American Literature

American Literature (Excellence in Literature, English 3) cultivates competent readers and writers in a self-directed, classics-focused, one year, college-prep literature and composition course for co-op, classroom, or homeschool use. 

 

The award-winning Excellence in Literature curriculum, suitable for grades 8-12, presents a feast of great ideas by immersing students in great literature. Classics that have stood the test of time-rollicking adventures, compelling plays, engaging poetry-encourage students to enjoy literature study, rather than just endure it. Students will study and write about the following books:

Autobiography by Benjamin FranklinRip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving and selected works by LongfellowThe Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore CooperThe House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel HawthorneMoby Dick by Herman MelvilleThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainThe House of Mirth by Edith WhartonThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldThe Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

How it works 

A four-week lesson plan guides the study of each unabridged classic, providing writing assignments and context resources - information on the author, relevant historical events, related art and music resources, etc.. To help students stay engaged, a variety of sources, voices, and formats have been carefully chosen as context resources, with links provided to those that are online. 



There are 9 4-week modules in each study guide for one school year of study. An optional Honors track adds additional reading and writing, including a research paper and an optional CLEP exam. The text is written directly to the student, and can be used independently or in a classroom. There is no separate teacher manual; all writing assignments, context resource links, and student/teacher helps are included in the Introduction to Literature study guide.



Student helps 

- Week-by-week assignment schedule

- Instructions and a student-written model for each type of paper assigned

- A chapter on how to read and understand challenging literature

- Overview of how to write an essay, from conception to revision

- A curriculum website with supporting resources, including author biographies, art, music, related poetry, and writing helps.

- Built-in time for both a rough and a final draft of each month's essay

- Instructions for setting up a study area, English notebook, and study habits

- A model essay that teaches and demonstrates MLA formatting

- Glossary of literary terms



Teacher helps

- Week-by-week pacing chart with overview of reading and writing for the entire school year

- Grading instructions and reproducible rubric

- Suggestions for using in a co-op or classroom

- A year-end Student Evaluation Summary to keep with student records



Each student and teacher will need a copy of the study guide, plus a copy of each classic that is studied (short stories are linked online). There are specific book editions recommended, but students who already own a different edition may use that. It is also helpful to have access to a dictionary, thesaurus, and the Handbook for Writers (from Excellence in Literature).