LANGUAGE ARTS 2023 – 24

In this one-year course, we will study Classic Literature titles (and a few modern ones) from around the world. I hope that after you take this class, you will appreciate the differences among us as well as realize how much we all have in common with each other.

**This class is intended for students in grades 9-12 (One year High School English credit), however middle school students who can handle the reading are welcome to join.

We will examine the historical context of each work, identify literary devices, have fantastic discussions, and use the literature as a basis to develop writing skills (the writing assignments consist of both creative and essay writing). We will also have some fun projects that celebrate the diversity within our own class.

If you have any questions as to why I chose a particular title, please feel free to ask!

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Oedipus Tyrannus/Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

short stories by Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy

folk tales and poetry from China, Japan and India

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

2 sections will be offered: Tuesdays at 11:00 am and again at 12:05pm at Excellence in Education Academy in Monrovia

Class begins on September 5, 2023

A minimum number of students is required; one section may be dropped and students asked to move to the other section if there aren’t enough students enrolled.

Please email me for a fuller description of my class, policies, payment details and how to register: robinson5tanya@gmail.com

 Cost:

$300 (per semester)

*Discount available if paying by cash or check. Please contact me for details.

$20 non-refundable registration fee for all students is required at the time of registration and is not applied to the cost of the semester: Venmo, Zelle, check or cash.

I am able to accept most charter school students. Please contact me for details.

CLASS BEGINS:  September 11, 2023

COURSE DURATION:  1 school year, from September 11 through May 20.

 In this Ancient History-Based Writing Lessons Themed course, students will learn about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Romans, Egypt, Pompeii, and more while IEW’s structural units and elements of style are introduced gradually.

 During the course, students will take notes, summarize narrative stories, write from pictures, compose creative essays, and more. Additionally, with the activities, games, and parties, there will be enough silliness and fun to keep the atmosphere light while students learn.

 The goal of the course is NOT to receive a good grade or compare one student to another. The goal is to develop a love for and interest in writing. We are looking for progress. With realistic expectations, progress is determined by comparing a child’s writing in September to his/her own writing in January and in June.

 COST: $250.00 per semester ($275 if a charter student) plus books, etc.  Miss Lilli is a vendor for: Sky Mountain, ILEAD, Excel Academy, Sage Oaks, Golden Valley, Gorman, Inspire, and more.

 TEXT BOOK REQUIRED Ancient History-Based Writing Lessons [Student Book only]

Author(s): Lori Verstegen

ISBN: 978-1-62341-344-6

Edition/Printing: Sixth Edition, December 2020

Copyright Date: 2020

Specifications: 362 pages

 CONTACT: Lilli Witczak (626) 232-7932 or email at: lilli.witczak@gmail.com

CLASS BEGINS:  September 11, 2023

COURSE DURATION:  1 school year, from September 11 through May 20.

This course is designed to introduce students to great literature. There is entirely too much bad news nowadays for kids. We will not list the details for you. You know this is true. This course is designed to be filled with merriment and mirth. Glad tidings!

  Students read some of  the best humorous literature on bookshelves, while they will learn, through research, the background of the author as well as the cultural context. They will be given the opportunity to discuss books and what makes them funny. If a given book was made into a movie, we might watch the movie and compare it to the book. Writing assignments will include author profiles, historical approach papers, and more. Additionally, students will be provided with tools to strengthen their writing skills. The class will be meeting in person at EIE. We will have a couple of amazing parties that students will remember, with a smile, well into adulthood.

 Books Required:

•  Right Ho Jeeves by PG Wodehouse
• Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
• A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
• Candide by Voltaire
• The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
• Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
•  

This above book list is a minimum goal. Yes, some of the books are easier to read than others. Not everything need be difficult and just because a work is not difficult, does not mean that it is not worth reading.

 Fees: $250.00 per semester ($275 if a charter student) plus books.

 Miss Lilli is a vendor for: Sky Mountain, ILEAD, Excel Academy, Sage Oaks, Golden Valley, Gorman, Inspire, and more.

 CONTACT: Lilli Witczak (626)232-7932 text only -or- email at: lilli.witczak@gmail.com

VENDOR: We Spark Learning

TARGET: Grades 1-5

COURSE DURATION: 1 year (two, 13 week semesters – Sept to Jan, and Feb to May)

COST PER SEMESTER : $288.00 (discount given to those who pay for class in full at registration).

We are an approved vendor for most area Charter schools. If we are not on your school’s vendor list, we’ll contact you to start the process!

Students become “neighbors” in a crazy Colonial Town they help create, where they will experience many events through the year including festivals, natural disasters, historic events, unbelievable mishaps and some silly celebrations!  As each town event effects the residents, it will serve as the journal prompt for a creative writing assignment for the week.

“Swarms of bees overtook the town, and I…”

“The highlight of the festival was one daring performer who…”

“The wagon unhitched sending us barreling into the…”

Town residents will start by deciding what to name their town and decorating their own home and property. Each student will choose a historic job that will produce weekly earnings. They can use their income to save and upgrade their home, or buy or barter for additions to the property from the marketplace.  Town residents will talk about and compare stories about the events of the week.  Some drawing, crafts, prize games, and other creative expressions will also be incorporated throughout the year to fit our Colonial theme.

While the class will have some mini lessons on writing techniques, literary devices, figurative language, and poetry, our focus is not on the formal fundamentals of writing.  The main goal of this class is to motivate kids to put pen to paper to write with enthusiasm and express their ideas in written form.    Journal writing is done during class time, and journal expectations can be varied to adapt to different learning levels and abilities.

TO REGISTER: Beginning April 1, 2023 simply complete the registration form at http://WeSparkLearning.com .  Charter School students should request a P.O./Enrichment Certificate to be issued as soon as the school begins processing for this period, in order to secure enrollment.

Questions? Call (626)482-8963 or email WeSparkLearning@yahoo.com

THE ULTIMATE COLLEGE PREP WRITING CLASS

Online classroom is always open. 
Open enrollment during semester.

COST: 

• $350 per semester for Charter students.
• $300 for non charter school students.
  
  This class is offered online as well as in a classroom setting. 

This course covers advanced English communications for students of any age who can handle college preparatory material and is designed to prepare students for university studies and for SAT, ACT and TOEFL exams. Emphasis is placed upon innate language acquisition through immersion and emulation as well as an understanding of grammatical principles.

Writing and speaking skills and techniques are covered and works of the masters of spoken and written English arestudied. The list is flexible depending upon class enthusiasm but has in the past included Shakespeare, Swift, Dickens, Austen, J.S. Mill, Wilde, Shaw, Grahame, Wodehouse, Franklin, Jefferson, Paine, Lincoln, Twain, Fitzgerald, Churchill, King, Buckley, Baldwin and many other surpassingly brilliant but less well known writers and orators. (It is worth noting that one finds among these greats a disproportionately large percentage of homeschoolers.) All works are provided or linked to in the online classroom. College prep skills practiced will include note-taking, research and report writing, advanced vocabulary, language usage, comprehension and grammar. Students will write college admission essays, persuasive essays, SAT essays and reports and will prepare and deliver lectures and persuasive speeches. The class uses the one-room schoolhouse paradigm (See Advantages of the one-room schoolhouse approach to teaching). Please see our Writing Skills Playsheets for a taste of class content and style. Course includes personal instructor attention, traditional classroom/online video sessions, online text, extensive resources, graded compositions, moderated discussion forums and chatrooms.

Online text: SAT, ACT, TOEFL, College Prep English Practice by K. Titchenell.
Many text, audio, and video recording resources will be used and provided free of charge.

CONTACT: K. Titchenell (323) 432-7128
or email: eieclass@abacus-es.com