2024-2025 Friendly Educators

 

Literature for Grades 6-8
Grade Level 6th - 8th
Openings Limited Openings
Day(s) and Time(s) Mon 10:00-10:55
Campus Location Friendly Educators
Course Description

Course Name: Literature for Grades 6-8
Grade Range: 6th-8th
Instructor: Erin English
Email: erin.english.va@gmail.com
Price: $215 for 28 weeks
Course Description: 
In this class, your child will learn how to read great books with a deeper understanding. Using the Center for Lit’s Teaching the Classics curriculum as our guide, students will read and participate in literary analysis through Socratic discussions. We’ll read many short stories, poems, and picture books in class to learn about story elements and literary devices. In addition, students will read 4-5 chapter books outside of class that we will discuss in class. It’s okay if your child has read one or more of these books! They will still get tremendous value from rereading and discussing them as a group! Each semester will end with a creative extension project of the child’s choice. By the end of the year, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate understanding through discussion, writing, and dramatization
  • Make inferences and draw conclusions from a story
  • Analyze major characters within a story and trace character motives through the story
  • Compare and contrast characters within a story
  • Demonstrate understanding of story structure by creating plot charts
  • Distinguish between genres: non-fiction, biography, fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, etc.), parody, fairytale, and historical fiction
  • Identify common themes from story to story 
  • Understand literary devices such as flashback, imagery, foreshadowing, metaphor, simile, symbolism, irony, hyperbole, imagery, and anthropomorphism

Course Prerequisites: None
Curriculum used by Instructor: Center for Lit Teaching the Classics
Books & Supplies required for purchase by families: 
The Magician’s Nephew, C.S. Lewis
Miracles on Maple Hill, Virginia Sorensen
Snow Treasure, Marie McSwigan
The Book of Three, Lloyd Alexander
(Used copies are encouraged! I want the students to feel comfortable writing in the books.)
 Blank White 3x 5 Index cards and a zippered pocket or case to hold them
 1-inch binder stocked with blank white paper and notebook paper
Pens/Pencils/Colored Pencils in a Case
Figuratively Speaking ($13 at Rainbow Resource)
Homework Requirements:  approx. 1 hour per week
Duration: 28 weeks
Grading: no
Course Credit: no
Teacher Bio: Erin English has been homeschooling for the past 14 years and has been a part of Friendly Educators for 10 years. She and her husband have three daughters (grades 12th, 10th, and 7th). Erin has a B.S. in Civil Engineering and an MBA. Before becoming a full-time Mom, Erin worked in logistics with Kraft Foods. Erin has taught several courses at Friendly Educators in the past, including PreCalculus, Physics, K-2 Science, and Public Speaking, and she served as FE’s Co-Director with Kelly Jewel for several years. Erin teaches online Latin classes to students worldwide at The Little Latin School and works part-time as a virtual assistant. 
Min/Max # of Students: min = 8 / max = 14
Method and Frequency of communication: I will send out weekly emails with a recap of the class and homework instructions. 
Tuition $215.00 / $0.00 for supplies
Required Material
Other Information
Logic: The Art of Argument for Grades 8-12
Grade Level 8th - 12th
Openings Open
Day(s) and Time(s) Mon 11:00-11:55
Campus Location Friendly Educators
Course Description Course Name: Logic: The Art of Argument for Grades 8-12
Grade Range: 8th-12th
Instructor: Erin English
Email: erin.english.va@gmail.com
Price: $250 for 28 weeks
Course Description: 
Students will argue (and sometimes quarrel) but won't argue well without proper training! This high school logic course teaches informal fallacies by reframing how students read and understand arguments. Since logic is both the art and the science of reasoning, students must be prepared to engage in arguments inductively and deductively. Using basic foundational questions, students will hone their inductive reasoning skills. 
Students who complete this course will learn how to reason with clarity, relevance, and purpose . . . and will have fun along the way! Informal logic is a foundational subject by which other subjects are evaluated, assessed, and learned. Therefore, students' study and mastery of the 28 logical fallacies will provide an essential lifetime framework for filtering good and bad reasoning as well as writing and speaking effectively.
Course Prerequisites: None
Curriculum used by Instructor: Center for Lit Teaching the Classics
Books & Supplies required for purchase by families: 
The Art of Argument Revised Student Edition ($28.95), Classical Academic Press
Homework Requirements:  Approximately 1 hour per week
Duration: 28 weeks
Grading: yes
Course Credit: yes
Teacher Bio: Erin English has been homeschooling for the past 14 years and has been a part of Friendly Educators for ten years. She and her husband have three daughters (grades 12th, 10th, and 7th). Erin has a B.S. in Civil Engineering and an MBA. Before becoming a full-time Mom, Erin worked in logistics with Kraft Foods. Erin has taught several courses at Friendly Educators in the past, including PreCalculus, Physics, K-2 Science, and Public Speaking, and she served as FE’s Co-Director with Kelly Jewel for several years. Erin teaches online Latin classes to students worldwide at The Little Latin School and works part-time as a virtual assistant. 
Min/Max # of Students: min = 8 / max = 14
Method and Frequency of communication: I will send out weekly emails with a recap of the class and homework instructions. Progress reports with grades will be sent 3x per semester.
Tuition $250.00 / $0.00 for supplies
Required Material
Other Information