comprehension, comparing similar/different, recalling sequences, and predicting outcomes. The Alphabet Book will be used as as "spine" to spark discussions on capital and lower case letter forms, initial letter sounds, blends, vowel sounds, rhyming words, and other pre-phonics skills. The language arts-themed kindergarten session is intended to enhance and clarify literacy skills being introduced at home, but is not a comprehensive reading curriculum.

Readiness: Students must be age five (5) by the start of the program or have the teacher's approval for younger. To be successful in this program, entering kindergartners must be able to do the following preschool-level skills: (1) be able to separate from parents with little discomfort; (2) be able to sit and listen to a story or stay on a task for 10 minutes; (3) be able to follow simple, age-appropriate directions from the teacher or another adult; (4) be able to write and recognize his/her first name; (5) be able to hold and use crayons and scissors correctly; (6) be completely self sufficient in a public restroom (wiping, flushing, washing hands, etc.)

Other Notes: Children should bring a bagged lunch and water bottle to each session. There is a $50.00 material fee for class consumables due payable to the teacher on the first day of class.

Parents can choose to drop children off for this program (different than Compass's school-year policies for 55 minute classes.)

Registration for this program is by 14-week semester with priority registration for continuing students.

Parents who are shopping around or applying to alternate kindergarten programs should review the Compass withdrawal policy.

5 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $625.00

Compass Kindergarten- Language Arts (Sem 2)

Quarter 3,4: Starts on January 12, 2026

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 3 Hours

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: K

Prerequisites: None

Can your child sit in a circle for story time? Line up for lunch? Take turns talking? This one-day, 3-hour (half-day) program is a "taste" of kindergarten for 5- year-olds. Start your child's week off right with "Mornings with Miss M" at Compass Kindergarten. Children will work in a small group with an experienced early elementary educator for this dynamic, play-based program that offers regular interaction and socialization.

This fun, activity-based program will create rhythm and routine in a homeschooled kindergartner's week and give them a sense of community and a peer group. Children will practice routines and transitions as they move through the morning. Each session will include some simple structure such as a daily arrival song/greeting, circle time, story, snack time, activity, lunch, active game, and closing/goodbyes. Through games and activities, they will also practice key childhood social skills such as sharing, taking turns, and entering play with others. Academic basics such as the ABCs, days of the week, colors, shapes, and number sense will be integrated into activities involving fairy tales, nature and art. The teacher will provide ideas for parents to work on at home with their child during the week.

Compass Kindergarten is offered in three weekly sessions: Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. Registration is stand-alone for each day so parents can register for one, two, or all three. While each kindergarten class will give children the opportunities for learning and playing in a social environment along with classroom routines, each of the three days will focus on a particular area of study and discovery of how each is connected.

On Mondays, the focus will be on Language Arts where students will be exposed to folktales, seasonal stories, and classic favorites while also practicing some foundational language arts skills. The stories read in class will be used as inspiration to connect aspects of literacy such as comprehension, comparing similar/different, recalling sequences, and predicting outcomes. The Alphabet Book will be used as as "spine" to spark discussions on capital and lower case letter forms, initial letter sounds, blends, vowel sounds, rhyming words, and other pre-phonics skills. The language arts-themed kindergarten session is intended to enhance and clarify literacy skills being introduced at home, but is not a comprehensive reading curriculum.

Readiness: Students must be age five (5) by the start of the program or have the teacher's approval for younger. To be successful in this program, entering kindergartners must be able to do the following preschool-level skills: (1) be able to separate from parents with little discomfort; (2) be able to sit and listen to a story or stay on a task for 10 minutes; (3) be able to follow simple, age-appropriate directions from the teacher or another adult; (4) be able to write and recognize his/her first name; (5) be able to hold and use crayons and scissors correctly; (6) be completely self sufficient in a public restroom (wiping, flushing, washing hands, etc.)

Other Notes: Children should bring a bagged lunch and water bottle to each session. There is a $50.00 material fee for class consumables due payable to the teacher on the first day of class.

Parents can choose to drop children off for this program (different than Compass's school-year policies for 55 minute classes.)

Registration for this program is by 14-week semester with priority registration for continuing students.

Parents who are shopping around or applying to alternate kindergarten programs should review the Compass withdrawal policy.

5 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $714.00

Comprehension Connections: Critical Thinking Through Non Fiction

Quarter 3,4: Starts on January 25, 2026

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 7th-8th

Prerequisites: None

Middle school students will learn how to improve their critical thinking for a deeper understanding using strategies in reading comprehension, research, and debate. They will discuss and define critical thinking and learn the skills associated with it: researching, sorting information for a variety of purposes, identifying underlying assumptions, defining terms, evaluating evidence, considering opposing points of view, and spotting classic logical fallacies.
In this semester, students will be asked to present opinions or consider dilemmas and claims ranging over a wide variety of historical or contemporary topics that may be drawn from literature, law, religion, or comparative worldviews. Students will learn to ask, "Is this a good argument? Is it well constructed and convincing?" They will discover how to break a whole concept into its component parts to formulate and build clear, compelling, persuasive arguments.
The semester will build up to an exciting debate in the Lincoln-Douglas format. Students will have to choose a contemporary question (e.g. "Is AI bad for society?"), and they will work together to research arguments for or against that question. The Positive and Negative teams will develop arguments, write speeches, and work to develop arguments for their positions!
Middle school students should expect to spend an average of two hours per week on reading and short written responses for this class. Topics in this series include: Topics in this series include: Comprehension Connections (Semester 1) and Critical Thinking (Semester 2).

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $356.00

Comprehension Connections: Critical Thinking Through Short Stories

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 11, 2025

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 7th-8th

Prerequisites: None

Middle school students will learn how to improve their critical thinking for deeper understanding using strategies in reading comprehension. They will learn how to sort, analyze, describe, and compare information according to the rules of logic.
Throughout this semester, students will read Alice & Wonderland, which was (surprisingly!) designed to include many hidden gems of logic. Students will learn to ask, "Is this a good argument? What beliefs is it based on? Is it well constructed and convincing? Are there fallacies in it?" They will discover how to define terms and break a whole concept into its component parts in order to formulate and defend their own arguments.
The semester will build up to an exciting debate in the Lincoln-Douglas format. Students will have to develop a law code for Wonderland, and they will have to put a character on trial according to that code. Prosecution and defense will develop arguments, write speeches, and battle to convict or acquit the accused!
Middle school students should expect to spend an average of two hours per week on reading and short written responses for this class. Topics in this series include: Critical Thinking Through Short Stories (Semester 1) and Critical Thinking Through Non-Fiction (Semester 2).

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $312.00

Creative Chronicles: Once Upon a. . .Magic Kingdom

Quarter 3: Starts on January 24, 2026

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Judith Harmon

Grade Range: 2nd-4th

Prerequisites: None

Children are full of stories and bubbling over with big ideas! In this class, students will learn how to capture their creative vision into a simple story that they will write and illustrate. Third quarter, our storytellers will they will spin the tale of their own, unique Magic Kingdom. Will their journey include wizards or warlocks, castles or caves, spells, dragons.. or something else?

Students will learn how to build a Story Arc through guided, weekly activities. They will discover the key elements to composing a story such as crafting characters, posing a problem, advancing the action, constructing the climax, and writing the resolution- through brainstorming questions like, "Who is in your story?", "Where does this take place?", "What does that look like?" and "What happened after ____?"

Emerging writers or readers are welcome and will receive support, if needed, to get their own words written down. Psst- don't tell your child, but this class helps lay the foundation in language arts for more advanced creative writing and composition.

Topics in this Series: Once Upon a...Secret Room (Quarter 1), Shipwreck (Quarter 2), Magic Kingdom (Quarter 3), Winding Path (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $157.00

Creative Chronicles: Once Upon a...Secret Room

Quarter 1: Starts on September 10, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Judith Harmon

Grade Range: 2nd-4th

Prerequisites: None

Children are full of stories and bubbling over with big ideas! In this class, students will learn how to capture their creative vision into a simple story that they will write and illustrate. First quarter, our storytellers will uncover passages and portals beyond bookshelves and blank walls. Will they find the key to the mysterious secret room, or can they ever unlock the truth?

Students will learn how to build a Story Arc through guided, weekly activities. They will discover the key elements to composing a story such as crafting characters, posing a problem, advancing the action, constructing the climax, and writing the resolution- through brainstorming questions like, "Who is in your story?", "Where does this take place?", "What does that look like?" and "What happened after ____?"

Emerging writers or readers are welcome and will receive support, if needed, to get their own words written down. Psst- don't tell your child, but this class helps lay the foundation in language arts for more advanced creative writing and composition.

Topics in this Series: Once Upon a...Secret Room (Quarter 1), Shipwreck (Quarter 2), Magic Kingdom (Quarter 3), Winding Path (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $139.00

Creative Chronicles: Once Upon a...Shipwreck

Quarter 2: Starts on October 29, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Judith Harmon

Grade Range: 2nd-4th

Prerequisites: None

Children are full of stories and bubbling over with big ideas! In this class, students will learn how to capture their creative vision into a simple story that they will write and illustrate. Second quarter, our storytellers will discover the mysterious mutiny or misfortune that marooned mariners on an isolated island. Will the stranded sailors survive their secluded situation?

Students will learn how to build a Story Arc through guided, weekly activities. They will discover the key elements to composing a story such as crafting characters, posing a problem, advancing the action, constructing the climax, and writing the resolution- through brainstorming questions like, "Who is in your story?", "Where does this take place?", "What does that look like?" and "What happened after ____?"

Emerging writers or readers are welcome and will receive support, if needed, to get their own words written down. Psst- don't tell your child, but this class helps lay the foundation in language arts for more advanced creative writing and composition.

Topics in this Series: Once Upon a...Secret Room (Quarter 1), Shipwreck (Quarter 2), Magic Kingdom (Quarter 3), Winding Path (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $139.00

Creative Chronicles: Once Upon a...Winding Path

Quarter 4: Starts on March 18, 2026

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Judith Harmon

Grade Range: 2nd-4th

Prerequisites: None

Children are full of stories and bubbling over with big ideas! In this class, students will learn how to capture their creative vision into a simple story that they will write and illustrate. Two roads diverged in a wood, and our storytellers will create their own path. What happens when tricky travelers and cryptic characters meet secretive strangers on a winding woodland path?

Students will learn how to build a Story Arc through guided, weekly activities. They will discover the key elements to composing a story such as crafting characters, posing a problem, advancing the action, constructing the climax, and writing the resolution- through brainstorming questions like, "Who is in your story?", "Where does this take place?", "What does that look like?" and "What happened after ____?"

Emerging writers or readers are welcome and will receive support, if needed, to get their own words written down. Psst- don't tell your child, but this class helps lay the foundation in language arts for more advanced creative writing and composition.

Topics in this Series: Once Upon a...Secret Room (Quarter 1), Shipwreck (Quarter 2), Magic Kingdom (Quarter 3), Winding Path (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $157.00

Graphic Greats: Frontier Favorites (Graphic Novels)

Quarter 1: Starts on September 11, 2025

Class Time: 1:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: None

Get your child to read the classics without a clash! Children will become familiar with the world's best-known authors and timeless tales through the approachable illustrated format of graphic novels. Kids will not realize they are reading literature and being introduced to literary analysis as they read these entertaining, illustrated, short-form stories.

First quarter, students will journey through untamed rivers, dense forests, and thrilling frontiers in these classic American adventures. Join Huck Finn as he flees down the Mississippi with a runaway slave in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain); scheme, and explore with the mischievous Tom in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain); and brave the perils of the wilderness in The Last of the Mohicans (James Fenimore Cooper), where native scouts and colonial fighters clash in a tale of honor, survival, and sacrifice.

Through colorful, dramatic graphics and an approachable conversational tone, graphic novels show kids that literature can be enthralling! Each quarter will begin with an overview of the graphic novel genre including vocabulary unique to the illustrations and format (panels, speech bubbles, etc.) by looking at several other examples of graphic novels. Each week, students will read a portion of a graphic novel at home from the Saddleback Educational Publishing Graphic, Illustrated Classics Series.

In class, literary elements and character analysis will be discussed. Extension activities such as reading, listening, or watching excerpts of other tellings of the same tale will take place in class. Students will think they are talking about cool, comic-style books, but the facilitated class discussion will introduce kids to classic works of literature and perhaps interest them to later read the complete novel.

Students are expected to read approximately one half of one graphic novel (25-30 pages) per week which they may read individually or read aloud with their families. These novels are generally considered at the ages 8-12 reading level.

Collect all 12 (3 per quarter)! Build an illustrated classic library. Because students will need the same editions of all three graphic novels to be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, class sets of the graphic novels will be purchased for students. A supply fee of $48.00 will be due payable to Compass on or before the first day of class for 3 novels.

Topics in this series include: Frontier Favorites (Quarter 1); Spooky Spectacles (Quarter 2); Shakespeare Shorts (Quarter 3), and Literary Legends of Paris (Quarter 4).

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $182.00

Graphic Greats: Literary Legends of Paris (Graphic Novels)

Quarter 4: Starts on March 19, 2026

Class Time: 1:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: None

Get your child to read the classics without a clash! Children will become familiar with the world's best-known authors and timeless tales through the approachable illustrated format of graphic novels. Kids will not realize they are reading literature and being introduced to literary analysis as they read these entertaining, illustrated, short-form stories.

Fourth quarter, students will dive into daring deeds, dramatic developments, and dazzling characters in three literary legends set in historic Paris. Join d'Artagnan and his sword-wielding companions in The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas) as they battle enemies and defend honor in royal France; witness love, loss, and loyalty beneath the shadow of Notre Dame cathedral in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Victor Hugo); and face the fury of the French Revolution in A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens), where sacrifice and redemption rise from the ashes of war.

Through colorful, dramatic graphics and an approachable conversational tone, graphic novels show kids that literature can be enthralling! Each quarter will begin with an overview of the graphic novel genre including vocabulary unique to the illustrations and format (panels, speech bubbles, etc.) by looking at several other examples of graphic novels. Each week, students will read a portion of a graphic novel at home from the Saddleback Educational Publishing Graphic, Illustrated Classics Series.

In class, literary elements and character analysis will be discussed. Extension activities such as reading, listening, or watching excerpts of other tellings of the same tale will take place in class. Students will think they are talking about cool, comic-style books, but the facilitated class discussion will introduce kids to classic works of literature and perhaps interest them to later read the complete novel.

Students are expected to read approximately one half of one graphic novel (25-30 pages) per week which they may read individually or read aloud with their families. These novels are generally considered at the ages 8-12 reading level.

Collect all 12 (3 per quarter)! Build an illustrated classic library. Because students will need the same editions of all three graphic novels to be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, class sets of the graphic novels will be purchased for students. A supply fee of $48.00 will be due payable to Compass on or before the first day of class for 3 novels.

Topics in this series include: Frontier Favorites (Quarter 1); Spooky Spectacles (Quarter 2); Shakespeare Shorts (Quarter 3), and Literary Legends of Paris (Quarter 4).

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $208.00

Graphic Greats: Shakespeare Shorts (Graphic Novels)

Quarter 3: Starts on January 25, 2026

Class Time: 1:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: None

Get your child to read the classics without a clash! Children will become familiar with the world's best-known authors and timeless tales through the approachable illustrated format of graphic novels. Kids will not realize they are reading literature and being introduced to literary analysis as they read these entertaining, illustrated, short-form stories.

Third quarter, students will step into the gripping world of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, where fate, ambition, madness, and love collide with deadly consequences. Encounter ruthless ambition and the supernatural in Macbeth, where a Scottish general's thirst for power spirals into bloodshed. Explore the tormented mind of a prince in Hamlet, as he wrestles with revenge, betrayal, and existential doubt. Then, witness forbidden love and tragic destiny in Romeo and Juliet, where a feud between families dooms two young lovers.

Through colorful, dramatic graphics and an approachable conversational tone, graphic novels show kids that literature can be enthralling! Each quarter will begin with an overview of the graphic novel genre including vocabulary unique to the illustrations and format (panels, speech bubbles, etc.) by looking at several other examples of graphic novels. Each week, students will read a portion of a graphic novel at home from the Saddleback Educational Publishing Graphic, Illustrated Classics Series.

In class, literary elements and character analysis will be discussed. Extension activities such as reading, listening, or watching excerpts of other tellings of the same tale will take place in class. Students will think they are talking about cool, comic-style books, but the facilitated class discussion will introduce kids to classic works of literature and perhaps interest them to later read the complete novel.

Students are expected to read approximately one half of one graphic novel (25-30 pages) per week which they may read individually or read aloud with their families. These novels are generally considered at the ages 8-12 reading level.

Collect all 12 (3 per quarter)! Build an illustrated classic library. Because students will need the same editions of all three graphic novels to be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, class sets of the graphic novels will be purchased for students. A supply fee of $48.00 will be due payable to Compass on or before the first day of class for 3 novels.

Topics in this series include: Frontier Favorites (Quarter 1); Spooky Spectacles (Quarter 2); Shakespeare Shorts (Quarter 3), and Literary Legends of Paris (Quarter 4).

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $208.00

Graphic Greats: Spooky Spectacles (Graphic Novels)

Quarter 2: Starts on October 30, 2025

Class Time: 1:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: None

Get your child to read the classics without a clash! Children will become familiar with the world's best-known authors and timeless tales through the approachable illustrated format of graphic novels. Kids will not realize they are reading literature and being introduced to literary analysis as they read these entertaining, illustrated, short-form stories.

Second quarter, students will reveal the dark, dramatic, and mysterious corners of classic Gothic literature through the haunting pages of three classics. Meet the fiercely independent Jane as she uncovers chilling secrets at Thornfield Hall in Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte); descend into madness, guilt, and terror in the twisted tales of The Best of Poe (Edgar Allan Poe); and face the cunning, bloodthirsty Count in Bram Stoker's Dracula, where shadows, superstition, and suspense tantalize readers.

Through colorful, dramatic graphics and an approachable conversational tone, graphic novels show kids that literature can be enthralling! Each quarter will begin with an overview of the graphic novel genre including vocabulary unique to the illustrations and format (panels, speech bubbles, etc.) by looking at several other examples of graphic novels. Each week, students will read a portion of a graphic novel at home from the Saddleback Educational Publishing Graphic, Illustrated Classics Series.

In class, literary elements and character analysis will be discussed. Extension activities such as reading, listening, or watching excerpts of other tellings of the same tale will take place in class. Students will think they are talking about cool, comic-style books, but the facilitated class discussion will introduce kids to classic works of literature and perhaps interest them to later read the complete novel.

Students are expected to read approximately one half of one graphic novel (25-30 pages) per week which they may read individually or read aloud with their families. These novels are generally considered at the ages 8-12 reading level.

Collect all 12 (3 per quarter)! Build an illustrated classic library. Because students will need the same editions of all three graphic novels to be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, class sets of the graphic novels will be purchased for students. A supply fee of $48.00 will be due payable to Compass on or before the first day of class for 3 novels.

Topics in this series include: Frontier Favorites (Quarter 1); Spooky Spectacles (Quarter 2); Shakespeare Shorts (Quarter 3), and Literary Legends of Paris (Quarter 4).

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $182.00

Graphic History: American Adventurers (in Graphic Novels)

Quarter 2: Starts on October 29, 2025

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: None

In this class, students will learn about American History through graphic novels. Kids will not realize they are absorbing factual information and learning about history through the entertaining, illustrated, short-form novels.

Second quarter will feature American Adventurers with the biographies of Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh.

Through colorful, dramatic graphics and an approachable conversational tone, graphic novels show kids that history can be thrilling! Each quarter will begin with an overview of the graphic novel genre including vocabulary unique to the illustrations and format (panels, speech bubbles, etc.) by looking at several other examples of graphic novels. Each week, students will read a portion of a graphic novel at home from the Saddleback Educational Publishing Graphic, Graphic Biographies Series. The class will disuss the life, times, contributions and historical context of key US personalities. Extension activities will be incorporated such as reading, listening, or watching excerpts of other accounts of the same historical figures. Students will think they are talking about cool, comic-style books, but the facilitated class discussion will lay the groupwork for an understanding of US History, chronology, and critical thinking skills.

Students are expected to read approximately one half of one graphic history novel (25-30 pages) per week which they may read individually or read aloud with their families. These novels are generally considered at an ages 8-12 reading level.

Build a graphic history library. Collect all 16 (4 per quarter)! Because students will need the same editions of all four graphic novels to be able to refer to the same passages and page numbers, class sets of the graphic novels will be pre-purchased for students. A supply fee of $54.00 will be due payable to Compass on or before the first day of class for three novels.

Topics in this series include: Presidents (Quarter 1), Adventurers (Quarter 2), Inventors (Quarter 3) and Influencers (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $182.00

Graphic History: American Influencers (in Graphic Novels)

Quarter 4: Starts on March 18, 2026

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: None

In this class, students will learn about American History through graphic novels. Kids will not realize they are absorbing factual information and learning about history through the entertaining, illustrated, short-form novels.

Fourth quarter will feature American Influencers from sports and entertainment with the biographies of Walt Disney, Martin Luther King Jr., Babe Ruth, and Elvis Presley.

Through colorful, dramatic graphics and an approachable conversational tone, graphic novels show kids that history can be thrilling! Each quarter will begin with an overview of the graphic novel genre including vocabulary unique to the illustrations and format (panels, speech bubbles, etc.) by looking at several other examples of graphic novels. Each week, students will read a portion of a graphic novel at home from the Saddleback Educational Publishing Graphic, Graphic Biographies Series. The class will disuss the life, times, contributions and historical context of key US personalities. Extension activities will be incorporated such as reading, listening, or watching excerpts of other accounts of the same historical figures. Students will think they are talking about cool, comic-style books, but the facilitated class discussion will lay the groupwork for an understanding of US History, chronology, and critical thinking skills.

Students are expected to read approximately one half of one graphic history novel (25-30 pages) per week which they may read individually or read aloud with their families. These novels are generally considered at an ages 8-12 reading level.

Build a graphic history library. Collect all 16 (4 per quarter)! Because students will need the same editions of all four graphic novels to be able to refer to the same passages and page numbers, class sets of the graphic novels will be pre-purchased for students. A supply fee of $54.00 will be due payable to Compass on or before the first day of class for three novels.

Topics in this series include: Presidents (Quarter 1), Adventurers (Quarter 2), Inventors (Quarter 3) and Influencers (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $208.00

Graphic History: American Inventors (in Graphic Novels)

Quarter 3: Starts on January 24, 2026

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: None

In this class, students will learn about American History through graphic novels. Kids will not realize they are absorbing factual information and learning about history through the entertaining, illustrated, short-form novels.

Third quarter will feature American Inventors with the biographies of Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, and Albert Einstein.

Through colorful, dramatic graphics and an approachable conversational tone, graphic novels show kids that history can be thrilling! Each quarter will begin with an overview of the graphic novel genre including vocabulary unique to the illustrations and format (panels, speech bubbles, etc.) by looking at several other examples of graphic novels. Each week, students will read a portion of a graphic novel at home from the Saddleback Educational Publishing Graphic, Graphic Biographies Series. The class will disuss the life, times, contributions and historical context of key US personalities. Extension activities will be incorporated such as reading, listening, or watching excerpts of other accounts of the same historical figures. Students will think they are talking about cool, comic-style books, but the facilitated class discussion will lay the groupwork for an understanding of US History, chronology, and critical thinking skills.

Students are expected to read approximately one half of one graphic history novel (25-30 pages) per week which they may read individually or read aloud with their families. These novels are generally considered at an ages 8-12 reading level.

Build a graphic history library. Collect all 16 (4 per quarter)! Because students will need the same editions of all four graphic novels to be able to refer to the same passages and page numbers, class sets of the graphic novels will be pre-purchased for students. A supply fee of $54.00 will be due payable to Compass on or before the first day of class for three novels.

Topics in this series include: Presidents (Quarter 1), Adventurers (Quarter 2), Inventors (Quarter 3) and Influencers (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $208.00

Graphic History: American Presidents (in Graphic Novels)

Quarter 1: Starts on September 10, 2025

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: None

In this class, students will learn about American History through graphic novels. Kids will not realize they are absorbing factual information and learning about history through the entertaining, illustrated, short-form novels.

First quarter will feature American Presidents with the biographies of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt.

Through colorful, dramatic graphics and an approachable conversational tone, graphic novels show kids that history can be thrilling! Each quarter will begin with an overview of the graphic novel genre including vocabulary unique to the illustrations and format (panels, speech bubbles, etc.) by looking at several other examples of graphic novels. Each week, students will read a portion of a graphic novel at home from the Saddleback Educational Publishing Graphic, Graphic Biographies Series. The class will disuss the life, times, contributions and historical context of key US personalities. Extension activities will be incorporated such as reading, listening, or watching excerpts of other accounts of the same historical figures. Students will think they are talking about cool, comic-style books, but the facilitated class discussion will lay the groupwork for an understanding of US History, chronology, and critical thinking skills.

Students are expected to read approximately one half of one graphic history novel (25-30 pages) per week which they may read individually or read aloud with their families. These novels are generally considered at an ages 8-12 reading level.

Build a graphic history library. Collect all 16 (4 per quarter)! Because students will need the same editions of all four graphic novels to be able to refer to the same passages and page numbers, class sets of the graphic novels will be pre-purchased for students. A supply fee of $54.00 will be due payable to Compass on or before the first day of class for three novels.

Topics in this series include: Presidents (Quarter 1), Adventurers (Quarter 2), Inventors (Quarter 3) and Influencers (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $182.00

Literature Roundtable: Gothic Literature

Quarter 3,4: Starts on January 25, 2026

Class Time: 12:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 9th-12th

Prerequisites: None

Roundtable is a seminar-style literature analysis and discussion class for high school students. Instead of a broad, general survey of literature, Roundtable students will examine a focused, "special topic" in literature through critical evaluation and rich discussion. Written works will be selected for their contribution to a specific genre and their influence on society.

Second semester, the class will examine the genre of Gothic fiction with a critical eye on what elements are found in all gothic works. The class will examine the roles of horror, mystery, supernatural, and romance, often set in dark, eerie, or decaying locations through the study of works such as:
-The Vampyre, by John Polidori
-The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
-Tales and Poems, by Edgar Allan Poe
-Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen
-The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux
-The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James

For this course, students should be engaged readers who come to class prepared to participate in intellectual discussion. Students are also expected to take part in weekly class discussions by sharing their reflections and reactions to the readings and drawing conclusions and comparisons with other works. For each novel, the instructor will provide a guide with thoughtful questions and prompts on the reading that students must come to class prepared to discuss with textual evidence. The course instructor will serve as a facilitator-moderator to lead Socratic, "roundtable" discussions in addition to other in-class activities, such as partner and small group work, to further the class's understanding of the literature. This course will focus on comprehension and analysis through discussion rather than composition. Students will be assigned creative, short assignments to enhance and demonstrate their understanding of each novel such as rewriting a scene, imagining a conversation between characters from different books, developing a prequel or sequel scene, writing a review, etc.

When discussing written works, students will be expected to give textual references such as specific quotes and examples- a higher-order high school and college-level skill that will be needed in later courses which require written analysis of literature. A key skill that will be taught in this class is how to annotate texts. Students will begin by examining samples of the instructor's own annotated novels then move to annotating the first short story in class as a group. For each novel, students will be given specific details to search for and annotate such as major plot points, character traits, interesting word choice, setting details, quotations, or questions. Later, students will be prepared to annotate automatically as they read with their own questions and reactions, a skill that can also be applied to the readings in other courses.

Topics in this Series: Science Fiction (Semester 1) and the Gothic Literator (Semester 2). Continuing students from first semester receive priority pre-registration for second semester.

Prerequisites: Students should be able to read and comprehend at a minimum 9th grade level for this course. Per Compass guidelines, accelerated 8th grade students may register for this course, however, in addition to the 9th+ grade reading level, they must possess the maturity to handle high school level topics and more mature discussion.

Workload: Students should expect to read approximately 100 pages per week. For students who have challenges with reading, audio books may be used, but students should still be prepared to follow along and annotate in the physical novel.

Assignments: Weekly assignments will be posted in the Google classroom management system. Students will need their own e-mail addresses to access the system, and parents may be set up as additional "observers" to their teen's Google Classroom.

Assessments: Points will be assigned for preparation, participation, and short assignments, and parents may use the total points earned to calculate a grade.

Textbook/Materials: Because students will need clean, inexpensive copies of each novel to mark in, and because they must be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, a "class bundle" of mass market paperbacks will be pre-purchased for students. (See Supply Fee below).

Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $59.00 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for the class book bundle.
What to Bring: Students should bring the current novel, paper, pen or pencil and highlighter to class each week. Some students may wish to bring paper clips, adhesive flags or post-it notes for marking pages.

Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component (partial) credit in English for purposes of a high school transcript. For a full credit in English, families would need to "bundle" this course with additional coursework in composition.

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $356.00

Literature Roundtable: Science Fiction

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 11, 2025

Class Time: 12:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 9th-12th

Prerequisites: None

Roundtable is a seminar-style literature analysis and discussion class for high school students. Instead of a broad, general survey of literature, Roundtable students will examine a focused, "special topic" in literature through critical evaluation and rich discussion. Written works will be selected for their contribution to a specific genre and their influence on society.

First semester, the class will examine the genre of science fiction with a critical eye on what elements are found in all sci-fit fiction works. The class will examine the role of imaginative and futuristic concepts, advanced technology, space exploration, time travel, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life through a study of works such as:

-Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
-Citizen of the Galaxy, by Robert Heinlein
-I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
-A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller Jr.
-The Warrior's Apprentice, by Lois McMaster Bujold
-Genre-aligned short fiction

For this course, students should be engaged readers who come to class prepared to participate in intellectual discussion. Students are also expected to take part in weekly class discussions by sharing their reflections and reactions to the readings and drawing conclusions and comparisons with other works. For each novel, the instructor will provide a guide with thoughtful questions and prompts on the reading that students must come to class prepared to discuss with textual evidence. The course instructor will serve as a facilitator-moderator to lead Socratic, "roundtable" discussions in addition to other in-class activities, such as partner and small group work, to further the class's understanding of the literature. This course will focus on comprehension and analysis through discussion rather than composition. Students will be assigned creative, short assignments to enhance and demonstrate their understanding of each novel such as rewriting a scene, imagining a conversation between characters from different books, developing a prequel or sequel scene, writing a review, etc.

When discussing written works, students will be expected to give textual references such as specific quotes and examples- a higher-order high school and college-level skill that will be needed in later courses which require written analysis of literature. A key skill that will be taught in this class is how to annotate texts. Students will begin by examining samples of the instructor's own annotated novels then move to annotating the first short story in class as a group. For each novel, students will be given specific details to search for and annotate such as major plot points, character traits, interesting word choice, setting details, quotations, or questions. Later, students will be prepared to annotate automatically as they read with their own questions and reactions, a skill that can also be applied to the readings in other courses.

Topics in this Series: Science Fiction (Semester 1) and the Gothic Literator (Semester 2). Continuing students from first semester receive priority pre-registration for second semester.

Prerequisites: Students should be able to read and comprehend at a minimum 9th grade level for this course. Per Compass guidelines, accelerated 8th grade students may register for this course, however, in addition to the 9th+ grade reading level, they must possess the maturity to handle high school level topics and more mature discussion.

Workload: Students should expect to read approximately 100 pages per week. For students who have challenges with reading, audio books may be used, but students should still be prepared to follow along and annotate in the physical novel.

Assignments: Weekly assignments will be posted in the Google classroom management system. Students will need their own e-mail addresses to access the system, and parents may be set up as additional "observers" to their teen's Google Classroom.

Assessments: Points will be assigned for preparation, participation, and short assignments, and parents may use the total points earned to calculate a grade.

Textbook/Materials: Because students will need clean, inexpensive copies of each novel to mark in, and because they must be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, a "class bundle" of mass market paperbacks will be pre-purchased for students. (See Supply Fee below).

Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $80.00 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for the class book bundle.

What to Bring: Students should bring the current novel, paper, pen or pencil and highlighter to class each week. Some students may wish to bring paper clips, adhesive flags or post-it notes for marking pages.

Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component (partial) credit in English for purposes of a high school transcript. For a full credit in English, families would need to "bundle" this course with additional coursework in composition.

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $312.00

Marvelous Myths and Mythical Marvels: Heroes

Quarter 1: Starts on September 10, 2025

Class Time: 1:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 7th-8th

Prerequisites: None

Explore the world of gargantuan gods, humble heroes, and malevolent monsters! Mythology is the birthplace of some of the most entertaining and incredible cultural stories ever written. Some ancient myths even have plots that rival today's comics and blockbuster movies. Many myths still have millennia-old appeal because of their timeless tales of good versus evil, life and death, creation and the afterlife. This class explores the origins of early mythology, from the Egyptians to the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Aztecs, and more through epics, plays and poetry. Readers will explore the realm of mythology through short stories, class discussion, analyses, extension activities and projects that will boost compehension and the understanding of myths as the basis for many other forms of modern media. Students will enjoy reading and discussing battles, romance, treachery, larger than life heroes and characters, intricate gods and goddesses, and all sorts of fantastical creatures!

First quarter, the class will explore Hero Myths, the exciting classic tales of trial and triumph that inspired many modern adventure stories. As examples, students will read about the journeys of Theseus, who defeated the Minotaur in the Labyrinth and navigated various challenges to become king and Hercules, who accomplished heroic feats, battled mythical creatures, and struggled against curses to eventually ascend Olympus as a god. They will also consider the tale of King Arthur, the legendary British king aided by his Knights of the Round Table and their quests for the Holy Grail.

For this class, students need to be on-grade-level for reading. Topics in this series include: Heroes (Quarter 1); Origins (Quarter 2); Monsters (Quarter 3); Transformations (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $182.00

Marvelous Myths and Mythical Marvels: Monsters

Quarter 3: Starts on January 24, 2026

Class Time: 1:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 7th-8th

Prerequisites: None

Explore the world of gargantuan gods, humble heroes, and malevolent monsters! Mythology is the birthplace of some of the most entertaining and incredible cultural stories ever written. Some ancient myths even have plots that rival today's comics and blockbuster movies. Many myths still have millennia-old appeal because of their timeless tales of good versus evil, life and death, creation and the afterlife. This class explores the origins of early mythology, from the Egyptians to the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Aztecs, and more through epics, plays and poetry. Readers will explore the realm of mythology through short stories, class discussion, analyses, extension activities and projects that will boost comprehension and the understanding of myths as the basis for many other forms of modern media. Students will enjoy reading and discussing battles, romance, treachery, larger than life heroes and characters, intricate gods and goddesses, and all sorts of fantastical creatures!

Third quarter, the class will explore Monster Myths featuring the legendary creatures who wreaked havoc on society and the heroes who defeated them. As examples, the class will read about the great Anglo-Saxon warrior Beowulf who battled and defeated a trio of monsters: the vicious Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a dragon. They will read about the decade-long voyage of Odysseus who fought off monsters such as the Cyclops, the witch Circe, and the sea monster Scylla. Finally, students will unravel the tale of Orestes who faced the monstrous Furies, vengeful spirits of the underworld.

For this class, students need to be on-grade-level for reading. Topics in this series include: Heroes (Quarter 1); Origins (Quarter 2); Monsters (Quarter 3); Transformations (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $208.00

Marvelous Myths and Mythical Marvels: Origins

Quarter 2: Starts on October 29, 2025

Class Time: 1:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 7th-8th

Prerequisites: None

Explore the world of gargantuan gods, humble heroes, and malevolent monsters! Mythology is the birthplace of some of the most entertaining and incredible cultural stories ever written. Some ancient myths even have plots that rival today's comics and blockbuster movies. Many myths still have millennia-old appeal because of their timeless tales of good versus evil, life and death, creation and the afterlife. This class explores the origins of early mythology, from the Egyptians to the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Aztecs, and more through epics, plays and poetry. Readers will explore the realm of mythology through short stories, class discussion, analyses, extension activities and projects that will boost comprehension and the understanding of myths as the basis for many other forms of modern media. Students will enjoy reading and discussing battles, romance, treachery, larger than life heroes and characters, intricate gods and goddesses, and all sorts of fantastical creatures!

Second quarter, the class will examine Origin Myths, the pivotal cultural tales that explain why things are the way they are. As examples, students will learn how the tale of Persephone and Hades explained the change of seasons and how spiders came to spin webs after the hubris of Arachne the weaver. They will read the story of star-crossed lovers Pyramus and Thisbe, and how a miscommunication inspired the play, "Romeo and Juliet" and caused mulberry trees thereafter to produce red fruit.

For this class, students need to be on-grade-level for reading. Topics in this series include: Heroes (Quarter 1); Origins (Quarter 2); Monsters (Quarter 3); Transformations (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $182.00

Marvelous Myths and Mythical Marvels: Transformations

Quarter 4: Starts on March 18, 2026

Class Time: 1:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 7th-8th

Prerequisites: None

Explore the world of gargantuan gods, humble heroes, and malevolent monsters! Mythology is the birthplace of some of the most entertaining and incredible cultural stories ever written. Some ancient myths even have plots that rival today's comics and blockbuster movies. Many myths still have millennia-old appeal because of their timeless tales of good versus evil, life and death, creation and the afterlife. This class explores the origins of early mythology, from the Egyptians to the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Aztecs, and more through epics, plays and poetry. Readers will explore the realm of mythology through short stories, class discussion, analyses, extension activities and projects that will boost comprehension and the understanding of myths as the basis for many other forms of modern media. Students will enjoy reading and discussing battles, romance, treachery, larger than life heroes and characters, intricate gods and goddesses, and all sorts of fantastical creatures!

Fourth quarter, the class will explore Transformation Myths which tell how a person or thing was physically or spiritually transformed or redeemed. The class will read about the vengeful enchantress who turned Odysseus' men into swine and Medusa whose stare could turn people to stone. They will discover the forces that allowed a sculpture by Pygmalion to come to life, and how Narcissus's self-obsession turned him into a flower.

For this class, students need to be on-grade-level for reading. Topics in this series include: Heroes (Quarter 1); Origins (Quarter 2); Monsters (Quarter 3); Transformations (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $208.00

Reading Rally: Blue Group 1 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 8, 2025

Class Time: 12:30 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 3rd-4th

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rally: Blue Group 2 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 10, 2025

Class Time: 12:30 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 3rd-4th

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rally: Complete Language Arts (All Levels) Summer Term

Quarter Summer: Starts on June 2, 2025

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherine Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 1st-8th

Prerequisites: Skills Inventory

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each Monday class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for a second, weekly class meeting on Fridays or 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning.

Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $70 - $180 is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $539.00

Reading Rally: Green Group 1 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 8, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 2nd-3rd

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rally: Green Group 2 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 10, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 2nd-3rd

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rally: Lt Green Group, Part 1 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 8, 2025

Class Time: 2:30 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rally: Lt Green Group, Part 2 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 10, 2025

Class Time: 2:30 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rally: Navy, Part 1 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 11, 2025

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 6th-7th

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rally: Navy, Part 2 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 11, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 6th-7th

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rally: Purple, Part 1 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 11, 2025

Class Time: 12:30 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 7th-8th

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rally: Purple, Part 2 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 11, 2025

Class Time: 1:30 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 7th-8th

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rally: Red Group 1 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 8, 2025

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 1st-2nd

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rally: Red Group 2 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 10, 2025

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 1st-2nd

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rally: Silver Group, Part 1 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 8, 2025

Class Time: 1:30 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 4th-5th

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rally: Silver Group, Part 2 (Sem 1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 10, 2025

Class Time: 1:30 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Catherne Vanlandingham

Grade Range: 4th-5th

Prerequisites: Language Arts Skills Inventory for new students

Reading and writing affect a student's achievement in all aspects of schoolwork, so strong language arts skills are fundamental to success in homeschooling and beyond. This weekly class is a small group of 3-6 students* who read and write at a similar level. Students follow a comprehensive language arts curriculum under the guidance of an experienced reading specialist. Each class meeting will include a short story with select vocabulary words, a graphic organizer, main themes, and embedded learning objectives. Students will continue to practice language arts skills at home with easy-to-implement "page a day" workbook activities assigned by the instructor and implemented by the parents. For most early elementary learners, enrollment in Reading Rally can serve as a complete, self-contained language arts curriculum where families will not need additional resources in reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar.

Weekly readings are organized around thematic units. The instructor will teach students how to approach a new story as a fun reading puzzle. For example, before reading aloud in class, students will conduct a "picture walk" to overview and predict elements of the story from the illustrations, review a graphic organizer to assist in writing sentences, define vocabulary words, and preview summary questions. Then, the instructor will read the story aloud, model good reading practices, and encourage students to read. Students will only be asked to read aloud when they feel comfortable and have built trust in their group. All follow-up activities are designed around learning objectives such as decoding, comprehension, prediction, visualization, and verbalization.

READINESS: As a comprehensive language arts curriculum, a student must be at a similar grade level ability in reading, comprehension, and writing. Early readers who have not learned to write, for example, or emerging readers who struggle with comprehenion, may not be a good fit for this class. In addition, students must have the hand-eye coordination and basic handwriting skills to be able to copy the instructor's many notes, examples, and definitions from the classroom white board into their own notebook.

Grade level references in Reading Rally are based on scope, sequence and pacing that correlate to the Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) standards of learning. Students who are more than one year behind in GLE in language arts or who have a difference in skill level between their reading and writing may be recommended for 1-on-1 private instruction to make up ground in reading or writing skills. Additional class meetings or private instruction will be an additional cost.

ATTENTION! (1) Parents should not register for a Reading Rally class until they have had a Language Arts Skills Inventory (i.e. brief assessment) and placement determination by the reading specialist. This must be scheduled separately through Compass at a cost of $125.00. The fee is due prior to the assessment and is not refundable in the event the child is not recommended for a reading group. (2) Parents should not assume a specific reading section until the student has been evaluated. Reading skill levels are not interchangeable, and refunds will not be issued if you do not "get" the level you prefer. It is recommended you get your reading group assignment before scheduling other classes. (3) The instructor has experience working with reluctant and fearful readers, those who are late bloomers, neurodivergent, dyslexic, and ESOL students. However, she might recommend a more complete evaluation by another professional if she suspects other learning differences are impacting the student's langauge arts learning. (4) Pricing is based a minimum 3 students in a level. In the event only 2 students are assigned to one level, the family will be asked to pay the upcharge to a 2-person semi-private class. (3) Students will work from a spiral bound copy of reading textbook and workbook by Pearson. A class fee of $60-$120 (varies by reading level) is due payable to Compass for the required books.

Students continuing from one semester to the next will receive priority registration to remain with their reading group.

3 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $629.00

Reading Rangers (Q1)

Quarter 1: Starts on September 11, 2025

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration:

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: 1st-2nd

Prerequisites: None

Reading Rangers is a supplemental reading class for beginning readers. The class is whole language inspired with phonics and decoding games, partner reading, and vocabulary lists for home. The group will explore habits of curious readers through the examination of renowned children's picture story books from authors such as Leo Lionni, Robert McCloskey, Eric Carle, AA Milne, Michael Bond, Janell Cannon, Mem Fox, Hans Christian Andersen, Aesop, the Brothers Grimm, and others. Other books will also be selected based on the interests and level of the enrolled children. The class will discuss characters, setting, sequence of events, and predict outcomes. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new books will be introduced each session, and stories will not be repeated.

Note: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of reading with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and daily reading practice.

Reading/Skills Readiness: Students should be able to read Level 1 books such as Frog & Toad and Little Bear. (In other words, students in this group should have progressed beyond Bob-type books.) Students should be able to read the following sight words: all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, day, did, do, eat, four, get, go, good, have, he, in, into, is, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, the, there, they, this, to, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes.

4 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $161.00

Reading Rangers (Q2)

Quarter 2: Starts on October 30, 2025

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: 1st-2nd

Prerequisites: None

Reading Rangers is a supplemental reading class for beginning readers. The class is whole language inspired with phonics and decoding games, partner reading, and vocabulary lists for home. The group will explore habits of curious readers through the examination of renowned children's picture story books from authors such as Leo Lionni, Robert McCloskey, Eric Carle, AA Milne, Michael Bond, Janell Cannon, Mem Fox, Hans Christian Andersen, Aesop, the Brothers Grimm, and others. Other books will also be selected based on the interests and level of the enrolled children. The class will discuss characters, setting, sequence of events, and predict outcomes. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new books will be introduced each session, and stories will not be repeated.

Note: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of reading with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and daily reading practice.

Reading/Skills Readiness: Students should be able to read Level 1 books such as Frog & Toad and Little Bear. (In other words, students in this group should have progressed beyond Bob-type books.) Students should be able to read the following sight words: all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, day, did, do, eat, four, get, go, good, have, he, in, into, is, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, the, there, they, this, to, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes.

4 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $161.00

Reading Rangers (Q3)

Quarter 3: Starts on January 25, 2026

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: 1st-2nd

Prerequisites: None

Reading Rangers is a supplemental reading class for beginning readers. The class is whole language inspired with phonics and decoding games, partner reading, and vocabulary lists for home. The group will explore habits of curious readers through the examination of renowned children's picture story books from authors such as Leo Lionni, Robert McCloskey, Eric Carle, AA Milne, Michael Bond, Janell Cannon, Mem Fox, Hans Christian Andersen, Aesop, the Brothers Grimm, and others. Other books will also be selected based on the interests and level of the enrolled children. The class will discuss characters, setting, sequence of events, and predict outcomes. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new books will be introduced each session, and stories will not be repeated.

Note: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of reading with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and daily reading practice.

Reading/Skills Readiness: Students should be able to read Level 1 books such as Frog & Toad and Little Bear. (In other words, students in this group should have progressed beyond Bob-type books.) Students should be able to read the following sight words: all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, day, did, do, eat, four, get, go, good, have, he, in, into, is, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, the, there, they, this, to, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes.

4 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $184.00

Reading Rangers (Q4)

Quarter 4: Starts on March 19, 2026

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: 1st-2nd

Prerequisites: None

Reading Rangers is a supplemental reading class for beginning readers. The class is whole language inspired with phonics and decoding games, partner reading, and vocabulary lists for home. The group will explore habits of curious readers through the examination of renowned children's picture story books from authors such as Leo Lionni, Robert McCloskey, Eric Carle, AA Milne, Michael Bond, Janell Cannon, Mem Fox, Hans Christian Andersen, Aesop, the Brothers Grimm, and others. Other books will also be selected based on the interests and level of the enrolled children. The class will discuss characters, setting, sequence of events, and predict outcomes. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new books will be introduced each session, and stories will not be repeated.

Note: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of reading with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and daily reading practice.

Reading/Skills Readiness: Students should be able to read Level 1 books such as Frog & Toad and Little Bear. (In other words, students in this group should have progressed beyond Bob-type books.) Students should be able to read the following sight words: all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, day, did, do, eat, four, get, go, good, have, he, in, into, is, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, the, there, they, this, to, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes.

4 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $184.00

Rhetoric and Reasoning through Written Works: A Course in Critical Thinking

Quarter 1,2,3,4: Starts on September 11, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 9th-12th

Prerequisites: None

According to Aristotle, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." In this year-long course, high school students will practice strategies to improve their reading comprehension for deeper understanding through critical thinking. They will also improve their ability to argue and persuade in writing.
Using texts on argumentation and rhetoric by Ward Farnsworth, students will learn how to read carefully, define terms, spot logical fallacies, and construct clear, logically compelling, persuasive arguments. The class will be introduced to terminology and techniques in the formal disciplines of logic and rhetoric.

In the first semester, the class will focus on internal skills: how to understand and evaluate arguments according to logical reasoning and critical thinking. In the second semester, the group will focus on external skills: how to build and communicate arguments that are both compelling and persuasive.

Class reading selections will include selections from Farnsworth's books Classical English Argument and Classical English Rhetoric, as well as selections from famous speeches. The class may draw from history, literature, law, political theory, religion, contemporary topics, and comparative worldviews.

Prerequisites: Students must read at grade level for this course.

Textbooks: Students should purchase or rent Farnsworth's Classical English Rhetoric by Ward Farnsworth (ISBN: 978-1567923858) and Farnsworth's Classical English Argument by Ward Farnsworth (ISBN: 978-1567927986)

Workload: Students should expect to spend 3 hours per week outside of class. Reading assignments will not be especially long, but students will be expected to read thoroughly and carefully.

Assignments: Will be posted on a Google Classroom site for students and parents to access.

Assessments: Papers and assignments will be evaluated and scored which are treated as grade recommendations to parents.

Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as full credit in English for purposes of a high school transcript.

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $668.00

Secret Pages Society (Elem. Book Club): Dreams

Quarter 1: Starts on September 10, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 4th-6th

Prerequisites: None

Secret Pages Society is a facilitated book club just for elementary readers who want to embark on the adventure of reading and the camaraderie and community of a continuing club. Inspired by highlights from Hogwarts, members of the group may decide to design a club crest, establish leadership roles like club chronicler and treasurer (to manage Compass cash and a treasure chest), and sort themselves into "houses" by interests. Class members will shape the rules and readings for the club!

Each quarter, the Society will read one book that is teacher's choice and a second book that the members select as a group from a list curated by the instructor and nominated by members. Members must read assigned chapters from their books at home, either as individual silent reading, read-aloud with parents' support, or listening to an audiobook edition. Readers will be encouraged to take notes on key passages or questions. All books are selected from among Newbery Medalists and Honor Books, Caldecott Medal books, and proven classics of children's fiction.

Club members will read high-quality, age-appropriate literature and expand their understanding of what they read through book discussion and hands-on extension activities. They will be encouraged to interact with the story and each other through activities such as acting out or illustrating favorite scenes, discussing and writing alternate endings, prequels, origin or spinoff stories, researching specific aspects of the story, or dressing as favorite characters. Through guided club discussion, the group will be exposed to beginning literary analysis in a fun, interactive setting by discussing plot, theme, characters, setting, genre, writing style, and artistry using specific examples from the story. They will learn to analyze characters, their actions and motives, respond to hypothetical questions, make predictions, and answer prompts using examples from the book.

Textbook/Materials: Because students will need clean, inexpensive copies of each novel to mark in, and because they must be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, copies of mass market paperbacks will be pre-purchased for students for the first book. (See Supply Fee below). Parents will be responsible for buying or checking-out a copy of the second book, once selected.

Supply Fee: A class fee of $14.00 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for Book 1.

Topics in this Series and teacher's choice books include: -Dreams: Haroun and the Sea of Stories by xxxx (Quarter 1); Spooky Spectacles-
-Time Travel: Tom's Midnight Garden by xxxx (Quarter 2);
-Mysteries: The Mysterious Benedict Society by xxxxx (Quarter 3)
- Undercover: Faker by Gordon Korman (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $182.00

Secret Pages Society (Elem. Book Club): Mysteries

Quarter 3: Starts on January 24, 2026

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 4th-6th

Prerequisites: None

Secret Pages Society is a facilitated book club just for elementary readers who want to embark on the adventure of reading and the camaraderie and community of a continuing club. Inspired by highlights from Hogwarts, members of the group may decide to design a club crest, establish leadership roles like club chronicler and treasurer (to manage Compass cash and a treasure chest), and sort themselves into "houses" by interests. Class members will shape the rules and readings for the club!

Each quarter, the Society will read one book that is teacher's choice and a second book that the members select as a group from a list curated by the instructor and nominated by members. Members must read assigned chapters from their books at home, either as individual silent reading, read-aloud with parents' support, or listening to an audiobook edition. Readers will be encouraged to take notes on key passages or questions. All books are selected from among Newbery Medalists and Honor Books, Caldecott Medal books, and proven classics of children's fiction.

Club members will read high-quality, age-appropriate literature and expand their understanding of what they read through book discussion and hands-on extension activities. They will be encouraged to interact with the story and each other through activities such as acting out or illustrating favorite scenes, discussing and writing alternate endings, prequels, origin or spinoff stories, researching specific aspects of the story, or dressing as favorite characters. Through guided club discussion, the group will be exposed to beginning literary analysis in a fun, interactive setting by discussing plot, theme, characters, setting, genre, writing style, and artistry using specific examples from the story. They will learn to analyze characters, their actions and motives, respond to hypothetical questions, make predictions, and answer prompts using examples from the book.

Textbook/Materials: Because students will need clean, inexpensive copies of each novel to mark in, and because they must be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, copies of mass market paperbacks will be pre-purchased for students for the first book. (See Supply Fee below). Parents will be responsible for buying or checking-out a copy of the second book, once selected.

Supply Fee: A class fee of $9.00 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for Book 1.

Topics in this Series and teacher's choice books include: -Dreams: Haroun and the Sea of Stories by xxxx (Quarter 1); Spooky Spectacles-
-Time Travel: Tom's Midnight Garden by xxxx (Quarter 2);
-Mysteries: The Mysterious Benedict Society by xxxxx (Quarter 3)
- Undercover: Faker by Gordon Korman (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $208.00

Secret Pages Society (Elem. Book Club): Time Travel

Quarter 2: Starts on October 29, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 4th-6th

Prerequisites: None

Secret Pages Society is a facilitated book club just for elementary readers who want to embark on the adventure of reading and the camaraderie and community of a continuing club. Inspired by highlights from Hogwarts, members of the group may decide to design a club crest, establish leadership roles like club chronicler and treasurer (to manage Compass cash and a treasure chest), and sort themselves into "houses" by interests. Class members will shape the rules and readings for the club!

Each quarter, the Society will read one book that is teacher's choice and a second book that the members select as a group from a list curated by the instructor and nominated by members. Members must read assigned chapters from their books at home, either as individual silent reading, read-aloud with parents' support, or listening to an audiobook edition. Readers will be encouraged to take notes on key passages or questions. All books are selected from among Newbery Medalists and Honor Books, Caldecott Medal books, and proven classics of children's fiction.

Club members will read high-quality, age-appropriate literature and expand their understanding of what they read through book discussion and hands-on extension activities. They will be encouraged to interact with the story and each other through activities such as acting out or illustrating favorite scenes, discussing and writing alternate endings, prequels, origin or spinoff stories, researching specific aspects of the story, or dressing as favorite characters. Through guided club discussion, the group will be exposed to beginning literary analysis in a fun, interactive setting by discussing plot, theme, characters, setting, genre, writing style, and artistry using specific examples from the story. They will learn to analyze characters, their actions and motives, respond to hypothetical questions, make predictions, and answer prompts using examples from the book.

Textbook/Materials: Because students will need clean, inexpensive copies of each novel to mark in, and because they must be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, copies of mass market paperbacks will be pre-purchased for students for the first book. (See Supply Fee below). Parents will be responsible for buying or checking-out a copy of the second book, once selected.

Supply Fee: A class fee of $11.00 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for Book 1.

Topics in this Series and teacher's choice books include: -Dreams: Haroun and the Sea of Stories by xxxx (Quarter 1); Spooky Spectacles-
-Time Travel: Tom's Midnight Garden by xxxx (Quarter 2);
-Mysteries: The Mysterious Benedict Society by xxxxx (Quarter 3)
- Undercover: Faker by Gordon Korman (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $182.00

Secret Pages Society (Elem. Book Club): Undercover

Quarter 4: Starts on March 18, 2026

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 4th-6th

Prerequisites: None

Secret Pages Society is a facilitated book club just for elementary readers who want to embark on the adventure of reading and the camaraderie and community of a continuing club. Inspired by highlights from Hogwarts, members of the group may decide to design a club crest, establish leadership roles like club chronicler and treasurer (to manage Compass cash and a treasure chest), and sort themselves into "houses" by interests. Class members will shape the rules and readings for the club!

Each quarter, the Society will read one book that is teacher's choice and a second book that the members select as a group from a list curated by the instructor and nominated by members. Members must read assigned chapters from their books at home, either as individual silent reading, read-aloud with parents' support, or listening to an audiobook edition. Readers will be encouraged to take notes on key passages or questions. All books are selected from among Newbery Medalists and Honor Books, Caldecott Medal books, and proven classics of children's fiction.

Club members will read high-quality, age-appropriate literature and expand their understanding of what they read through book discussion and hands-on extension activities. They will be encouraged to interact with the story and each other through activities such as acting out or illustrating favorite scenes, discussing and writing alternate endings, prequels, origin or spinoff stories, researching specific aspects of the story, or dressing as favorite characters. Through guided club discussion, the group will be exposed to beginning literary analysis in a fun, interactive setting by discussing plot, theme, characters, setting, genre, writing style, and artistry using specific examples from the story. They will learn to analyze characters, their actions and motives, respond to hypothetical questions, make predictions, and answer prompts using examples from the book.

Textbook/Materials: Because students will need clean, inexpensive copies of each novel to mark in, and because they must be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, copies of mass market paperbacks will be pre-purchased for students for the first book. (See Supply Fee below). Parents will be responsible for buying or checking-out a copy of the second book, once selected.

Supply Fee: A class fee of $24.00 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for Book 1.

Topics in this Series and teacher's choice books include: -Dreams: Haroun and the Sea of Stories by xxxx (Quarter 1); Spooky Spectacles-
-Time Travel: Tom's Midnight Garden by xxxx (Quarter 2);
-Mysteries: The Mysterious Benedict Society by xxxxx (Quarter 3)
- Undercover: Faker by Gordon Korman (Quarter 4)

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $208.00

We Wannabe Writers (Q1)

Quarter 1: Starts on September 11, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: 1st-2nd

Prerequisites: None

Wannabe Writers is a beginning writing class for first graders. Students will use creative journaling and illustrations to respond to simple writing prompts. The class will explore the use of various punctuation for simple sentences and will use new vocabulary words to express an idea. Each week, students will share their completed writing and drawings with their classmates. For this level, students must be able to read a Level 1 reader independently and possess the readiness skills outlined below. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new prompts and writing techniques will be introduced each session, and assignments will not be repeated.

Note: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of writing with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and regular writing practice.

Writing Readiness: Enrolling students must be able to (1) recognize, spell and write his/her first and last name; (2) recognize and write all upper case and lower case letters and know the corresponding sounds; (3) spell and pronounce simple blends, (4) recognize the following sight words: all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, day, did, do, eat, four, get, go, good, have, he, in, into, is, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, the, there, they, this, to, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes; (5) spell and write all 2-letter sight words unaided; (6) be familiar with simple sentence structure; and (7) hold and use a pencil correctly.

4 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $161.00

We Wannabe Writers (Q2)

Quarter 2: Starts on October 30, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: 1st-2nd

Prerequisites: None

Wannabe Writers is a beginning writing class for first graders. Students will use creative journaling and illustrations to respond to simple writing prompts. The class will explore the use of various punctuation for simple sentences and will use new vocabulary words to express an idea. Each week, students will share their completed writing and drawings with their classmates. For this level, students must be able to read a Level 1 reader independently and possess the readiness skills outlined below. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new prompts and writing techniques will be introduced each session, and assignments will not be repeated.

Note: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of writing with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and regular writing practice.

Writing Readiness: Enrolling students must be able to (1) recognize, spell and write his/her first and last name; (2) recognize and write all upper case and lower case letters and know the corresponding sounds; (3) spell and pronounce simple blends, (4) recognize the following sight words: all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, day, did, do, eat, four, get, go, good, have, he, in, into, is, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, the, there, they, this, to, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes; (5) spell and write all 2-letter sight words unaided; (6) be familiar with simple sentence structure; and (7) hold and use a pencil correctly.

4 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $161.00

We Wannabe Writers (Q3)

Quarter 3: Starts on January 25, 2026

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: 1st-2nd

Prerequisites: None

Wannabe Writers is a beginning writing class for first graders. Students will use creative journaling and illustrations to respond to simple writing prompts. The class will explore the use of various punctuation for simple sentences and will use new vocabulary words to express an idea. Each week, students will share their completed writing and drawings with their classmates. For this level, students must be able to read a Level 1 reader independently and possess the readiness skills outlined below. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new prompts and writing techniques will be introduced each session, and assignments will not be repeated.

Note: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of writing with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and regular writing practice.

Writing Readiness: Enrolling students must be able to (1) recognize, spell and write his/her first and last name; (2) recognize and write all upper case and lower case letters and know the corresponding sounds; (3) spell and pronounce simple blends, (4) recognize the following sight words: all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, day, did, do, eat, four, get, go, good, have, he, in, into, is, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, the, there, they, this, to, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes; (5) spell and write all 2-letter sight words unaided; (6) be familiar with simple sentence structure; and (7) hold and use a pencil correctly.

4 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $184.00

We Wannabe Writers (Q4)

Quarter 4: Starts on March 19, 2026

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: 1st-2nd

Prerequisites: None

Wannabe Writers is a beginning writing class for first graders. Students will use creative journaling and illustrations to respond to simple writing prompts. The class will explore the use of various punctuation for simple sentences and will use new vocabulary words to express an idea. Each week, students will share their completed writing and drawings with their classmates. For this level, students must be able to read a Level 1 reader independently and possess the readiness skills outlined below. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new prompts and writing techniques will be introduced each session, and assignments will not be repeated.

Note: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of writing with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and regular writing practice.

Writing Readiness: Enrolling students must be able to (1) recognize, spell and write his/her first and last name; (2) recognize and write all upper case and lower case letters and know the corresponding sounds; (3) spell and pronounce simple blends, (4) recognize the following sight words: all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, day, did, do, eat, four, get, go, good, have, he, in, into, is, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, the, there, they, this, to, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes; (5) spell and write all 2-letter sight words unaided; (6) be familiar with simple sentence structure; and (7) hold and use a pencil correctly.

4 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $184.00

Wee Writers (Q1)

Quarter 1: Starts on September 9, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: K-1st

Prerequisites: None

Wee Writers is a simple journaling class for emergent kindergarten writers ages 5 and 6. Beginning writers will use basic sight words and phonetics while writing about feelings and experiences. Students will learn basic sentence structure with noun-verb construction, initial capital letter, and ending punctuation. Beginning sentences such as, "I lik cak." or "I drnk wtr." would be typical of emergent writers. Students will illustrate their journal entries and have opportunities to share and discuss their writing with peers. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new writing activities will be introduced each session.

Note: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of writing with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and regular writing practice.

Writing Readiness Enrolling students must be able to (1) recognize and write his/her first name; (2) recognize and write each letter of the alphabet and know the corresponding sounds; and (3) hold and use crayons and scissors correctly.

Social Readiness: Students must be age five (5) by the start of the class. To be successful in this program, kindergartners must be able to do the following preschool-level skills: (1) be able to separate from parents with little discomfort; (2) be able to sit and stay on a task for 10 minutes; (3) be able to follow simple, age-appropriate directions from the teacher or another adult; (4) be completely self-sufficient in a public restroom (wiping, flushing, washing hands, etc.)

4 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $161.00

Wee Writers (Q2)

Quarter 2: Starts on October 28, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: K-1st

Prerequisites: None

Wee Writers is a simple journaling class for emergent kindergarten writers ages 5 and 6. Beginning writers will use basic sight words and phonetics while writing about feelings and experiences. Students will learn basic sentence structure with noun-verb construction, initial capital letter, and ending punctuation. Beginning sentences such as, "I lik cak." or "I drnk wtr." would be typical of emergent writers. Students will illustrate their journal entries and have opportunities to share and discuss their writing with peers. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new writing activities will be introduced each session.

Note: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of writing with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and regular writing practice.

Writing Readiness Enrolling students must be able to (1) recognize and write his/her first name; (2) recognize and write each letter of the alphabet and know the corresponding sounds; and (3) hold and use crayons and scissors correctly.

Social Readiness: Students must be age five (5) by the start of the class. To be successful in this program, kindergartners must be able to do the following preschool-level skills: (1) be able to separate from parents with little discomfort; (2) be able to sit and stay on a task for 10 minutes; (3) be able to follow simple, age-appropriate directions from the teacher or another adult; (4) be completely self-sufficient in a public restroom (wiping, flushing, washing hands, etc.)

4 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $161.00

Wee Writers (Q3)

Quarter 3: Starts on January 13, 2026

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: K-1st

Prerequisites: None

Wee Writers is a simple journaling class for emergent kindergarten writers ages 5 and 6. Beginning writers will use basic sight words and phonetics while writing about feelings and experiences. Students will learn basic sentence structure with noun-verb construction, initial capital letter, and ending punctuation. Beginning sentences such as, "I lik cak." or "I drnk wtr." would be typical of emergent writers. Students will illustrate their journal entries and have opportunities to share and discuss their writing with peers. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new writing activities will be introduced each session.

Note: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of writing with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and regular writing practice.

Writing Readiness Enrolling students must be able to (1) recognize and write his/her first name; (2) recognize and write each letter of the alphabet and know the corresponding sounds; and (3) hold and use crayons and scissors correctly.

Social Readiness: Students must be age five (5) by the start of the class. To be successful in this program, kindergartners must be able to do the following preschool-level skills: (1) be able to separate from parents with little discomfort; (2) be able to sit and stay on a task for 10 minutes; (3) be able to follow simple, age-appropriate directions from the teacher or another adult; (4) be completely self-sufficient in a public restroom (wiping, flushing, washing hands, etc.)

4 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $184.00

Wee Writers (Q4)

Quarter 4: Starts on March 17, 2026

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Danielle Mercadal

Grade Range: K-1st

Prerequisites: None

Wee Writers is a simple journaling class for emergent kindergarten writers ages 5 and 6. Beginning writers will use basic sight words and phonetics while writing about feelings and experiences. Students will learn basic sentence structure with noun-verb construction, initial capital letter, and ending punctuation. Beginning sentences such as, "I lik cak." or "I drnk wtr." would be typical of emergent writers. Students will illustrate their journal entries and have opportunities to share and discuss their writing with peers. Children may repeat this class each quarter as new writing activities will be introduced each session.

Note: This class is designed for students to enjoy a fun, new dimension of writing with peers and a teacher, but this will not take the place of a comprehensive language arts curriculum and regular writing practice.

Writing Readiness Enrolling students must be able to (1) recognize and write his/her first name; (2) recognize and write each letter of the alphabet and know the corresponding sounds; and (3) hold and use crayons and scissors correctly.

Social Readiness: Students must be age five (5) by the start of the class. To be successful in this program, kindergartners must be able to do the following preschool-level skills: (1) be able to separate from parents with little discomfort; (2) be able to sit and stay on a task for 10 minutes; (3) be able to follow simple, age-appropriate directions from the teacher or another adult; (4) be completely self-sufficient in a public restroom (wiping, flushing, washing hands, etc.)

4 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $184.00

Word Games: A Language Arts Olympics (Q1)

Quarter 1: Starts on September 10, 2025

Class Time: 12:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 1st-3rd

Prerequisites: None

'Simon Says' sentence structure. 'Go Fish' grammar games. Preposition 'Pictionary'. Word Games is a weekly Language Arts Olympics which uses games and active play to teach the boring stuff: the rules and definitions of language arts such as grammar, punctuation, parts of speech, spelling, vocabulary, and word roots. Kinesthetic learners will have fun with the hands-on and activity-filled adventures which introduce grade-level aspects of language arts. The class will use stories and games such as charades, puzzles like connect-the-dot and crosswords, card games, and fun, in-class challenges like 'Twister', hula hoops, hangman, and relays to reinforce the language arts rules that help young students become better readers, writers, and spellers. Every class is different, so students can take this class each quarter to continue to build their language arts toolbox.

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $182.00

Word Games: A Language Arts Olympics (Q2)

Quarter 2: Starts on October 29, 2025

Class Time: 12:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 1st-3rd

Prerequisites: None

'Simon Says' sentence structure. 'Go Fish' grammar games. Preposition 'Pictionary'. Word Games is a weekly Language Arts Olympics which uses games and active play to teach the boring stuff: the rules and definitions of language arts such as grammar, punctuation, parts of speech, spelling, vocabulary, and word roots. Kinesthetic learners will have fun with the hands-on and activity-filled adventures which introduce grade-level aspects of language arts. The class will use stories and games such as charades, puzzles like connect-the-dot and crosswords, card games, and fun, in-class challenges like 'Twister', hula hoops, hangman, and relays to reinforce the language arts rules that help young students become better readers, writers, and spellers. Every class is different, so students can take this class each quarter to continue to build their language arts toolbox.

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $182.00

Word Games: A Language Arts Olympics (Q3)

Quarter 3: Starts on January 24, 2026

Class Time: 12:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 1st-3rd

Prerequisites: None

'Simon Says' sentence structure. 'Go Fish' grammar games. Preposition 'Pictionary'. Word Games is a weekly Language Arts Olympics which uses games and active play to teach the boring stuff: the rules and definitions of language arts such as grammar, punctuation, parts of speech, spelling, vocabulary, and word roots. Kinesthetic learners will have fun with the hands-on and activity-filled adventures which introduce grade-level aspects of language arts. The class will use stories and games such as charades, puzzles like connect-the-dot and crosswords, card games, and fun, in-class challenges like 'Twister', hula hoops, hangman, and relays to reinforce the language arts rules that help young students become better readers, writers, and spellers. Every class is different, so students can take this class each quarter to continue to build their language arts toolbox.

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $208.00

Word Games: A Language Arts Olympics (Q4)

Quarter 4: Starts on March 18, 2026

Class Time: 12:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 1st-3rd

Prerequisites: None

'Simon Says' sentence structure. 'Go Fish' grammar games. Preposition 'Pictionary'. Word Games is a weekly Language Arts Olympics which uses games and active play to teach the boring stuff: the rules and definitions of language arts such as grammar, punctuation, parts of speech, spelling, vocabulary, and word roots. Kinesthetic learners will have fun with the hands-on and activity-filled adventures which introduce grade-level aspects of language arts. The class will use stories and games such as charades, puzzles like connect-the-dot and crosswords, card games, and fun, in-class challenges like 'Twister', hula hoops, hangman, and relays to reinforce the language arts rules that help young students become better readers, writers, and spellers. Every class is different, so students can take this class each quarter to continue to build their language arts toolbox.

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $208.00

Worldbuilding: Apocalyptic Worlds

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 12, 2025

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Judith Harmon

Grade Range: 8th-12th

Prerequisites: None

Students will become immersed in the imaginary worlds they construct in this unique course that encompasses elements of fiction writing, sociology, and anthropology. Worldbuilding is the foundation of speculative fiction, such as sci-fi and fantasy, role-playing games, videos, comics, and other visual media. Countless examples of Worldbuilding exist in the movies and books we consume every day such as Tolkien's Middle Earth, the many elaborate settlements of the Star Wars franchise, and the popular RPG, Dungeons and Dragons.

In this course, students will develop a fictional locale. Will it be a small village in a known place, a new planet, or an original universe? Students will be guided through an interactive, iterative process of "top-down" design of their unique world, determining broad characteristics first then then elaborating with increasing detail. Builders will make coherent and integrated decisions on geography, climate, ecology, flora, fauna, inhabitants, races, history, social customs, language, religion, origin story, powers/magic, legal system, currency, and technology. The class will read excerpts and watch clips of well-known fictional works which will provide strong examples of each of the elements.

First semester, the class will create Post-Apocalyptic worlds and answer the questions of what happened and who remained after a widespread disaster that threated the very heart of a civilization. Students, along with their instructor, will develop an in-class world as an example. They will use the lessons and exercises reviewed in class to further develop their individual world project.

Students will be expected to keep a notebook of decisions and details as they progress through designing the elements of their world. Students will have the option to purchase a discounted student subscription to World Anvil, a web-based subscription service which allows students to create maps, timelines, and other tools to organize their made-up world. Each student will be expected to make a PowerPoint presentation at the end of the semester which addresses each of the built-world elements.

Topics in this Series: Post Apocalyptic Worlds (Semester 1), Mythological Worlds (Semester 2). Students continuing from first semester will receive priority pre-registration for second semester.

Prerequisites: None

Workload: Students should expect to spend 2 hours per week outside of class.

Assignments: Will be posted in a Google Classroom and consist of weekly responses to prompts

Assessments: The instructor will assign points for a final semester presentation and completed "Creative Sparks" which are written responses to weekly prompts. Parents may use the student's earned points versus total possible points to calculate a grade for the purposes of a homeschool transcript.

Textbook/Materials: Students have the option of purchasing a discounted subscription to World Anvil (worldanvil.com) for approximately $35.00.

Lab/Supply Fee: Included

Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component (partial) credit in language arts for purposes of a high school transcript.

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $266.00

Worldbuilding: Mythological Worlds

Quarter 3,4: Starts on January 26, 2026

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Judith Harmon

Grade Range: 8th-12th

Prerequisites: None

Students will become immersed in the imaginary worlds they construct in this unique course that encompasses elements of fiction writing, sociology, and anthropology. Worldbuilding is the foundation of speculative fiction, such as sci-fi and fantasy, role-playing games, videos, comics, and other visual media. Countless examples of Worldbuilding exist in the movies and books we consume every day such as Tolkien's Middle Earth, the many elaborate settlements of the Star Wars franchise, and the popular RPG, Dungeons and Dragons.

In this course, students will develop a fictional locale. Will it be a small village in a known place, a new planet, or an original universe? Students will be guided through an interactive, iterative process of "top-down" design of their unique world, determining broad characteristics first then then elaborating with increasing detail. Builders will make coherent and integrated decisions on geography, climate, ecology, flora, fauna, inhabitants, races, history, social customs, language, religion, origin story, powers/magic, legal system, currency, and technology. The class will read excerpts and watch clips of well-known fictional works which will provide strong examples of each of the elements.

Second semester, the class will create Mythological worlds which depict imaginary civilizations that exist in magical realms such Thor and Ragnarok's Valhalla, Game of Throne's Seven Kingdoms, or Percy Jackson's intertwined Olympus and New York City, for example. Students, along with their instructor, will develop an in-class world as an example. They will use the lessons and exercises reviewed in class to further develop their individual world project.

Students will be expected to keep a notebook of decisions and details as they progress through designing the elements of their world. Students will have the option to purchase a discounted student subscription to World Anvil, a web-based subscription service which allows students to create maps, timelines, and other tools to organize their made-up world. Each student will be expected to make a PowerPoint presentation at the end of the semester which addresses each of the built-world elements.

Topics in this Series: Post Apocalyptic Worlds (Semester 1), Mythological Worlds (Semester 2). Students continuing from first semester will receive priority pre-registration for second semester.

Prerequisites: None

Workload: Students should expect to spend 2 hours per week outside of class.

Assignments: Will be posted in a Google Classroom and consist of weekly responses to prompts

Assessments: The instructor will assign points for a final semester presentation and completed "Creative Sparks" which are written responses to weekly prompts. Parents may use the student's earned points versus total possible points to calculate a grade for the purposes of a homeschool transcript.

Textbook/Materials: Students have the option of purchasing a discounted subscription to World Anvil (worldanvil.com) for approximately $35.00.

Lab/Supply Fee: Included

Non-Meeting Days: None.

Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a component (partial) credit in language arts for purposes of a high school transcript.

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $303.00

Write to the Point: Essays & Short Stories

Quarter 3,4: Starts on January 25, 2026

Class Time: 2:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 7th-8th

Prerequisites: None

Write to the Point is a comprehensive, middle school-level writing class that will prepare 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students for high school level composition. The class will practice the fundamentals of composition through weekly writing assignments that encompass a variety of writing formats.

Second Semester, students will learn to "stick to the point" in their writing. They will be challenged to identify their audience, define their purpose, and back-up their topic, thesis, or moral across multiple paragraph compositions. Creative writing exercises and tools for quick and effective essay composition will be provided while the class will continue to review writing basics such as grammar, agreement, and tense. Students will also learn tips for effective revision, editing, and feedback. In this class, students will have the flexibility to choose topics relevant to their own interests as they work on essays and short stories.

Part of each in-class session will be dedicated to sharing and review of writing completed at home. Sometimes, students will be paired with classmates for peer review of grammar; other times, the class will collaborate through shared GoogleDocs for review and feedback of others' writing. Students should bring a laptop and charging cord to class each week for accessing in-progress assignments.

Topics in this series include: Paragraphs & Articles (Semester 1) and Essays & Short Stories (Semester 2).

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $356.00

Write to the Point: Paragraphs and Articles

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 11, 2025

Class Time: 2:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Christina Somerville

Grade Range: 7th-8th

Prerequisites: None

Write to the Point is a comprehensive writing class that will prepare 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students for high school level composition. The class will practice the fundamentals of composition through weekly writing assignments that encompass a variety of writing formats.
First Semester, students will learn to "get to the point." Just as newspaper journalists have limited column spaceand some essayists have word limits, students will learn to make their point and provide supporting details within the criteria of their writing assignment. Students will learn techniques to define their topic, identify their audience, determine their purpose, and back it up with appropriate detail. The class will practice effective paragraph structure with openings statements, main point (or thesis), supporting details, closing sentences, and linking multiple paragraphs. The class will review writing basics such as grammar, agreement, and tense, and will learn tips for effective revision, editing, and feedback. Students will have the flexibility to select prompts and topics relevant to their own interests and will practice a variety of shorter writing styles such as paragraphs and articles.
Part of each in-class session will be dedicated to sharing and review of writing completed at home. Sometimes, students will be paired with classmates for peer review of grammar; other times, the class will collaborate through shared GoogleDocs for review and feedback of others' writing. Students should bring a laptop and charging cord to class each week for accessing in-progress assignments.
Topics in this series include: Paragraphs & Articles (Semester 1) and Essays & Short Stories (Semester 2).

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $312.00

Writers @ Work (Sem1)

Quarter 1,2: Starts on September 9, 2025

Class Time: 1:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Shannon McClain

Grade Range: 7th-8th

Prerequisites: None

Writers @ Work is a fundamental writing class that will prepare seventh and eighth grade students for high school level composition. Writing is not only a critical skill for high school and beyond, it gives teens a voice! In this class, teens will gain confidence, increase writing fluency, and learn how to incorporate writing into schoolwork and hobbies. The objective of this class is for each student to progress and improve his/her own writing. This class does not have a fixed curriculum trying to achieve the same outcome and same skillset for each child, because each student comes to class with different writing experience and varying needs. Instead, through personalized feedback from the instructor and peer feedback exercises, student writers will improve their writing skills from where they started.

Students will always be encouraged to write about what interests them, but prompts will also be offered. They will write for a few minutes in class each week and will be expected to write short assignments at home and submit their work to the instructor for feedback. Students will receive individual feedback to work on aspects of their writing such as organizing thoughts, defining a purpose and audience for the paper, formulating a topic sentence or main idea, developing supporting details, using correct sentence structure (for example, initial capitalization and end punctuation).

The instructor will model the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Writing tips will be introduced throughout the year pulling from both a "toolbox" of grammar rules (i.e. sentence structure, complex and compound sentences, independent and dependent clauses, parts of speech, agreement, tense, use of dialogue and quotation marks, correct use of punctuation) and stylistic techniques (i.e., using metaphors, adding details, and building tension). Examples and exercises will be presented from a variety of styles and genres.
Students should be on or near grade level in reading to take this class.

Writers @ Work is offered both semesters under the same class name, but students may take it each semester to continue to improve their writing skills.

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $312.00

Writers @ Work (Sem2)

Quarter 3,4: Starts on January 13, 2026

Class Time: 1:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Shannon McClain

Grade Range: 7th-8th

Prerequisites: None

Writers @ Work is a fundamental writing class that will prepare seventh and eighth grade students for high school level composition. Writing is not only a critical skill for high school and beyond, it gives teens a voice! In this class, teens will gain confidence, increase writing fluency, and learn how to incorporate writing into schoolwork and hobbies. The objective of this class is for each student to progress and improve his/her own writing. This class does not have a fixed curriculum trying to achieve the same outcome and same skillset for each child, because each student comes to class with different writing experience and varying needs. Instead, through personalized feedback from the instructor and peer feedback exercises, student writers will improve their writing skills from where they started.

Students will always be encouraged to write about what interests them, but prompts will also be offered. They will write for a few minutes in class each week and will be expected to write short assignments at home and submit their work to the instructor for feedback. Students will receive individual feedback to work on aspects of their writing such as organizing thoughts, defining a purpose and audience for the paper, formulating a topic sentence or main idea, developing supporting details, using correct sentence structure (for example, initial capitalization and end punctuation).

The instructor will model the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Writing tips will be introduced throughout the year pulling from both a "toolbox" of grammar rules (i.e. sentence structure, complex and compound sentences, independent and dependent clauses, parts of speech, agreement, tense, use of dialogue and quotation marks, correct use of punctuation) and stylistic techniques (i.e., using metaphors, adding details, and building tension). Examples and exercises will be presented from a variety of styles and genres.
Students should be on or near grade level in reading to take this class.

Writers @ Work is offered both semesters under the same class name, but students may take it each semester to continue to improve their writing skills.

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $334.00

Writing New Twists on Old Tales: Clever Characters

Quarter 2: Starts on October 30, 2025

Class Time: 2:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Judith Harmon

Grade Range: 2nd-4th

Prerequisites: None

Young readers and writers will explore classic tales in a variety of creative, multi-media interpretations. Pulling from classic children's literature including fairy tales, fables, and favorites, such as Newberry Award medalists, the group will explore 3-4 well-known stories each quarter (generally spending 2 weeks per tale).

Second quarter will feature beloved classicswith wacky, witty, clever characters like Puss in Boots, Mulan, and Rumpelstiltskin.

For each story, the instructor will share a lively read-aloud of the featured story. Then, the class may watch a short clip of an animated, televised, or stage version of the same story. Next, the group will hear a re-telling of the same story from a different angle, such as one adapted to a theme, a different era, or a different culture. Students will discuss what was the same and what was different among the different adaptations. Was a character added or omitted? Was the performed version true to the original? Finally, students will write and illustrate their own, original re-telling of the story by changing characters, setting, or even crafting a surprise, new ending. New Twists on Old Tales introduces some basic literary elements and rudimentary literary analysis skills to encourage children to think more deeply about what they read.

Topics in this Series: Truths & Transformations (Quarter 1), Clever Characters (Quarter 2), Snowy Stories (Quarter 3), and Happy Endings, Second Chances (Quarter 4).

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $139.00

Writing New Twists on Old Tales: Happy Endings, Second Chances

Quarter 4: Starts on March 19, 2026

Class Time: 2:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Judith Harmon

Grade Range: 2nd-4th

Prerequisites: None

Young readers and writers will explore classic tales in a variety of creative, multi-media interpretations. Pulling from classic children's literature including fairy tales, fables, and favorites, such as Newberry Award medalists, the group will explore 3-4 well-known stories each quarter (generally spending 2 weeks per tale).

Fourth quarter will feature beloved classics featuring outsiders overcoming hardships to find second chances and happy endings like The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, Rapunzel, and The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

For each story, the instructor will share a lively read-aloud of the featured story. Then, the class may watch a short clip of an animated, televised, or stage version of the same story. Next, the group will hear a re-telling of the same story from a different angle, such as one adapted to a theme, a different era, or a different culture. Students will discuss what was the same and what was different among the different adaptations. Was a character added or omitted? Was the performed version true to the original? Finally, students will write and illustrate their own, original re-telling of the story by changing characters, setting, or even crafting a surprise, new ending. New Twists on Old Tales introduces some basic literary elements and rudimentary literary analysis skills to encourage children to think more deeply about what they read.

Topics in this Series: Truths & Transformations (Quarter 1), Clever Characters (Quarter 2), Snowy Stories (Quarter 3), and Happy Endings, Second Chances (Quarter 4).

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $157.00

Writing New Twists on Old Tales: Snowy Stories

Quarter 3: Starts on January 25, 2026

Class Time: 2:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Judith Harmon

Grade Range: 2nd-4th

Prerequisites: None

Young readers and writers will explore classic tales in a variety of creative, multi-media interpretations. Pulling from classic children's literature including fairy tales, fables, and favorites, such as Newberry Award medalists, the group will explore 3-4 well-known stories each quarter (generally spending 2 weeks per tale).

Third quarter will feature beloved tales from frozen lands such as The Ice Queen, Jack Frost, and Snow White and Rose Red.

For each story, the instructor will share a lively read-aloud of the featured story. Then, the class may watch a short clip of an animated, televised, or stage version of the same story. Next, the group will hear a re-telling of the same story from a different angle, such as one adapted to a theme, a different era, or a different culture. Students will discuss what was the same and what was different among the different adaptations. Was a character added or omitted? Was the performed version true to the original? Finally, students will write and illustrate their own, original re-telling of the story by changing characters, setting, or even crafting a surprise, new ending. New Twists on Old Tales introduces some basic literary elements and rudimentary literary analysis skills to encourage children to think more deeply about what they read.

Topics in this Series: Truths & Transformations (Quarter 1), Clever Characters (Quarter 2), Snowy Stories (Quarter 3), and Happy Endings, Second Chances (Quarter 4).

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $157.00

Writing New Twists on Old Tales: Truths & Transformations

Quarter 1: Starts on September 11, 2025

Class Time: 2:00 pm      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Judith Harmon

Grade Range: 2nd-4th

Prerequisites: None

Young readers and writers will explore classic tales in a variety of creative, multi-media interpretations. Pulling from classic children's literature including fairy tales, fables, and favorites, such as Newberry Award medalists, the group will explore 3-4 well-known stories each quarter (generally spending 2 weeks per tale).

First quarter will feature beloved fables featuring truth and transformation such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast,
The Frog Prince, and Sleeping Beauty.

For each story, the instructor will share a lively read-aloud of the featured story. Then, the class may watch a short clip of an animated, televised, or stage version of the same story. Next, the group will hear a re-telling of the same story from a different angle, such as one adapted to a theme, a different era, or a different culture. Students will discuss what was the same and what was different among the different adaptations. Was a character added or omitted? Was the performed version true to the original? Finally, students will write and illustrate their own, original re-telling of the story by changing characters, setting, or even crafting a surprise, new ending. New Twists on Old Tales introduces some basic literary elements and rudimentary literary analysis skills to encourage children to think more deeply about what they read.

Topics in this Series: Truths & Transformations (Quarter 1), Clever Characters (Quarter 2), Snowy Stories (Quarter 3), and Happy Endings, Second Chances (Quarter 4).

6 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $139.00

Writing Well (Q1)

Quarter 1: Starts on September 9, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Shannon McClain

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: None

Writing is not only a critical skill for school and life, it gives kids a voice! In this class, fifth and sixth graders will gain confidence, increase writing fluency, and learn how to incorporate writing into everyday work and play. The objective of this class is for each student to progress and improve his/her own writing. This class does not have a fixed curriculum trying to achieve the same outcome and same skillset for each child, because each student comes to class with different writing experience and varying needs. Instead, through personalized feedback from the instructor and peer feedback exercises, student writers will improve their writing skills from where they started.

Students will learn the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Key skills practiced at this level include organizing one's thoughts, defining a purpose and audience for the paper, formulating a topic sentence or main idea, developing supporting details, using correct sentence structure (for example, initial capitalization and end punctuation). Students will always be encouraged to write about what interests them. They will write for a few minutes in class each week and will be expected to write short assignments at home and submit their work to the instructor for feedback. Each week, the instructor will share brief lessons on grammar (such as correct capitalization, agreement, tenses, parts of speech, use of adjectives/adverbs), and/or style (for example, using metaphors, adding details, building tension). Examples and exercises will be presented from a variety of styles and genres with the instructor using models from fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

Students should be on or near grade level for reading. Writing Well is offered each quarter under the same class name, but students may take it each quarter to continue to improve their writing skills.

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $156.00

Writing Well (Q2)

Quarter 2: Starts on October 28, 2025

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Shannon McClain

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: None

Writing is not only a critical skill for school and life, it gives kids a voice! In this class, fifth and sixth graders will gain confidence, increase writing fluency, and learn how to incorporate writing into everyday work and play. The objective of this class is for each student to progress and improve his/her own writing. This class does not have a fixed curriculum trying to achieve the same outcome and same skillset for each child, because each student comes to class with different writing experience and varying needs. Instead, through personalized feedback from the instructor and peer feedback exercises, student writers will improve their writing skills from where they started.

Students will learn the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Key skills practiced at this level include organizing one's thoughts, defining a purpose and audience for the paper, formulating a topic sentence or main idea, developing supporting details, using correct sentence structure (for example, initial capitalization and end punctuation). Students will always be encouraged to write about what interests them. They will write for a few minutes in class each week and will be expected to write short assignments at home and submit their work to the instructor for feedback. Each week, the instructor will share brief lessons on grammar (such as correct capitalization, agreement, tenses, parts of speech, use of adjectives/adverbs), and/or style (for example, using metaphors, adding details, building tension). Examples and exercises will be presented from a variety of styles and genres with the instructor using models from fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

Students should be on or near grade level for reading. Writing Well is offered each quarter under the same class name, but students may take it each quarter to continue to improve their writing skills.

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $156.00

Writing Well (Q3)

Quarter 3: Starts on January 13, 2026

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Shannon McClain

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: None

Writing is not only a critical skill for school and life, it gives kids a voice! In this class, fifth and sixth graders will gain confidence, increase writing fluency, and learn how to incorporate writing into everyday work and play. The objective of this class is for each student to progress and improve his/her own writing. This class does not have a fixed curriculum trying to achieve the same outcome and same skillset for each child, because each student comes to class with different writing experience and varying needs. Instead, through personalized feedback from the instructor and peer feedback exercises, student writers will improve their writing skills from where they started.

Students will learn the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Key skills practiced at this level include organizing one's thoughts, defining a purpose and audience for the paper, formulating a topic sentence or main idea, developing supporting details, using correct sentence structure (for example, initial capitalization and end punctuation). Students will always be encouraged to write about what interests them. They will write for a few minutes in class each week and will be expected to write short assignments at home and submit their work to the instructor for feedback. Each week, the instructor will share brief lessons on grammar (such as correct capitalization, agreement, tenses, parts of speech, use of adjectives/adverbs), and/or style (for example, using metaphors, adding details, building tension). Examples and exercises will be presented from a variety of styles and genres with the instructor using models from fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

Students should be on or near grade level for reading. Writing Well is offered each quarter under the same class name, but students may take it each quarter to continue to improve their writing skills.

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $178.00

Writing Well (Q4)

Quarter 4: Starts on March 17, 2026

Class Time: 11:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Shannon McClain

Grade Range: 5th-6th

Prerequisites: None

Writing is not only a critical skill for school and life, it gives kids a voice! In this class, fifth and sixth graders will gain confidence, increase writing fluency, and learn how to incorporate writing into everyday work and play. The objective of this class is for each student to progress and improve his/her own writing. This class does not have a fixed curriculum trying to achieve the same outcome and same skillset for each child, because each student comes to class with different writing experience and varying needs. Instead, through personalized feedback from the instructor and peer feedback exercises, student writers will improve their writing skills from where they started.

Students will learn the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Key skills practiced at this level include organizing one's thoughts, defining a purpose and audience for the paper, formulating a topic sentence or main idea, developing supporting details, using correct sentence structure (for example, initial capitalization and end punctuation). Students will always be encouraged to write about what interests them. They will write for a few minutes in class each week and will be expected to write short assignments at home and submit their work to the instructor for feedback. Each week, the instructor will share brief lessons on grammar (such as correct capitalization, agreement, tenses, parts of speech, use of adjectives/adverbs), and/or style (for example, using metaphors, adding details, building tension). Examples and exercises will be presented from a variety of styles and genres with the instructor using models from fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

Students should be on or near grade level for reading. Writing Well is offered each quarter under the same class name, but students may take it each quarter to continue to improve their writing skills.

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $178.00

Writing Wonders (Q1)

Quarter 1: Starts on September 9, 2025

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Shannon McClain

Grade Range: 3rd-4th

Prerequisites: None

Writing is not only a critical skill for school and life, it gives kids a voice! In this class, third and fourth graders will gain confidence, increase writing fluency, and learn how to incorporate writing into everyday work and play. The objective of this class is for each student to progress and improve his/her own writing. This class does not have a fixed curriculum trying to achieve the same outcome and same skillset for each child, because each student comes to class with different writing experience and varying needs. Instead, through personalized feedback from the instructor and peer feedback exercises, student writers will improve their writing skills from where they started.

Students will learn the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Key skills practiced at this level include organizing one's thoughts, defining a purpose and audience for the paper, formulating a topic sentence or main idea, developing supporting details, using correct sentence structure (for example, initial capitalization and end punctuation). Students will always be encouraged to write about what interests them. They will write for a few minutes in class each week and will be expected to write short assignments at home and submit their work to the instructor for feedback. Each week, the instructor will share brief lessons on grammar (such as correct capitalization, agreement, tenses, parts of speech, use of adjectives/adverbs), and/or style (for example, using metaphors, adding details, building tension). Examples and exercises will be presented from a variety of styles and genres with the instructor using models from fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

Students should be on or near grade level for reading. Writing Wonders is offered each quarter under the same class name, but students may take it each quarter to continue to improve their writing skills.

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $156.00

Writing Wonders (Q2)

Quarter 2: Starts on October 28, 2025

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Shannon McClain

Grade Range: 3rd-4th

Prerequisites: None

Writing is not only a critical skill for school and life, it gives kids a voice! In this class, third and fourth graders will gain confidence, increase writing fluency, and learn how to incorporate writing into everyday work and play. The objective of this class is for each student to progress and improve his/her own writing. This class does not have a fixed curriculum trying to achieve the same outcome and same skillset for each child, because each student comes to class with different writing experience and varying needs. Instead, through personalized feedback from the instructor and peer feedback exercises, student writers will improve their writing skills from where they started.

Students will learn the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Key skills practiced at this level include organizing one's thoughts, defining a purpose and audience for the paper, formulating a topic sentence or main idea, developing supporting details, using correct sentence structure (for example, initial capitalization and end punctuation). Students will always be encouraged to write about what interests them. They will write for a few minutes in class each week and will be expected to write short assignments at home and submit their work to the instructor for feedback. Each week, the instructor will share brief lessons on grammar (such as correct capitalization, agreement, tenses, parts of speech, use of adjectives/adverbs), and/or style (for example, using metaphors, adding details, building tension). Examples and exercises will be presented from a variety of styles and genres with the instructor using models from fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

Students should be on or near grade level for reading. Writing Wonders is offered each quarter under the same class name, but students may take it each quarter to continue to improve their writing skills.

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $156.00

Writing Wonders (Q3)

Quarter 3: Starts on January 13, 2026

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Shannon McClain

Grade Range: 3rd-4th

Prerequisites: None

Writing is not only a critical skill for school and life, it gives kids a voice! In this class, third and fourth graders will gain confidence, increase writing fluency, and learn how to incorporate writing into everyday work and play. The objective of this class is for each student to progress and improve his/her own writing. This class does not have a fixed curriculum trying to achieve the same outcome and same skillset for each child, because each student comes to class with different writing experience and varying needs. Instead, through personalized feedback from the instructor and peer feedback exercises, student writers will improve their writing skills from where they started.

Students will learn the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Key skills practiced at this level include organizing one's thoughts, defining a purpose and audience for the paper, formulating a topic sentence or main idea, developing supporting details, using correct sentence structure (for example, initial capitalization and end punctuation). Students will always be encouraged to write about what interests them. They will write for a few minutes in class each week and will be expected to write short assignments at home and submit their work to the instructor for feedback. Each week, the instructor will share brief lessons on grammar (such as correct capitalization, agreement, tenses, parts of speech, use of adjectives/adverbs), and/or style (for example, using metaphors, adding details, building tension). Examples and exercises will be presented from a variety of styles and genres with the instructor using models from fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

Students should be on or near grade level for reading. Writing Wonders is offered each quarter under the same class name, but students may take it each quarter to continue to improve their writing skills.

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $178.00

Writing Wonders (Q4)

Quarter 4: Starts on March 17, 2026

Class Time: 10:00 am      Duration: 55 min

Instructor: Shannon McClain

Grade Range: 3rd-4th

Prerequisites: None

Writing is not only a critical skill for school and life, it gives kids a voice! In this class, third and fourth graders will gain confidence, increase writing fluency, and learn how to incorporate writing into everyday work and play. The objective of this class is for each student to progress and improve his/her own writing. This class does not have a fixed curriculum trying to achieve the same outcome and same skillset for each child, because each student comes to class with different writing experience and varying needs. Instead, through personalized feedback from the instructor and peer feedback exercises, student writers will improve their writing skills from where they started.

Students will learn the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Key skills practiced at this level include organizing one's thoughts, defining a purpose and audience for the paper, formulating a topic sentence or main idea, developing supporting details, using correct sentence structure (for example, initial capitalization and end punctuation). Students will always be encouraged to write about what interests them. They will write for a few minutes in class each week and will be expected to write short assignments at home and submit their work to the instructor for feedback. Each week, the instructor will share brief lessons on grammar (such as correct capitalization, agreement, tenses, parts of speech, use of adjectives/adverbs), and/or style (for example, using metaphors, adding details, building tension). Examples and exercises will be presented from a variety of styles and genres with the instructor using models from fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

Students should be on or near grade level for reading. Writing Wonders is offered each quarter under the same class name, but students may take it each quarter to continue to improve their writing skills.

7 students must enroll in order for this class to be held. Price: $178.00

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