08080 Literary Reading/Analysis/Writing for Grade 8-9
Instructor: Dr. Katharine Sprecher
Divided in two parts, this course will teach skills for deep reading and textual analysis (1st half), followed by guidance through the stages of writing a literary analysis essay (2nd half). The class will help build foundational skills for future high school and college-level reading and essay-writing, as well as SAT/ACT Test literature-based questions.
Books:
1. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells – a classic, will provide guided comprehension and analyses of his 18th-century text, including the core theme of critical social satire.
2. Your Heart, My Sky by Margarita Engle – written in verse in 3 different voices; will provide analyses in poetry, narrative point of view, and literary devices.
3. Dodger by Terry Pratchett – a cross-genre novel rich in strong characterization and themes that include allusions to and deconstruction of the 19th-century novels of Charles Dickens
