Close reading
‘Cuz there’s more to life than science
It can be hard to be a human.
The bad news: it’s always been this way. The good news: others have left us clues so we can live better — more fully, more wisely, more wonderfully.
That’s what literature is!
At Science is WEIRD, our goal is to help kids become amazing adults… so we help kids unpack these clues.
The world is full of great literature… the tragedy is that it can be hard to crack it open. This is why we teach the art of close reading.
“Close reading”
What’s “close reading”?
Close reading is what a poet does with a poem. It’s what a lawyer does with a law. It’s what a lover does with a letter from their sweetheart.
It’s a hyper-focused, question-asking sort of reading that tries to get to the bottom of what’s going on —
What does this word mean, precisely?
Why did the author put it here?
Oh, yeah — I hate that!
If you have bad memories of high school English, you probably agree that forcing kids to do close reading is a crime against humanity.
So we don’t force kids — first, we help them fall in love with what they’re reading.
Our (next) close reading classes
We currently offer three ways to help your kid experience the joy of close reading.
In “Reading Comics”, we pour through 15 pages a week of some of the world’s best comics, and learn every word, phrase, and reference.
In “Arguing Comics”, we go even further — we find a topic we disagree about in those 15 pages, and use it to practice the art of constructive disagreement.
In “Eating Poems”, you’ll learn to love, be curious about, master, and memorize 20 wonderful poems… and load your head with some of the world’s most powerful language.
More coming
Songs, Songs, Songs!
(Coming sometime in 2024, probably)
What if your kid could tap into some of the most powerful experiences of other people… by paying close attention to popular music?
Like “Poems”, this is a different kind of course. It’s not a live class — it’s a do-it-yourself curriculum. When you purchase it, you download a booklet of 20 of Brandon’s favorite songs, links to short videos, and checklists for how to eat them.
Humanities courses
(Coming in the hazy future, probably)
Happiness:
the psychology and philosophy of human flourishing
Moral Economics:
how to make a good society
World Religions & Worldviews:
asking the biggest questions
Evil:
the psychology and philosophy of human awfulness
Before Science is WEIRD, Brandon was a high-school humanities teacher — these are some of the classes he taught in the homeschool community.
What do they all have in common? In each, you’ll wrestle with some of life’s big questions through Socratic seminars, and by learning how to really read a book.
Note: We despise the term “college-prep” (as if a class’s highest goal was to prepare you for more classes!), but these definitely check the “college-prep humanities” box.