Lightning Literature 8

8th grade Lightning Literature is an accelerated, semester-long online course adapted for gifted learners. It condenses a full-year curriculum into a single semester, requiring students to participate in 50-minute weekly webinars. Recordings are provided for missed sessions. The course delves into various literary elements such as author's purpose, setting, poetry, character development, figurative language, and symbolism. Learning activities include discussion forum writing, multimedia support, web 2.0 tool usage, and live webinar participation.

Required texts for the course are: 'Lightning Lit 8 Student Guide' by Elizabeth Kamath, 'Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages' by Harold Bloom, 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens, 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien, 'A Day of Pleasure' by Isaac B. Singer, and 'My Family and Other Animals' by Gerald Durrell.