The Scarlet Letter
an Online Discussion
for
Homeschool Parents and
Classical Conversations Challenge 1 Directors
Thursday, June 11 @ 3-5 pm Eastern Daylight Time
Challenge B Short Stories
Literary critics have long debated whether The Scarlet Letter is a feminist novel
But was that really Nathaniel Hawthorne's intent?
How should we read this classic American literature?
I knew how to teach writing to college students, but when I began homeschooling, I had to learn how to teach my elementary student—who said he hated writing!
(The photo above is my oldest who is now 6'4" tall!)
With my degree from a Department of Rhetoric, I know the rhetorical canon and the prewriting-writing-revising process well.
While teaching college students, I excelled at teaching invention tools.
While teaching my boys, we became good at recording our ideas!
With my degree in Scientific and Technical Communication, I knew how to write clearly and concisely.
Not until homeschooling through LTW and Analogies for All of Us did I fully appreciate literary devices.
Now I see literary devices in whatever I'm reading, from The Hiding Place to The Art of War to the Bible!
But God, through His infinite wisdom, taught me as I wrote my own award-winning story how to co-write with His Holy Spirit.
He wants us to be successful, and He gives wisdom to all who ask!
Let's discuss how to analyze Hawthorne's message
using
Classical Education Tools
of
Similarities
Differences
Definitions
Circumstances
Testimony
What does this discussion of
The Scarlet Letter
include?
What were the circumstances of the setting?
What were the circumstances surrounding the writing and publishing of the novel?
What do we learn about Puritan beliefs from chapter 1?
How does chapter 1 compare to the Bible story in John 8:1-11 (The Woman Caught in Adultery)?
How does the meaning of the scarlet letter change throughout the novel?
...and more
Notetaking template
5 common topics tool
Who?
Parent-teachers
Classical Conversations Challenge 1 Directors
What? Where?
Live Zoom call, recorded
Downloadables
When?
Thursday, June 11 @ 3-5 pm Eastern Daylight Time
Recorded for those who can't make the live Zoom
Challenge B Short Stories
What Students & Parents Say About
Cheryl Krichbaum's Courses
Online Course
About Mrs. Krichbaum
Cheryl Krichbaum
“God wants you to be successful!”
Award-Winning Author, Speaker, Writing Coach
award-winning author
B.S. Scientific & Technical Communication, University of Minnesota Department of Rhetoric
unfinished M.A. Rhetoric and Scientific & Technical Communication with emphasis in instructional technology from the same department
taught undergraduate writing courses
wrote course websites, online-help system, corporate e-newsletters, training and train-the-trainer manuals
homeschool mom
researched teaching elementary homeschool students the writing process
researched teaching resistant writers
former Classical Conversations Challenge B Director
parent-teacher of sons who completed Classical Conversations Challenges A, B, 1, 2, 3
former American Literature teacher at a local homeschool co-op where I'm now teaching Rhetoric of Journalism & Business Communication
Classical Conversations
Challenge B Short Stories
2026 Challenge B Short Stories Course Outline
Mondays at 8 pm Eastern Time
Jan 5 - Apr 27, 2026
All sessions recorded & uploaded that night
Last year's recordings already in the course
Brainstorm—January 5, 2026
Rhetorical Canon & Writing Process
Inventorying Your Books, Movies, and more
Working with Your Holy Spirit Advantage
Create 5 Story Ideas—January 12, 2026
Turning Your Inventory into Ideas
Choose 1 Story Idea—January 19, 2026
(MLK Jr Day)
Focusing on One Story Idea
Writing Your Story Description
Focus & Story Description—January 26, 2026
Writing Your Story Description
Connecting to Mock Trial
Leaving Out Details
Setting—February 2, 2026
Writing Your Setting Paragraph
Character(s)—February 9, 2026
Character Archetypes
Describing Your Main Character
More on Characters—February 16, 2026
(President's Day)
Describing Your Main Character
Showing a Few Details about Other Characters
Overview of Rest of Semester
Plot—February 23, 2026
Freytag's Pyramid
Modern Structure
Plot archetypes
Word Processing
Plot Checklists—March 2, 2026
Plot Checklists
Sample Student Story
First Draft - March 9, 2026
Writing Dialogue
Getting Your Draft Done
Banned Words
Preparing for Peer Review
Peer Review—March 16, 2026
Formatting
Levels of Editing
Asking Questions
Learning to Love Edits
Dialogue—March 23, 2026
Punctuating Dialogue
Editing for American Standard English
Refining After Peer Review
Taking a Break to Celebrate Holy Week
Manuscript—April 6, 2026
Preparing Your Manuscript
Illustrations
About the Author
DIRECTORS: Notes on Publishing Books
DIRECTORS: Sample Front Matter
Illustrations & Author—April 13, 2026
Image Options
About the Author Examples
Formatting in MS Word & Google Docs
Audio Recording Secrets
Q&A—April 20, 2026
Self-Publishing
Answering Remaining Questions
Mrs. Krichbaum's Secret Plan
Q&A—April 27, 2026
Answering Remaining Questions
Writing Contest Deadline May 18, 2026
Enrolled students may enter their story into Mrs. Krichbaum's contest for a small fee of $35 (to defray the cost of producing the anthology)
If Mrs. Krichbaum is impressed, your story will be published as a professionally produced anthology
Superior Challenge B Short Stories Series
award-winners from previous years
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