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Course Description

Academic Year 2017-2018 • Grade 6 and above • Literature Sequence

For reference only; see current year course listing for course availability and details.

The Thought Plickens: Learning to Think Critically

This class is primarily for students in 6th-8th grade. The purpose of this class is to prepare students of a younger age group for the more intensive reading and critical thinking assignments of high school. It will introduce the students to novels that have a deeper subtext, that are applicable to transitioning into their teenage years and in some cases an awareness to social structures in the world at large. In addition to the aforementioned overarching concepts of the novel, there will be a focus on reading for details as well. Students are essentially being taught to be literary detectives - seeking out general plot themes and picking apart the minutiae of character, narrative and historical background.

Sections and Teachers

Section 1:

Instructor: Alexandra Dascalu Nelson

Starts: September 20, 2017
Ends: June 13, 2018

Thursday 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM ET

Tuition: $500.00



Recommended background

Grade 6 (age 12) level reading ability.

Teacher's notes:

Attaining the reading material form your local library is highly encouraged!

Textbooks and Materials

This item is required:

Alice in Wonderland [Edition or Version: 3], Authors: Lewis Carroll Publisher: Norton Critical Edition

ISBN: 0393932346

Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore

Other information: If possible there will be an online or PDF version available as well and posted to the website. If you are having trouble finding the edition, please contact me.


This item is required:

Anne of Green Gables , Authors: L.M. Montgomery Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell

ISBN: 055321313X

Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore

Other information: If possible there will be an online or PDF version available as well and posted to the website. If you are having trouble finding the edition, please contact me.


This item is required:

Swallows and Amazons [Edition or Version: 2], Authors: Arthur Ransome Publisher: David R. Godine Publishing

ISBN: 1567924204

Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore

Other information: If possible there will be an online or PDF version available as well and posted to the website. If you are having trouble finding the edition, please contact me.


This item is required:

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer , Authors: Mark Twain Publisher: Penguin Classics

ISBN: 014310733X

Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore

Other information: If possible there will be an online or PDF version available as well and posted to the website. If you are having trouble finding the edition, please contact me.


This item is required:

The Jungle Books , Authors: Rudyard Kipling Publisher: Oxford World Classics

ISBN: 0199536457

Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore

Other information: If possible there will be an online or PDF version available as well and posted to the website. If you are having trouble finding the edition, please contact me.


This item is required:

The Prince and the Pauper , Authors: Mark Twain Publisher: Penguin Classics

ISBN: 0140436693

Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore

Other information: If possible there will be an online or PDF version available as well and posted to the website. If you are having trouble finding the edition, please contact me.


This item is required:

The Princess and Curdie , Authors: George MacDonald Publisher: Create Space Publishing

ISBN: 1495258564

Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore

Other information: If possible there will be an online or PDF version available as well and posted to the website. If you are having trouble finding the edition, please contact me.


This item is required:

The Witch of Blackbird Pond , Authors: Elizabeth George Speare Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

ISBN: 0547550294

Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore

Other information: If possible there will be an online or PDF version available as well and posted to the website. If you are having trouble finding the edition, please contact me.


This item is required:

Treasure Island , Authors: Robert Louis Stevenson Publisher: Modern Library Classics

ISBN: 0375756825

Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore

Other information: If possible there will be an online or PDF version available as well and posted to the website. If you are having trouble finding the edition, please contact me.


This item is required:

Wind in the Willows , Authors: Kenneth Grahame Publisher: Modern Library

ISBN: 0812973658

Best sources: Scholars Online Bookstore

Other information: If possible there will be an online or PDF version available as well and posted to the website. If you are having trouble finding the edition, please contact me.


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