Youth Literature Series: Bridge to Terabithia

Teacher

Lara Hincapie

Categories

Language Arts, Literature

Review

$60

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This class is part of the Youth Literature Series.
Classes in this series are intended for students at elementary and middle school reading levels.

Other classes in this series include:
The Westing Game
Holes
Hatchet

CLASS DESCRIPTION
In this youth literature course series, each course focuses on one novel or novella. This particular course will focus on the 1977 novel written by author Katherine Paterson – Bridge to Terabithia.

The novel tells the story of Jess Aarons, who has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. Leslie is a tomboy, and Jess thinks very highly of her. Jess is an artistic boy who is fearful and troubled. But when the two become friends, Jess is transformed. They spend most days in the woods behind Leslie’s house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. However, a tragedy occurs one day at Terabithia. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief.

This 4-week course will focus heavily on reading, and a full copy of the novel will be provided in both pdf and audiobook format. Although, students are also encouraged to purchase their own copies or borrow one from their local library. Student may either read the full text before the class begins, or their will be weekly reading assignments during the course.

CLASS FORMAT
No live classes—view lessons on YOUR schedule. In general, expect 1.5-2.5 hours to work through the lesson plan each week, and an additional 2-5 hours working on assignments (it really depends what assignment your child chooses to do and how they manage their time). For classes with two levels, the material is the same for both—the depth of the assignments differs. Younger students should usually be placed in Level 1. Older students, or younger students who want more of a challenge, should be placed in Level 2.

Each lesson consists of a fully narrated PowerPoint presentation with images and videos to enhance the topics. Students will have access to our learning management system, Canvas, for viewing their lesson, printing worksheets, taking quizzes, viewing/submitting assignments, participating in discussions, and viewing grades/feedback. Read more details about class format.

Week 1:
Week 1 will begin with a focus on biographical information on the writer’s life and career, and will discuss why this person has remained such a significant voice in classic literature. This week
will also cover introductory information to the novel, discussing themes and characters, as well as Chapters 1-3.

Week 2:
Week 2 will cover Chapters 4-7 We will further explore how themes are present in the story, discuss symbols, and explore other literary devices present so far in the first half of the story.

Week 3:
Week 3 will cover Chapters 8-11. We will further explore how themes are present in the story, discuss character progression and dynamics, and explore other literary devices.

Week 4:
Week 4 will cover the end of the novel, Chapters 12-13, and we will further explore literary devices and the greater messages of the story. Finally, the course will end with the comparison of the book to a film rendition of the story.

In the lessons, I often reference specific page numbers from the novel. It does not matter which edition you use, but if you would like to be able to follow along with my page reference, I recommend using the same edition I do.

I recommend using the 40th anniversary edition of the novel for this class:

Next Level Homeschool is a firm believer that not all learning should happen from behind a screen! That's why we give students the freedom to submit their assignments in the way THEY want to! We don't want regurgitation learning here. By allowing students to use their own talents, skills, and passions to complete assignments, they become even more engaged and retain the information. Why? Because now it's literally in their hands! We receive thousands of projects every year from our students: written reports, videos, models, posters, Scratch, Minecraft, Roblox, songs, poems, skits, drawings, sculptures, crafts—we've seen it ALL! And WE LOVE IT!!

Click here to view just a few projects we've received from students who have taken this class and see what YOUR kid could be learning with Next Level Homeschool!