Middle school students study poetry, short stories, and novels. They are often asked to write the analysis of such literary genre in their English classes. Students need to learn how to respond to the deeper meaning of literary works in order to better succeed in their English classes. Students in this exciting class will read and analyze poetry and short stories. The course will navigate students through different literary terms and devices in order to uncover the analytical meaning and depth of the text. This class is also an oral participation course, as confidence in sharing literary observations is a prized value in the classroom. Discussion based classes will facilitate the learning of the literature pieces. This class is not an essay writing class although students will be asked to ultimately identify the author’s intention using the techniques taught in class. Students will be asked to follow a 5- step method in order to strengthen their literary skills.