(Recorded course) Thomas Finds a Treasure: A Saint John Neumann Story: Living History Through Literature with Jackie de Laveaga (American, Historical Fiction)

 

Sign up for Thomas Finds a Treasure to learn history in an engaging, enjoyable study of this novel. You will learn about America circa 1836 through the protagonist of our story and share that knowledge with a fun project of your choice.

 

 

 

 

How to get the most out of the LHTL: Medieval History 2:  The Door in the Wall" course with Jackie de Laveaga:

  • Watch each recorded class.
  • Have a notebook ready and available for class notes each recorded session.
  • Have a copy of Thomas Finds a Treasure with you when you watch classes.
  • Read the assigned chapters from the previous module before watching the next recording.
  • Do the quizzes and any extra work assigned for that module after you do the assigned reading.
  • Information on this page which appears in a red font indicates an assignment for the students to complete or something for them to download.
  • Once the course is completed to the parent's satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

Total classes: 4

Duration per class: 30 minutes

Prerequisite: No class prerequisite. Your student will need Word 2007 or later version or the ability to convert a document to a Word-compatible file.

Suggested Grade Level: 3rd through 6th grade

Suggested Credit: 1/2 semester History or Literature

 

Instructor: Jackie de Laveaga, BA, M.Ed.

 Instructor Email: hsc@delaveaga.app

Course Description:

Living History Through Literature is a project-based course series. These courses weave the study of literature into a meaningful and engaging encounter with a specific era of history. In Thomas Finds a Treasure, we meet Thomas and Fr. John Neumann of Williamsville, New York. It’s 1836, and Catholic persecution is rampant. The Erie Canal has just been completed, and Thomas’ Bohemian immigrant father helped to build the Canal. This is a story of bravery, friendship, family, and dignity. Students will study the historical context of the novel and participate in engaging literature discussions. In this project-based course, students will engage in short quizzes and in projects of their choice. Project options will include fiction writing, preparing period-specific food and/or costumes, creating lapbooks, recreating scenes from the novel (Legos, clay, K’nex, digital drawing, hand-drawing, etc.), building a timeline, mapping, and more.

Course outline:

      Class 1: Overview of Historical Context and Novel Introduction

·    Class 2: Literature Discussion; Project Introduction; Literary Devices; Analysis

·    Class 3: Literature Discussion; Cultural Overview; Project Ideas; Analysis

·    Class 4: Literature Discussion; Fiction Writing Tips; Analysis

Course materials: Thomas Finds a Treasure, A St. John Neumann Story by Joan Stromberg, 

(https://catalog.beholdpublications.com/)

Homework: Regular quizzes and reading assignments. Each module, students will work on one project-based assignment that will culminate in a final novel project submission (due at the end of week 4). Homework (including novel reading) will take 1.5-3 hours per class. Parents are encouraged to support younger students by reading texts aloud and helping with project planning and execution.