Literature Studies and Composition

Class 6
Literature Studies & Composition I
Class Six Language Arts classes combine composition, literature study, grammar and speech, with the goal of making the students better readers and, ultimately, better writers and speakers. Students review parts of speech and parts of a sentence and then practice forming arguments. Careful construction of sentences and culminates in teaching how to write a coherent single and multiple paragraph essays. Throughout the year, the students read both literature and poetry. They carefully discern and discuss plot, setting, imagery, character and other elements of literature, all while improving learning about Socratic conversations.
Our reading list includes:
- Reading for Comprehension (EPS)
- Julius Caesar (William Shakespeare)
- Samurai’s Tale (Haugaard)
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- The GodKing by Joanne Williamson and Darla Sockey
- Rolf and the Viking Bow by Alan French
- Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Gray
- Beyond the Myth: The Story of Joan of Arc by Polly Schoyer Brooks
- The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
- The Aeneid for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church
- Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle
Class 7
Literature Studies & Composition II
Class Seven Language Arts develops and extends the skills emphasized in Class Six.
Our reading list includes:
- Reading for Comprehension (EPS)
- The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
- The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Wise Woman by Gordon MacDonald
- Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare
- I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño
- Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaardner
- The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
Class 8
Literature Studies & Composition III
Class Eight Language Arts focuses on the reading and discussion of literature, the mastery of English grammar and punctuation, and the writing of formal expository and persuasive essays. Instruction in the rules and structure of English grammar and in coherent and concise writing lays a foundation for the essay writing that students will pursue in the rest of the curriculum.
Our reading list includes:
- Reading for Comprehension (EPS)
- Hard Times by Charles Dickens
- The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
- Watership Down by Richard Adams
- Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder
- The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
- Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
- The Chosen by Chaim Potok
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
- The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
- British and American poetry