The lesson plans for this class are available for those outside Life Adventures for $25 from our in house author. These have worked great in our co-ops. Here's a look at what those classes look like. Contact us and tell us which lesson plans you're interested in and we'll connect  you with the author.

Through crafts, games, discussion, dramatic play, worksheets which can be done cooperatively, and hands-on activities, students will dive joyfully into great stories that have shaped readers for generations. Our literature classes are designed to be lively and engaging—elementary students learn through curiosity and participation rather than grades, while junior high students are gently introduced to the tools of literary analysis they’ll need for high school and beyond.

Using abridged classics, beloved modern novels, biographies, and Shakespearean drama, we’ll gallop across time and place—from mysterious islands and colonial New England to Renaissance courts and moonlit forests. Students will encounter courage, wit, loyalty, justice, and imagination as they read stories that invite both wonder and thoughtful discussion.

Our Shakespeare unit introduces students to sonnets and several of the Bard’s most accessible and engaging plays, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, and King Lear. Through storytelling, performance, and guided conversation, students will discover that Shakespeare is meant to be enjoyed—not feared.

Additional readings include favorites such as Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, A Wrinkle in Time, The Boxcar Children, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and abridged editions of Treasure Island and The Black Arrow—each chosen to spark imagination while strengthening comprehension and discussion skills.

Our elementary classes are not graded, but weekly homework is required to support reading habits and group participation. This course includes 24 weeks of thoughtfully planned lessons that balance fun, structure, and meaningful engagement with great literature.

24 weeks of lesson plans

• Sonnets, Shakespeare
•  

- Merchant of Venice

- Macbeth

- Twelfth Night

- As You Like It

- Much Ado About Nothing

- Midsummer Night's Dream

- King Lear 

• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Robert C. O'Brien
• A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L’Engle
• The Boxcar Children, Gertrude Warner Chandler
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Elizabeth George Speare
• Treasure Island abridged
• The Black Arrow abridged

No Fear Shakespeare (side by side) is a wonderful option for 7th-8th graders

Tales from Shakespeare by Charles & Mary Lamb is great for 5th-6th grades.

Parents, as always, should be the final judge of which version is best for their student.

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