Exploring American History through the American Girls: 1954 – 1974 – Wednesday – Spring 2023 – 10 Weeks – Grades 2 – 5
Wednesday, April 19 2023 @ 1:00PM – Wednesday, June 21 2023 @ 2:30PM EDT
Instructor:
Eva Goldstein-MeolaInstructor Email:
eva@opententacademy.comGrade/Level:
2 – 5Day of Week:
WednesdayClass Times:
1:00PM – 2:30PM (ET)Terms/Semesters:
Spring 2023
Have your child learn American history through the lens of the American Girls. We will focus on major events of the time while discussing what life was like for both children and adults in those times. Students will also learn the culture, geography, lifestyle, inventions and so much more about each time! Students will read the book independently and come to class ready to discuss!
Students will explore United States History from 1954 – 1974.
- Baby Boomers – Progress – 1954 – Maryellen
- MLK – Civil Rights – 1964 – Melody
- Social Changes – Women’s Rights – 1974 – Julie
Students will take short comprehension quizzes and/or write diary entries, create timelines, create a map, and be involved with one project during the semester, which the students will present in a pre-recorded video. We also begin to talk about some literary terms such as character, setting and conflict as they are used in literary analysis.
Participation is an absolute to make the most of this class. Students should “pre-read” the book we will be discussing during that lesson. While reading, they should put themselves in their character’s situation and think what life would be like for them if they lived back then.
Students will receive approximately one to two hours of homework:
- Reading the novel / listening to the novel / being read the novel
- Four Short, summaries on what the student read
- Timeline
- Map
- Living Wax Museum – Due before Class Nine
NOTE: Registration deadline is April 1, 2023.
There must be a minimum of 5 students to run this class.
Excellent class with clear and detailed guidance
I believe my rising 7th grader has greatly benefited from taking the summer Powerful Paragraphs class from Eva. There were precise and detailed instructions on brainstorming, constructing varied and expressive sentences, and usage of transitional phrases, all in the context of the different writing structures they studied each week. The weekly reviews of past lessons and the incremental addition of new stylistic techniques were great reinforcement for the concepts being thoughts. It was also useful to have the numerous sample writings provided for reference with each lesson. Through out the class, they kids had a growing list of “banned” words to encourage them to choose more expressive and nuanced alternatives (started with one or two and grew to maybe ~15). Overall, a great class for my child who is still in the early stages of honing his essay writing skills.
Unsung Heroes
My daughter loved learning about “unsung heroes” of the Civil Rights Movement: individuals who deserve recognition, but receive little in the history books. Ms. Eva ties in historical background information extremely well to the book to help understand the bigger picture to further appreciate Claudette Colvin’s courage.
10 out of 10!
My son just finished ESSAY INTENSIVE, a 10-week course focusing on Critique Writing, Expository Essays, Persuasive Essays, Compare/Contrast Essays and Narrative Essays.
I really appreciate what you have accomplished in the course of 10 weeks!
What a change I saw in my son’s writing.
He would never admit it, but I think that he even likes writing a little now that he understands how to write!
As with our original OTA class, this experience has been incredible!
Forget 5 Stars – it is a 10 out of 10 in my book.
Eva’s Literature Classes are Amazing!
All of Eva’s Literature Classes are amazing.
My daughter MOST RECENTLY loved learning about “unsung heroes” of the Civil Rights Movement: individuals who deserve recognition, but receive little in the history books. Ms. Eva ties in historical background information extremely well to the book to help understand the bigger picture to further appreciate Claudette Colvin’s courage.
She has taken HIDDEN FIGURES, TWICE TOWARDS JUSTICE, AMERICAN GIRLS, WONDER, FISH IN A TREE, TO HOPE AND BACK and REFUGEE with Eva.
Each class was better than the one before!
Do not miss out on Eva’s literature classes!
This class should be mandatory!
I signed up my 8th grader for this class because I wanted him to start thinking about his future.
What I didn’t expect is him initiating meaningful discussions about our cost of living inflation, budgeting, work-life balance etc.
My son will be attending a college prep high school this fall and has already told me he won’t “going to be an idiot who blows over $100 a month on lattes at the cafeteria”.
I am so thankful for this class.
It really got my son thinking about the future.
