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- Course name
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Thomas Finds a Treasure: A Saint John Neumann Story: Living History Through Literature
- Summary
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Join this 4-week project-based literature and American history course using Joan Stromberg’s excellent Glory of America series. Help your middle school student study the historical context of the book and participate in engaging literature discussions and hands-on projects.
Special Notes: If you want all of your children to study American history together, this course fits into our 4-year History Cycle (matching grade school, middle school, and high school courses).
Total Classes: 4
Class Dates: Thursdays, February 27 to March 27, 2025. (No class March 6th)
Starting Time: 10:00 AM Eastern (9:00 Central; 8:00 Mountain; 7:00 Pacific)
Duration: 30 minutes per class
Prerequisite: None
Suggested Grade Level: 3rd to 6th grade
Suggested Credit: 1/2 semester American Literature or Literature. Precede with Kat Finds a Friend: Living History Through Literature to receive one full semester of credit.
Fee: For all 4 classes: $67 if you register on or before November 15. $87 after Nov. 15. (Registration closes one week before the first day of class. After that date, registrations are not guaranteed. There is a $20 surcharge for late enrollments after the course is closed.)
Instructor: Mandi Gette, MA, MAS
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 Saint John Neumann Story by Joan Stromberg, ISBN-10: 0966468929; ISBN-13: 978-0966468922
(https://catalog.beholdpublications.com/). Your student will need either PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Keynote to create a Final Project. Google Slides and Keynote can be found free online.
Homework: Weekly quizzes and reading assignments. Each week, students will work on one project-based assignment that will culminate in a final novel project submission (due at the end of week 6). Homework (including novel reading) will take 1.5-3 hours per week. Parents are encouraged to support younger students by reading texts aloud and helping with project planning and execution.
©2025 Homeschool Connections and Jackie de Laveaga, M.Ed. All rights reserved. This course is designed by Jackie de Laveaga, M.Ed.This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws.
You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.
- Course name
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Thomas Finds a Treasure: A Saint John Neumann Story: Living History Through Literature
- Instructor
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Mandi Gette
- Editor
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Jackie de Laveaga
- Semester
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Spring 2025
- Category
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Grade School ➤ Grade School Literature
- Grade level
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Grade School
- Course type
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Live
- Price
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$87
- Seats available
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25 seats available
- Seats remaining
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21 seats remaining
- Start time
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February 27th, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET
- End time
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March 27th, 2025 at 11:00 AM ET
- Relative due dates
Mandi Gette
Mrs. Gette holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Theology, Catechetics, and German and a Master of Arts degree in Theology and Christian Ministry (Franciscan University of Steubenville), as well as a Master of Advanced Studies degree in Theology, with an emphasis in Christian ethics (KU Leuven). Her Master’s thesis is on the topic of Christian marriage. Mrs. Gette’s career includes online education to students across the globe, in both English as a Second Language and Catholic classrooms, teaching students from pre-school to adulthood. Her experience in ministry varies from sacramental preparation for all ages to missionary work to Montessori-based catechesis.
Mrs. Gette enjoys various approaches to homeschooling, including book work, physical learning, co-op communities, and the use of multimedia. She enjoys asking questions to cause students to ponder deep truths and showing the glory of God in all disciplines. Mrs. Gette’s hobbies include painting, sewing, studying philosophy, and watching Christmas movies. Mrs. Gette is thrilled to be a part of the Homeschool Connections community!