CenterForLit instructors use the Socratic method, as it is modeled in our basic seminar Teaching the Classics, to conduct online discussions of classic books. This method involves asking questions that force students to think carefully about their reading, and then to think carefully about their thinking. Using the author’s theme as the goal of the discussion, instructors encourage students to engage with the author’s ideas by discussing the structural and stylistic components that comprise his story. Once students have heard and understood the author, they are encouraged with further questions to critically examine their own assumptions about the author’s theme. As a result, students gain a deeper understanding of the book, and also of themselves as readers and thinkers.
Course Details
Instructor: Megan Andrews
Schedule: Monthly Socratic discussions with optional weekly writing classes (see full schedule and titles below) are held at 10:00 AM Pacific Time (1:00 PM Eastern) on Mondays. Classes run between 90 minutes and 2 hours.
Live webinars: Online meeting software (included in tuition) provides screen sharing and live audio with chat. Students raise hands to participate aloud, use the chat function to converse with the instructor, watch the instructor via live video, and view the screen as a white board while the class builds representative plot charts of the books discussed.
Recordings: High quality video recordings of each class (with discussion notes in PDF format) allow students to participate at their own pace if desired. Students receive an email invitation to join the student database, where they have access to recordings and notes from each discussion.
Grades and Credits (optional): Writing students receive regular report cards with suggestions for improvement. All students receive a certificate of completion/attendance upon request.
Tuition: $475 annually for the discussion-only class; an additional $300 for the optional writing section.
Optional Writing Section
Check out the 2021-22 creative writing student portfolio!
Availability: Open to students enrolled in the elementary discussion course.
Instructor and Tutor: Megan Andrews
Schedule: Weekly 45-minute classes on Thursdays at 8:00 AM Pacific time (11:00 AM Eastern) or 9:00 AM Pacific time (12:00 Eastern), depending on the student’s section.
Assignments: 32 weekly assignments address the fundamentals of English composition, beginning with vocabulary-level activities, proceeding to sentence structure and syntax, and concluding with paragraph-length compositions. Students submit assignments via the student database and receive line-by-line comments according to the predetermined schedule.
Recordings: Writing lessons are recorded to allow for asynchronous participation; however, assignment due dates are firm.
Grading and Credits: Writing students receive regular report cards with suggestions for improvement. All students receive a certificate of completion/attendance upon request.
Teacher Access: The course instructor is always available via email to answer specific questions. Emails are generally returned within 24 hours.
Click here to download a sample essay prompt
Click here to download a sample writing lesson
Click here to download a sample graded assignment
Click here to download a sample report card
Discussion Schedule
All discussion classes meet once per month at 10:00 AM Pacific time (1:00 PM Eastern) on Mondays. Section A and Section B meet on different weeks according to the following schedule:
*CenterForLit requires that students come to class having read (or listened to) an unabridged edition of the assigned title. Obtaining the exact ISBN listed is not mandatory.
Writing Class Schedule
The optional writing class is available to students enrolled in the Socratic discussion course. Section A classes meet at 8:00 AM Pacific time (11:00 AM Eastern) and Section B classes meet at 9:00 AM Pacific time (12:00 PM Eastern) according to the following schedule.
Tuition, Discounts, and Enrollment
Tuition is $475 annually for the discussion-only class, with an additional $300 for the optional writing section.
Early Bird Registration: Students enrolling before June 1, 2025, receive a 10% discount on all tuition fees for every course.
Pelican Society Discount: Pelican Society members receive 10% off of all tuition fees for every academy course in addition to all other applicable discounts. Enrollment must originate while logged into the Pelican Society. Log in now or click here to join!
Sibling Discount: If you are enrolling more than one student from the same family, our system will automatically apply a sibling discount in addition to any other discounts or coupons. Simply make sure all registrations appear in the same shopping cart. You’ll receive a discount on each registration based on how many students are enrolling. Please note that our sibling discount structure amounts to a 100% tuition waiver for student number four!
Upon enrollment, the student will download a registration packet with complete instructions for joining each online discussion and participating in the discussion board. For more information, please email Megan Andrews at m.andrews@centerforlit.com.
Please consider purchasing your books for this course through one of our affiliate programs. CenterForLit earns a small profit from qualifying purchases with no additional cost to you. We appreciate your support! (See our official disclosure statement.)
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We appreciate the responsibility involved in choosing curriculum materials for your students, and we ask you to make this decision carefully. If your plans change and your student must withdraw from a class, CenterForLit can transfer your registration to a different class or to a future term; however, THERE ARE NO REFUNDS FOR ONLINE CLASS REGISTRATIONS.
Jami Hoekstra –
Two of my kids have been a part of this class, discussion and writing, the past few years. It has grown them and encouraged them. The lessons are fun, interactive and instructive, covering a range of subjects from beginning literary analysis, poetry, and creative writing. The book discussions help students dig deeper into works and gain a better understanding of them. It has been a beneficial part of our homeschool and worth every penny.