Radical Reader Book Club: Taylor Before and After – Thursday, July 13, 2023 – Grades 7 – 10
Thursday, July 13 2023 @ 5:00PM – 6:30PM EDT
Instructor:
Eva Goldstein – MeolaInstructor Email:
eva@opententacademy.comGrade/Level:
7 – 10Day of Week:
ThursdayClass Times:
5:00PM – 6:30PM (ET)Terms/Semesters:
Summer 2023
Have your teen join us for some amazing summer reading in another installation of RADICAL READERS!
Students will learn to begin to develop their own criteria for evaluating the books they read. Because it’s a discussion class, we encourage students to leave their cameras on, microphones ready, and to use the chatbox to expand the discussion and to think about what they want to say before class begins. This isn’t your average book club!
In this class, in addition to discussing the novel, students will have the opportunity to….
- Reflect on how literature reveals elements of humanity or the world in which we live.
- Articulate an evaluation of the novel and why they think the way they do.
- Learn how to analyze a literary character, setting, theme, symbolism etc.
- Speak aloud and/or use the chat to participate in the conversation.
Students MUST come to class having ALREADY read / listened (audio books are fabulous) the novel. They must be prepared to discuss!
July 13 – Taylor Before and After by Jennie England
In journal entries alternating between two timelines—before and after a tragic accident—Jennie Englund’s heartfelt coming-of-age story, Taylor Before and After follows the year that changes one girl’s life forever.
Before, Taylor Harper is finally popular, sitting with the cool kids at lunch, and maybe, just maybe, getting invited to the biggest, most exclusive party of the year.
After, no one talks to her.
Before, she’s friends with Brielle Branson, the coolest girl in school.
After, Brielle has become a bully, and Taylor’s her favorite target.
Before, home isn’t perfect, but at least her family is together.
After, Mom won’t get out of bed, Dad won’t stop yelling, and Eli…
Eli’s gone.
Through everything, Taylor has her notebook, a diary of the year that one fatal accident tears her life apart. In entries alternating between the first and second semester of her eighth-grade year, she navigates joy and grief, gain and loss, hope and depression.
How can Taylor pick up the pieces of what used to be her social life? How can her house ever feel like home again after everything that’s happened? And how can she move forward if she can’t stop looking back?
Please note: There is profanity in some of the novels.
When you choose this registration, you are registering for the SINGLE NOVEL book club meeting. If you would like to register for the 5-pack at a discounted price, please do so!
NOTE: Registration deadline is June 25, 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.
