Tutor – Ginger McCreery
Good books widen our world and take us on adventures we may never have. This class will be both academic and appreciative, in nature. This class is wonderful as a sequel to my other Jr. High Lit class (blue list), but it will also be great for new students. Every attempt will be made to accommodate the interests of both male and female students. We will examine lots of different genres: mystery, historical fiction, fantasy, short stories, poetry, etc.
Reading great literature accomplishes at least two things: academic excellence and excellence of character. If you want your student to write well, your student needs to be reading lots and lots of excellent, well written books. If you want your student to have a great vocabulary, your student needs to be reading lots and lots of great books! While you will need a lot of books for this class, most of these titles can be found at used bookstores or through online sources quite cheaply. Instead of buying an expensive textbook that you will never use again, you will be investing in real books for your student and home.
Because we will be using lots of “real books” instead of a text book, it is absolutely necessary that the students have the books they need by the time we read that book in class. Look ahead on the syllabus and make sure that your student has each book he needs before we start reading it. I require that the students bring whatever book we are currently reading to class with them each Monday. We will use the books for class discussions and the student must have the book with them in order to be able to participate.
I’ve provided ISBN numbers and publisher names below, but do not require these exact editions (as long as the book is unabridged). I suggest looking for bargains at used or online bookstores.
Summer Reading:
THE GOLDEN FLEECE AND THE HEROES WHO LIVED BEFORE ACHILLES
by Padraic Colum
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
ISBN: 0-020422601
A STRING IN THE HARP
by Nancy Bond
Publisher: Aladdin Library
ISBN: 0-689804458
THE THURBER CARNIVAL
by James Thurber
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
ISBN 10: 0060932872
THE STORY OF THE TRAPP FAMILY SINGERS
by Maria Augusta Trapp
Publisher: Perennial (Harper Collins)
ISBN: 0-060005777
THE EAGLE OF THE NINTH
by Rosemary Sutcliff
Publisher: A Sunburst Book (Farrar-Strauss-Giroux)
ISBN: 0-374419302
WINTER HOLIDAY
by Arthur Ransome
Publisher: David Godine
ISBN: 0-879236612
A GIRL OF THE LIMBERLOST
by Gene Stratton Porter
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0-253203317
MEET THE AUSTINS
by Madeleine L’Engle
Publisher: Dell
ISBN 13: 978-0312379315
ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL
by James Herriot
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
ISBN: 0-312966199
THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Publisher: Puffin Classics
ISBN: 0-14036689-X
ANGELS AND OTHER STRANGERS: FAMILY CHRISTMAS STORIES
by Katherine Paterson
Publisher: Harper Trophy
ISBN: 0-06440283
THE HIDING PLACE
by Corrie ten Boom
Publisher: Bantam Books
ISBN: 0-553256696
A YEAR DOWN YONDER
by Richard Peck
Publisher: Puffin
ISBN: 0-142300705
Summer Reading: THE GOLDEN FLEECE AND THE HEROES WHO LIVED BEFORE ACHILLES
Recommended for Grades 7-9
The difficulty level of this class is “average” to “above average”. This class requires approximately 5-10 hours of study per week, depending on the speed and skill of the reader.