Tenth Grade Literature

Description: In this course we’ve chosen some of the very best literature and poetry, which includes an in-depth reading of Pride and Prejudice, The Scarlet Letter, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and The British Tradition II: Poetry & Prose from the Elizabethan to the Neoclassical Age (1485-1784 A.D.). These readings will increase in difficulty from the previous course, and are works that model heroes, virtues, and high ideals. The poetry covered in this class, and poetry in general, is intense and requires careful, slow, repeated reading, and requires careful thought, and is especially effective in developing comprehension and thinking skills. The student’s ears and eyes will be trained by constant exposure to good English usage and captivating narrative, and we’ve found that students learn best by imitation. This class is designed to strengthen reading skills, to inspire students to love what is good and noble in life, and to enhance a student’s ability to evaluate literature. Students should devote approximately 45-60 minutes a day for this course. The grade is based on participation, periodic quizzes, periodic essay questions, and final tests over each work. The essays encourage a deeper consideration of the text and train students to mark important elements of the story. This class is worth 1 high school credit in English, Language Arts, or Literature.

Grade Level: 9-10 (ages 14-16)

Prerequisites: Students should be strong readers, relatively proficient with the basics of English grammar, able to construct grammatically complete sentences, and able to edit any written work with the help of a parent (if needed).

Required Materials: Tenth Grade Literature set. Teacher guides are optional but recommended. Students will need a headset microphone (built-in microphones will also work). The students should keep a reading notebook for the texts through which they work, in which they will write questions they have about the text and be prepared to use them for the live class.