Age: 12-14 Middle School 1 Full Credit
This course, taught by Mrs. Maggie Purifoy, approaches literary analysis of novels, plays, and poetry via lively discussion; varied writing assignments, including the comparison essay, the expository essay, and the thesis paper, flow from this analysis.
Maggie Purifoy brings her years of classroom teaching and homeschool experience into a lively literature course designed specifically for middle school students. Through Socratic discussion and guided analysis, students engage deeply with classic literature while learning to express their ideas through structured writing assignments.
Students will:
- Analyze novels, plays, poetry, and short stories through thoughtful classroom-style discussions.
- Practice writing comparison essays, expository essays, and thesis papers based on literary analysis.
- Read a curated selection of classic literature including The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hiding Place, A Christmas Carol, and more.
- Use the Writing and Rhetoric series to strengthen composition skills and writing structure.
This full-credit literature course equips students ages 12–14 with the tools to think critically, write effectively, and grow in their appreciation for great books.
- 28 videos
Required Books:
- Johnny Tremain by Esther Hoskins Forbes
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
- Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
- The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
- The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Shakespeare, some short stories, and poetry
- Each student needs to have their own Writing and Rhetoric book as a guide for instruction. Parents will need the Teacher’s Edition which provides a clear rubric to grade each writing assignment. In the second semester, we will begin Book 10. It is a very comprehensive, step-by-step guide.
*Copies of these books can be purchased on any of these sites, Better World Books, Thrift Books, or Amazon.com
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Preview the assignments for this course in the scope and sequence.
Course Content
INTRODUCTION & MATERIALS
About Instructor
Maggie Purifoy
Maggie graduated from Covenant College in 1996 with a degree in Elementary Education. She spent several years in the classroom, including working at Vienna Christian School in Austria. She helped her husband, Thomas, establish The American School of Lyon in France in 2000-2001. Since then, she has homeschooled her own 3 children; her oldest graduated high school in May 2020 and will be attending Samford University. In 2019-20, she taught Medieval History and Literature to a class of 7-9th graders (something she thoroughly enjoyed).
2 Courses
