Grades 4 and 5
Web-based
Middle School
Qualifying verbal score and reading at 7th grade level (View About readability and appropriateness)
Visit our textbook web page to view the titles of books that need to be purchased for this course Session Dates and Application Deadlines
10 weeks or 5 weeks Intensive Mid Summer session Get swept away by a good book. Students read thematically connected, age-appropriate, above-grade-level books. Examples of themes are "Magical Life Lessons" and "On Our Own." Students first read for enjoyment, then re-read analytically to answer the fundamental questions: What is the author telling me about life or people? What made me keep reading? Assignments and discussions emphasize clarifying and expanding student's ideas and citing text as support. This course is for students who enjoy reading, pondering, and sharing their thoughts. Vocabulary and literary devices are included, and discussions emphasize critical thinking about themes and ideas. Parents are encouraged to consider the information contained in About readability and appropriateness, Look inside the books, and Read reviews for the books in each series before deciding on the theme that would be most interesting and appropriate for their child. This series grows on suggestions from students in previous courses. Check here for currently offered themes. 
In the books Matilda by Roald Dahl, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling, and Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, a young person learns the joys and pitfalls of acquiring unexpected powers. Students analyze, compare, and contrast the experiences of Matilda, Harry Potter, and Meggie. The easiest method to check readability for your child is the “Five Finger Rule.” Have the child begin reading aloud any page of a book at random and raise your finger each time he or she struggles with a word. If your child reaches the end of the page before you have raised five fingers, your child should be able to read the book independently.
CTYOnline simplifies this informal assessment by linking to pages of almost every book in the Look inside the books section. Please perform this “Five Finger Rule” assessment on the last or next to last book of any course you are considering. Parents should be aware that each theme contains books with humor, suspense, mystery, sadness, adventure, and heroism. Overall, while our courses contain advanced grade-level material, we strive to select materials appropriate to the ages of the students. Please look inside the books and read reviews to decide whether these books are appropriate for your child. If you are still uncertain whether your child is ready for a course, please contact the program office or call 410-735-6140. To assess readability level, click on the bottom two book titles and perform the Five Finger Rule. Look inside Matilda
Look inside Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Look inside Inkheart
Parents are urged to review for appropriate content. Reviews of Matilda
Reviews of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Reviews of Inkheart
(pdf 103 Kb) - about 3 hours weekly for 10 week sessions (Fall, Early Spring, Mid Spring, Early Summer )
- about 6 hours weekly during intensive Mid Summer session
Learn more about the summer sessions. Get more information from Frequently Asked Questions.
All CTY Online courses require a properly-maintained computer with Internet access and a recent-version web browser (such as Explorer 6, Firefox, or Safari). Students are expected to be familiar with standard computer operations (e.g. login, cut & paste, email attachments, etc). |
Spam blockers, parental controls, and other internet filtering software must allow email from JHU (jhu.edu & jhem.jhu.edu), and from the instructor's email address (provided at start of course). Important: Frequent changing of a student's screen name or email address is inversely proportional to success. |
If this course uses a web-based classroom for assignments and group discussion, your browser will need to allow cookies, javascript, and popup windows from the classroom web site. You may test a web-based classroom. |
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