Quarter(s): 1,2

Day(s): Tue, Fri

Open Spots: 1

This full-credit English course is designed to prepare students for college level academic writing. It will deepen student's critical reading and textual analysis skills by asking students to think critically about the "American Dream" and what it means to be an American by reading texts that engage with these topics from the 18th century to today. In this course, students will read and respond in writing to both fiction and non-fiction texts, and our analytical method will focus on rhetorical context (subject, purpose and audience). Fall Semester will feature Daisy Miller (James), Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Jacobs), The Crucible (Miller), and The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) Writing Lab: An essential component of this course will be an in-class Writing Lab. Students in this class should have mastered the basics of academic writing, such as constructing a thesis statement that makes an argument and organizing their thoughts through effective topic sentences and transition statements. This class will deepen students' textual analysis skills with a focus on developing rhetorical analysis, the study of how a text makes meaning. Over the course of the year, students will develop familiarity with a variety of writing styles and forms including rhetorical analysis, literary analysis, critical response, close reading, opinion essay, and personal essay. Students should bring a laptop to class one day per week for in-class writing. Prerequisites: Students taking this class should have mastered the foundations of Introduction to Genre and British Literature (or similar English courses), are expected to take an active role in discussion and complete all writing assignments. Topics in this Series: American Literature, Part I (Semester 1) and American Literature, Part II (Semester 2). Students continuing from first semester receive priority pre-registration for second semester. Workload: Students should expect to spend 2-3 hours per week outside of class. Assignments: All assignments will be posted in a Google Classroom management site. Students will need their own gmail accounts to access Google Classroom. Assessments: Students' written assignments will be graded using a rubric and assigned points that the homeschool parent can use when assigning an overall class grade. Textbook/Materials: Because students will need clean, inexpensive copies of each novel to mark in, and they must be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, copies of mass market paperbacks will be pre-purchased and bundled for students. (See Supply Fee below). Supply Fee: A class fee of $33.00 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for the class pack of books and handouts. What to Bring: Students should bring the current literature, 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 passages/pages. Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a half-credit (one semester) or full credit (both semesters) in English for purposes of a high school transcript.

Quarter(s): 1,2

Day(s): Tue, Fri

Open Spots: 3

This full-credit high school English class will focus on developing critical reading and writing skills through the study of a range of canonical and post-colonial genres and texts written in English. Through exposure to a variety of voices across time periods and geographical regions, students will investigate major themes, such as the importance of language as a locus of power, the continuity of human nature, and the role of the imagination. Fall semester will focus on canonical British texts such as the epic poem Beowulf, selections from Canterbury Tales (Chaucer), Shakespeare's Macbeth, and a selection of Romantic poetry. Writing Lab: An essential component of this course will be an in-class Writing Lab. Students will write two or three critical response papers and a full-scale literary analysis essay each term. Students will continue to hone the components of academic writing, including how to construct a thesis statement that makes an argument, how to support their ideas effectively with textual evidence, how to organize an argument logically, and how to cite sources in MLA format. Students should bring a laptop to class one day per week for in-class writing. Topics in this Series: British Literature, Part I (Semester 1) and British Literature, Part II (Semester 2). Students continuing from first semester receive priority pre-registration for second semester. Prerequisites: Students should be able to read at grade level and have completed Introduction to Genre or equivalent high school level writing class. Students are expected to take an active role in discussion and complete all writing assignments Workload: Students should expect to spend 2-3 hours per week outside of class. Assignments: All assignments will be posted in a Google Classroom management site. Students will need their own gmail accounts to access Google Classroom. Assessments: Students' written assignments will be graded using a rubric and assigned points that the homeschool parent can use when assigning an overall class grade. Textbook/Materials: Because students will need clean, inexpensive copies of each novel to mark in, and they must be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, copies of mass market paperbacks will be pre-purchased and bundled for students. (See Supply Fee below). Supply Fee: A class fee of $34.00 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for the class pack of books and handouts. What to Bring: Students should bring the current literature, 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 passages/pages. Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a half-credit (one semester) or full credit (both semesters) in English for purposes of a high school transcript.

Quarter(s): 1

Day(s): Tue, Fri

Open Spots: 5

In this intermediate high school English workshop, students will be introduced to world literature and analytical writing. Each quarter, the class will examine a variety of works from a featured country or region. Students will explore a diverse range of global literary texts to identify symbolism, imagery, and recurring themes and to develop an understanding of narrative perspective unique to that region of the world. Through these works, the class will also examine the cultural, social, and historical contexts that shaped literature across different regions and time periods. First quarter will feature works from Ancient Greece including the book Antigone along with select short stories, plays, and essays. Composition: Students will also learn the fundamental components of academic writing, including how to construct a thesis statement that makes an argument, how to support their ideas effectively with textual evidence, how to organize an argument logically, and how to cite sources in MLA format. Some class periods will be dedicated Writing Lab session in which students write in-class in order to get on-the-spot support and feedback from the teacher. Students should bring laptops to these class sessions. Topics in this Series: Ancient Greece (Quarter 1), Africa (Quarter 2), Russia (Quarter 3), and Japan (Quarter 4). Students who continue from one quarter to the next will receive priority registration. Prerequisites: Students should be able to read at grade level, and it is recommended that students have had a middle school writing class. Workload: Students should expect to spend 2-3 hours per week outside of class. Assignments: All assignments will be posted in a Google Classroom management site. Students will need their own gmail accounts to access Google Classroom. Assessments: Students' written assignments will be graded using a rubric and assigned points that the homeschool parent can use when assigning an overall class grade. Textbook/Materials: Because students will need clean, inexpensive copies of each novel to mark in, and they must be able to refer to the passages on the same page numbers, copies of mass market paperbacks will be pre-purchased and bundled for students. (See Supply Fee below). Supply Fee: A class fee of $12.00 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for the select novel. 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 passages/pages. Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a partial credit in English for purposes of a high school transcript. (Full credit if all 4 quarters are taken.)

Quarter(s): 1

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 2

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.)

Quarter(s): 1,2

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 4

Can your little one settle for story time? Share, smile, and socialize during play? Follow fun, familiar directions? This one-morning, 2-hour program is a "taste" of preschool for homeschooled youngsters. Young children will learn and play in a small group with an experienced child developmental specialist/preschool educator for this dynamic program that offers regular interaction and socialization. Your little one will enjoy being with same-aged peers, building independence, and tackling new skills for a few hours each week. Little Learners Lab will introduce foundational concepts needed for future learning such as pre-reading skills (such as letter recognition); pre-writing skills (such as tracing or highlighting); and pre-math skills (such as colors, patterns). This play-based and language-based program will feature circle time, seasonal themes, songs, and stories. Games and free play time will allow young children to practice key childhood social skills such as sharing, taking turns, and entering play with others. Activities that incorporate multi-modalities and strengthen fine motor skills will be introduced. A mid-morning break consisting of a small snack (such as goldfish crackers, teddy grahams, animal crackers) and water will be furnished at each session. The teacher will also provide ideas for parents to work on at home with their child during the week. Little Learners Lab Preschool is offered in two weekly sessions: Tuesday and Thursday. Registration is stand-alone for each day so parents can register for one or both sessions. As a learning lab, Compass may invite 1-3 high school students, ages 13+, to serve as classroom aides and learn about early childhood education/development. Readiness Students must be age 3-1/2 (42 months) by the start of the session (no exceptions). To be successful in this program, entering preschoolers must be able to do the following: (1) 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 voice needs or requests; and (5) be completely potty trained and able to use a public restroom (wiping, flushing, washing hands, etc.) with minimal oversight of a classroom aide. Other Notes: -There is a $40.00 material fee for class consumables due payable to the teacher on the first day of class. -Parents must remain at Compass while their children are in preschool. -Registration for this program is by 14- or 16-week semester with priority registration for continuing students. -Parents who are shopping around or applying to alternate preschool programs should review the Compass withdrawal policy.

Quarter(s): 1

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 3

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.

Quarter(s): 1

Day(s): Tue

Open Spots: 4

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.