Founders Classical Academy of Fort Worth
Week of October 5 - 9
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
— William Shakespeare, Hamlet
WELCOME!
UPCOMING EVENTS!
September 28th - 6th Grade Recitation
September 29th - 7th Grade Recitation
September 30th - 8th Grade Recitation
October 30th - Family Blast!
This week, students continued progressing through our literature studies. Grade 6 continued reading Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper, following Tom and Edward as their unusual circumstances continue to challenge their understanding of identity, privilege, and justice. Grade 8 continued William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, where the growing conflicts among the boys provide increasingly important opportunities for literary analysis. Grade 7, meanwhile, completed their culminating assessment over Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, demonstrating their understanding of the novel as a whole. Across our classes, students continue to build the close-reading and analytical habits that will carry forward into our upcoming literature.
Next week, students will continue developing their literary analysis skills through purposeful annotation. Our focus will bring together the four major literary elements we have studied thus far: characterization, symbolism, conflict, and theme. Students will look not only for examples of each element but also for connections among them and the ways authors use them to develop meaning. Grade 6 and Grade 8 will continue their work with The Prince and the Pauper and Lord of the Flies, respectively, while Grade 7 will officially begin Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. As our reading progresses, students will increasingly be expected to use their annotations as evidence for thoughtful discussion and analytical writing.
Grade 6 — The Prince and the Pauper
countenance (noun) — A person’s face or facial expression, especially when it reveals emotion or character.
Twain’s descriptions of characters’ appearances frequently provide clues about their emotions, attitudes, and social positions. Countenance therefore connects particularly well with our study of characterization, since an author can reveal something about a character without stating it directly. Careful readers can use these physical details as evidence when drawing conclusions about a character.
Grade 7 — The Call of the Wild
imperative (adjective) — Extremely important or necessary; unavoidable.
Survival quickly becomes imperative for Buck as he enters an unfamiliar and unforgiving environment. The word fits particularly well with London’s exploration of survival, adaptation, and instinct, as Buck must learn which behaviors are necessary in his new world. As students begin the novel, they should watch for the lessons Buck must learn in order to adapt.
Grade 8 — Lord of the Flies
oppressive (adjective) — Uncomfortably intense or overwhelming; also describing something that places a harsh burden or control upon someone.
Golding’s descriptions of the island frequently emphasize heat, darkness, tangled vegetation, and other sensations that can make the environment feel oppressive. The word can therefore describe both a physical atmosphere and a broader feeling of pressure or confinement. Students should consider how Golding uses the island’s setting to reinforce the increasingly troubled atmosphere among the boys.
Did you know that Robert Frost was already nearly forty years old before his first book of poetry was published? Although Frost had written poetry for years, his literary career developed relatively slowly. In 1912, he moved his family from the United States to England, where he found a more receptive literary community and published his first collection, A Boy’s Will, in 1913. His work soon gained recognition on both sides of the Atlantic, and Frost eventually became one of America’s most celebrated poets. He would go on to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry, demonstrating that a remarkable literary career does not always begin early.
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.