Welcome to Teach to the Text!
Teach to the Text offers live, asynchronous, and independent study courses for homeschooled students and lifelong learners, with a special focus on high school composition and classical literature. Most writing courses are secular, while most literature courses are taught from a Christian worldview, grounded in the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Questions? Email Ms. Ellen Finnigan at [email protected]. You'll receive a response within 24 business hours.
Ellen Finnigan has been teaching writing online to homeschooled students in one form or another since 2008. She taught at St. John Bosco, a hybrid school in Atlanta, from 2012-13 before teaching in the high school English and Literature department for nine years at Kolbe Academy Online, a classical school for homeschoolers. In 2022, she founded Teach to the Text to promote contemplative learning. She holds a B.A. in English from Boston College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. Her writing has been published in a variety of venues, both online and in print.Â
WWW.TEACHTOTHETEXT.COM
WWW.ELLENFINNIGAN.COM
I also teach private, online writing classes custom-tailored for small groups and co-ops!
To inquire, email me at:
Course Comparison Chart
See prices, dates, and details for 6th-12th grade classes at a glance.
Enrollment now open!
Early bird discounts on summer and fall classes until February 28.
Self-Paced Composition Courses
(video only)
Recommended for: middle and high schoolers
Asynchronous Composition Courses
(with Ms. Finnigan via email)
Recommended for: middle and high schoolers
Bundles
Purchase two or more classes together at a discount.
For Homeschooling Parents and Co-Op Leaders
Want to help your children grow as writers?
Ms. Finnigan can help you help them.
Text Studies are unit studies that can be undertaken independently or as a class, co-op, or book club. They come with:
- a Study Guide written by Ms. Finnigan, which aids close reading, reflection, and literary analysis, and includes writing prompts, enrichment suggestions, and project ideas
- video lectures
- quizzes
- office hours.
Pick the book you want you to read and dive in! Go at your own pace and stop in to office hours to ask questions or to discuss the book with Ms. Finnigan.
Recommended for: ages 14 and up
Let's Read The Iliad!
Available Now
The Iliad is the natural starting place for a classical course of study, as it is the first story we have in Western civilization, dating to around 850 B.C.
Ages 14 and up
Taught by Ms. Finnigan
Let's Read The Odyssey!
COMING SOON
Greek warrior and King of Ithaca must battle strange creatures, the elements, and his own nature on his journey home from the Trojan War. The he must set things right in his kingdom.
Ages 14 and up
Taught by Ms. Finnigan
Let's Read Agamemnon!
COMING SOON
Aeschylus, "The Father of Tragedy," explores ideas of justice in this play about a king's return from the Trojan War and the ugly fate that awaited him.
Ages 14 and up
Taught by Ms. Finnigan