Torchlight Constellation Series Level 6+

Torchlight Constellation Series is our Level 6+ curriculum for learners 11+.

The “middle school years” and beyond are a transitional time for many learners. They are ready for more agency and independence in their learning choices. To meet these needs, Torchlight’s format for Levels 6+ has shifted. There are so many shining learning opportunities in our vast cosmos, but not all of them are the right fit for all learners at any given time. We wanted to create options that allowed families to curate a constellation of literature and topical studies into the image they felt worked best for this moment in their journey. Our Constellation Series will enable families to choose the studies that are the right fit for them right now, catering to their needs and preferences perfectly.

Each study includes a Learning Partner Guide, a Novel Study, and a Student Book. Our Literature Studies include:

  • A weekly schedule
  • Literature Primer & discussion
  • Annotation & reading assignments
  • Structured & paced writing assignments with guided instruction
  • Vocabulary with definitions and contextual usage
  • Activities & projects
  • Poetry study & analysis
  • Literature quotes for dictation or study
  • Weekly extensions (can include books, videos, adult and older learner recommendations)

Download the sample to get an idea of Torchlight’s Constellation Series Literature Studies!

If you prefer to follow a pre-curated list of novels that will eventually be coupled with Torchlight’s plans for stand-alone social studies, history, and mental/physical health studies, keep an eye on this page. We have full-year novel lists that will be available once the majority of the Literature Studies for the first year of study are published and available.

*Bundle pricing will be available once multiple studies have been published.

Torchlight Constellation Series Sample

Preview sample pages of the Torchlight Constellation Series Study

The Last Cuentista
Price: $15.00 
Downloadable PDF, non-refundable

PLEASE NOTE: We want all families to make informed decisions on what is best for their learners at each learning stage, so please be aware this novel does deal with familial loss.

4-Week Study: The Last Cuentista features Mexican folklore and the art and importance of storytelling. Higuera meshes sci-fi futurism and history while asking significant moral questions about our responsibilities to humanity and culture and how decision-making power should be handled within civilizations.

The Wee Free Men
Price: $15.00 
Downloadable PDF, non-refundable

4-Week Study: The Wee Free Men is a modern coming-of-age fairytale highly regarded for its imaginative storyline, authentic characters, and rich world-building. Terry Pratchett is known for skillfully writing parodies of the fantasy genre and employing satire to question our modern viewpoints and practices. When studying where folklore, fairy tales, and human psychology meet, it is only logical to look at our interaction with, and the effects of, these stories as we did in The Last Cuentista and experience them for ourselves. The Wee Free Men will be a part of that delightful experience. We will also look at a few writing craft tools along the way.

The Golden Compass
Price: $20.00 
Downloadable PDF, non-refundable

PLEASE NOTE: We want all families to make informed decisions on what is best for their learners at each learning stage, so please be aware this novel focuses on calling biblical myths and the dogma surrounding them into question for deep examination. Please be sure you are comfortable with this academic practice before purchasing.

The Golden Compass explores oppression in its many forms but specifically focuses on oppression through religious and political power structures. Within this study, we will be learning about a handful of biblical myths from a secular academic perspective and analyzing how they show up within the story. This novel also takes a critical look at the viewpoints and practices of theocracies and, in particular, the dogma within the Catholic Church that is tied to biblical myth. The His Dark Materials series (consisting of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass) also posits an alternate idea for the existence of a god-like figure. The Golden Compass Constellation will be the first of three, one for each book. However, this first Constellation contains the study of the five biblical myths that are featured throughout the series and an extensive poetry analysis, allowing most families to be able to complete the three-book series with a solid foundation.

Wildoak
Price: $15.00 
Downloadable PDF, non-refundable

4-Week Study: Wildoak is an exemplary novel that shows us how every voice matters: that of humans, animals, and the natural world. But we don’t all express ourselves the same way, and we all need an advocate at some point. Maggie provides a rare look at the internal world of someone with a communication difference, stuttering. We are made fully aware of the common social misconceptions around this neurodivergence through Maggie’s experience. We also witness how being surrounded by love and care can heal the inner self. We get to see Maggie find her voice, stutter and all, by finding a purpose tied to her empathy. That purpose is speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves, animals, and the trees. The author does a phenomenal job with this neurodiversity representation.

Literary elements: This story has great pacing, language usage, command of literary devices, representation, a third-person omniscient narrator, and a theme of acceptance.

Historical & geographic connections: This book takes place during The Big Freeze of 1963 in Cornwall, England. It also explores Harrod’s Animal Kingdom and the effects of the sale of wild animals.

What’s Coming Next?: Our Future Plans

Within the Torchlight Constellation Series, you will eventually find complete learning-year studies in social studies, history, and mental/physical health. Coupled with the Literature Studies, these studies will allow families to choose their academic focus’ each year. These studies will carefully be created over the next few years, one component at a time, with literature being the priority.

To make it easy for families to create their tailored year confidently, we are working on creating a specialized tool that will allow you to drag and drop individual studies into a year-long weekly timeline, so you can see what the yearly flow will look like and cover all your bases before your purchase. However, creating innovative tools like this takes time, so sign-up for our e-mail list if you want notifications as Constellation Series Studies and tools become available.

To give you an idea of what is to come, our first S.S. topic will be The Morals of Our Stories: Folktales, Fairytales, and Comparative Religion (Finalized titles are still in the works). This study will include a treasury of tales from around the world, creation myths, and a secular academic look at many world religions, belief systems, and non-belief. Understanding human culture, social structures, and how they influence political structures is pertinent to a better understanding of the past and present in our second run through history that will follow. The first Literature Studies to be made available will align with these themes and be labeled so they can easily be aligned with other topics in your planning. All S.S. and History Studies will include:

  • A weekly schedule
  • Inquiry-style discussion
  • Book Club Reading assignments
  • Structured & paced writing assignments with guided instruction
  • Vocabulary with definitions and contextual usage
  • Activities & projects
  • Weekly extensions (can include books, videos, adult and older learner recommendations)

 

As always, within our curriculum, we will continue to offer recommendations for curricula in the subjects Torchlight does not cover.

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