Class Overview
Made With You in Mind
This is a writing discovery class! One of the reasons we read is to learn from the greats. We use reading to grow teens as writers by putting strong "writerly skills" into their toolbox.
In this class, students will:
- Internalize the Mechanics: Through copywork and dictation of selected passages, students absorb the sophisticated grammar, punctuation, and syntactical patterns used by master authors.
- Master Literary Analysis: Using our signature Think Piece Questions, students investigate subtext, theme, and character motivation.
- Connect with Ideas: Students dive into cultural and historical context in order to share what was impactful for them and "connect the dots" as they analyze the book through a modern lens.
Nov 9 - Dec 11, 2026
Book Choice:
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.
Reading Schedule: To stay in sync with the class, students should have read at least the first third of the novel by the end of Week One.
A Note on Content: At Brave Writer, we select a wide range of literature that addresses a variety of perspectives. We use these works as teaching tools to foster understanding and growth. Please be aware that you may experience strong reactions to challenging content; we encourage parents to pre-read and prepare for these important discussions!
How does a reader response course work?
This course will follow a four-week schedule where students read and write on their own. The instructor comes in to provide thorough feedback on the final post.
Students can expect:
- Freedom to read, write, and post on their schedule (within the confines of the course dates).
- Limited instructor response. Students move through material on their own until the final week. At that point, they'll receive detailed reader feedback from a trained writing coach.
We've scaffolding the learning so a student flies mostly solo, with that instructor support right when students need it—at the end!
Spin and Spiral
This class includes information from the Slingshot manual written to accompany this novel. Each manual visits and revisits terms and skills related to writing mechanics and literary analysis. Here is an overview from the book under study. We will address some or all of these topics in class. Families can download a PDF of the complete manual (provided in class) to work through topics not covered in class.
