Leaders and Literature that Shape the World
Leaders and Literature that Shape the World is the theme of the year-long, tenth-grade honors course. Students investigate various genres of world literature, including poetry, nonfiction, novel, and drama. Students develop skills in literary analysis and reader response. Independent reading and vocabulary study are key components of the coursework. Students also consistently practice critical, creative and affective thinking, as well as public speaking and test-taking strategies, to ensure excellence in application of skills.
Course Components
Literature Study
Our study of literature will span hundreds of years, from the ancient Egyptians to the writers of the Renaissance to modern authors. Because this is a survey course, we will study a variety of genres, short fiction, novels, poetry, drama, and texts will be drawn from the literary canon of world literature, those texts that have been traditionally accepted as the most important and influential in shaping Western culture
How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Thomas Foster’s book will help our ability to become informed readers who recognize the symbols, archetypes, and patterns authors use. As Foster says, you learn to recognize the literary conventions the “same way you get to Carnegie Hall. Practice” (xiv).
We will study topics from Foster's book (posted on Weebly as a pdf) in conjunction with our study of world literature. Short writing assignments will let students practice their literary analysis and show their literary tastes.
We will study topics from Foster's book (posted on Weebly as a pdf) in conjunction with our study of world literature. Short writing assignments will let students practice their literary analysis and show their literary tastes.
Independent Reading
Quite simply, reading can and does transform lives, according to the Million Words Campaign. Numerous studies have
shown that increasing students’ volume of reading is one of the most important levers in increasing their achievement.
And reading is so much more than an academic skill. Reading informs us, transports us, empowers us, and brings us joy. It is through reading that we learn about ourselves and the world around us. Every child deserves to be a reader.
Over the past several decades, researchers have consistently found a strong relationship between the volume of students’ reading and their reading achievement. According to the National Reading Panel, “The importance of reading as an avenue to improved reading has been stressed by theorists, researchers, and practitioners alike, no matter what their perspectives. There are few other ideas as widely accepted than that reading is learned through reading.”
Three times each semester, students will choose a novel, biography, or autobiography to read independently or as part of a Book Club. Their independent reading will be accompanied by a reader response activity and a culminating individual or group assignment.
shown that increasing students’ volume of reading is one of the most important levers in increasing their achievement.
And reading is so much more than an academic skill. Reading informs us, transports us, empowers us, and brings us joy. It is through reading that we learn about ourselves and the world around us. Every child deserves to be a reader.
Over the past several decades, researchers have consistently found a strong relationship between the volume of students’ reading and their reading achievement. According to the National Reading Panel, “The importance of reading as an avenue to improved reading has been stressed by theorists, researchers, and practitioners alike, no matter what their perspectives. There are few other ideas as widely accepted than that reading is learned through reading.”
Three times each semester, students will choose a novel, biography, or autobiography to read independently or as part of a Book Club. Their independent reading will be accompanied by a reader response activity and a culminating individual or group assignment.
Vocabulary Study
Over one million students have used Vocabulary Power Plus to build their vocabularies and raise test scores. This rigorous approach to vocabulary development challenges students with exercises, multiple-choice questions, and writing assignments similar to those they’ll find on the SAT* or ACT** college entrance exams.
Our bi-weekly vocabulary lessons will develop students’ vocabularies — and their ability to read complex literary and informational texts.
Our bi-weekly vocabulary lessons will develop students’ vocabularies — and their ability to read complex literary and informational texts.