Founders Classical Academy of Fort Worth
Week of August 24 - 28
“Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.”
— Francis Bacon
WELCOME!
UPCOMING EVENTS!
August 24th - 6th Grade Recitation
August 25th - 7th Grade Recitation
August 26th - 8th Grade Recitation
September 3rd - Ice Cream Social
September 4th - Student Holiday (Teacher Development Day)
September 7th - Labor Day
October 30th - Family Blast!
This week, students officially began our first major works of literature for the year. Grade 6 entered the world of Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper, exploring the contrasting lives of Tom Canty and Edward Tudor. Grade 7 began Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, encountering Guy Montag and the unsettling society in which he lives. Grade 8 began George Orwell’s Animal Farm, where the animals of Manor Farm are beginning to question the order under which they live. Alongside our reading, students continued preparing the poems they have selected for their first recitation, developing the memorization and speaking skills that will culminate in their performances.
Next week, students will complete their first poetry recitation by presenting their entire poem from memory before their class and the school. Students will be expected not only to remember the words but also to communicate the poem through clear pronunciation, appropriate pacing, expression, and confident delivery. In Literature and ELAR, each grade will continue progressing through its respective novel. As we read, students will put their newly acquired annotation skills into practice by identifying important details, unfamiliar vocabulary, literary devices, grammatical features, and other noteworthy elements of the text. These annotations will help students become more attentive readers while providing material for our classroom discussions and writing.
Grade 6 — The Prince and the Pauper
pauper (noun) — A person who is extremely poor and possesses little or no property.
The word comes into English from the Latin pauper, meaning “poor.” Twain places the word directly in his title to emphasize the extraordinary contrast between his two central characters: a prince surrounded by wealth and privilege and a pauper who has known poverty throughout his life.
Grade 7 — Fahrenheit 451
kerosene (noun) — A flammable liquid commonly used as a fuel.
Kerosene appears immediately and prominently in Bradbury’s novel because Montag and his fellow firemen use it to burn books. Bradbury transforms something ordinarily thought of simply as a fuel into a recurring symbol associated with destruction, censorship, and Montag’s identity as a fireman.
Grade 8 — Animal Farm
comrade (noun) — A companion or fellow member of a group, especially one united with others by a common cause.
The animals repeatedly address one another as “comrades,” beginning with Old Major’s speech in Chapter 1. The word emphasizes their supposed equality and shared struggle, while also carrying important historical associations with revolutionary and communist movements. Students should watch how Orwell’s use of this word develops as the novel progresses.
Did you know that “Mark Twain” was not the author’s real name? He was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835 and adopted “Mark Twain” as his pen name. Before becoming a famous author, Clemens worked as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River, and his pen name is traditionally associated with the language of river navigation. A leadsman measuring the river’s depth could call “mark twain” to indicate a depth of two fathoms, or about twelve feet. His experiences along the Mississippi would profoundly influence his writing, and even the name by which the world remembers him grew out of the river culture he knew so well.
By Judith Kunst
Was it because
at last
I cleaned the window
that he threw himself
against the glass?
I thought, poor crow—
he doesn't know
the evergreens
and blue sky
are behind him.
I turned back
to my page
but whumpp—
the bird attacked
the glass again.
His long claws
scuffled at the pane
and I yelled "Crow!
Go away!"
Again his body slapped
the glass,
again
and then again,
and then at last
he caught my eye—
oh, prophet,
terrified.
By Jean Toomer
Thunder blossoms gorgeously above our heads,
Great, hollow, bell-like flowers,
Rumbling in the wind,
Stretching clappers to strike our ears . . .
Full-lipped flowers
Bitten by the sun
Bleeding rain
Dripping rain like golden honey—
And the sweet earth flying from the thunder.
by Walt Whitman
A line in long array where they wind betwixt green islands,
They take a serpentine course, their arms flash in the sun—hark to the musical clank,
Behold the silvery river, in it the splashing horses loitering stop to drink,
Behold the brown-faced men, each group, each person a picture, the negligent rest on the saddles,
Some emerge on the opposite bank, others are just entering the ford—while,
Scarlet and blue and snowy white,
The guidon flags flutter gayly in the wind.
Grades 6 - 8 Literature Syllabus
2026 - 2027
Instructor: Mr. Ethan Laurence-Gauglitz
(elaurencegauglitz@responsiveedtx.com)
Course Description
In the Grade 6 course, we will explore great works of literature that have shaped and defined civilizations, from the ancient Greeks and Hebrews to modern France and England. We will feed our moral imaginations and seek wisdom, virtue, and self-knowledge, while ultimately looking toward the common good of civilization and toward the pursuit of goodness, truth, and beauty. We will read stories and focus on their themes, such as glory, pride, hospitality, devotion, deception, the public and private self, and revenge. We will map out plots and examine characters in detail, and also give special close-reading to important passages that reveal the literary mastery of the author. By participating in seminars and by writing, we will learn to refine our thoughts about these books. We will also become steeped in the poetic tradition by memorizing and performing great poems by Homer, Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Rudyard Kipling, and more.
In the Grade 7 course, students will read great works of literature, starting with novels by Tolkien, Kipling,
Dickens, London, and Bradbury, and concluding with dramatic works by Shakespeare and Rostand.
Students will discover how good literature trains us to use our wits to think, speak, and write with
substance. Substance is composed of form and matter. The form of literature includes its plot,
characters and themes. The matter of literature is the alphabet. With these twenty six symbols, we
communicate with authors long dead, who still influence us, and learn how to communicate with our
contemporaries and posterity, whom we can influence for better or worse. Students will take on this
responsibility as men and women of letters by working to master the form and matter of literature
through speaking and writing their thoughts, reciting poems, telling and re-telling stories, and
engaging with the great conversation.
In the Grade 8 course, students for the increasingly demanding reading, writing, and discussion expected in high school through the careful study of literature and the continued development of written and spoken expression. Following the Founders Classical Academy scope and sequence, students will engage with significant works of literature representing a variety of genres, authors, historical periods, and literary traditions.
Students will move beyond basic comprehension toward sustained literary analysis, examining how authors develop characters, themes, arguments, and ideas through structure, language, imagery, symbolism, and rhetoric. Writing instruction will emphasize logical organization, precise language, effective use of textual evidence, revision, grammar, and style. Students will be expected to articulate and defend interpretations both in writing and in classroom discussion, developing the habits of careful reading, clear reasoning, and effective communication necessary for success in high school.
Texts and Supplies
In order to be prepared for class each day, please bring the following. Upper school classrooms do not have communal supplies, so students are responsible for bringing their own and storing them in their backpack or locker.
A 1½ -inch binder exclusive to Grade 6 Literature
A writing journal
Loose-leaf, college-ruled notebook paper
An assignment planner to write down the homework
Pencils
Structure of the Course
In sixth grade literature, we will begin by reading great stories, then we will discuss these texts in class, and finally, we will write down the ideas we have formulated from our readings and
discussions. Thus, our class will have three emphases: reading, speaking, and writing.
1. Reading
Reading will almost exclusively be assigned as daily homework, though on some occasions will we have time for reading in class. For this reason, parents should ensure that students have ample time and quiet space at home every day for reading. Students are required to annotate in their books with a pen or pencil as they read, according to the guidance given by the teacher. Periodic annotation checks will be conducted for a grade. Students should devote ample time every day to reading and annotating so that they may arrive in class fully prepared for discussions, exercises, and pop reading quizzes. A typical day's homework might include ten to fifteen pages of reading (depending on the book) and a few comprehension questions, or a review for a test, or work on a writing assignment.
2. Speaking
Students will practice speaking in two primary ways: by participating in regular classroom discussions and by reciting poetry. Most class periods will consist of a guided discussion in which the teacher will integrate lecture with guided discussion questions for the whole class. Students will often begin these discussions with narratio presentations (delivered to the whole class) on the homework from the night before. All students are expected to participate in discussions by asking or answering questions and making relevant comments on the reading from their annotations or reading notes. On a regular basis, we will hold formal Socratic seminars in which all students must participate in order to receive a passing grade. Additionally, we will memorize a number of poems throughout the year for the purpose of recitation. After ample practice, each student will recite the poem for the class.
3. Writing
Through habitually reading great books, we receive not only the gift of the author’s vision of the
world, but also that of their style and linguistic craft, which we may absorb and implement in our
own writing. We read great books, in part, to imitate them and become great writers. We will keep a journal and practice daily writing. We will also write narrative summaries and interpretive essays in order to articulate our thoughts about the themes in our novels, develop a thesis (or claim), make an outline, select quotes as evidence, and explain a crucial theme in a story. There will be composition assignments for each book we read, and a 5-paragraph narrative summary (major grade) once per semester.
Grading
Tests – 50%
Quizzes – 30%
The lowest quiz grade per quarter will be dropped.
Homework/Assignments – 20%
Resources for Parents
Here are a few excellent, free sites to help students build reading comprehension skills at home:
ReadTheory – adaptive online reading practice with comprehension quizzes:
https://readtheory.org/
CommonLit – free texts with guided questions and assessments:
https://www.commonlit.org/
Newsela – leveled nonfiction articles to strengthen reading comprehension and critical thinking:
https://newsela.com/
About Mr. Laurence
Mr. Ethan Laurence-Gauglitz earned his Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of North Texas, also studying a semester at Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität in Hannover, Germany. After graduation, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kosovo, working as a grant writer for the local municipal government and teaching English in local schools. These experiences deepened his appreciation for cultural exchange, global perspectives, and the power of language to connect people.
Most recently, Mr. Laurence was the Academic Coordinator and Lead English Instructor at Excel Academy in Henderson, Nevada, where he developed curriculum, supported teachers, and helped students reach their full potential. He brings to the classroom a love for languages, literature, and learning, and is excited to share these passions with his students this year.