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ENGLISH & LITERATURE_____________________________________

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Our English courses teach a love for beautiful words well constructed so that the student may communicate clearly and effectively.  As such, our classes incorporate grammar, spelling, narration, dictation, and copywork in the young years, with students moving into more formal composition and literary and poetry analysis beginning in late elementary school. The composition portion of our classes is based on classical methodology, including an emphasis on the progymnasmata (progym) in high school. Materials used at Heritage are a combination of First Language Lessons, Spell to Write and Read (SWR), Grammar for the Well Trained Mind, Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW), The Write Foundation (TWF), Cottage Press, and our own curriculum materials.    Our literature courses  foster a love for literature, enable students to develop an understanding of and appreciation for the “great conversation”, impart the structure and language of literature including genres, forms, archetypes, and “grammar”, and teach students how to engage with great books.  It is through good literature that children (and adults) perceive what is true, pursue what is beautiful, and grow in wisdom and virtue. In short, our English & literature classes are soul shaping because they provide a time for contemplation and conversation centered around the truths of Scripture.

 

**Please note that because there is so much overlap in our English and Literature classes, they must be taken together, and they are billed as two separate classes for a'la carte students.  There is overlap in the writing and discussion  

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K-3rd: 

See our Morning Foundations description 

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Fourth through Sixth Grade

Fourth through sixth grade English Studies continues to immerse students in a wide exposure to the beauty and order of language using a four-pronged approach including spelling, reading, writing, and grammar.  Instructors facilitate the exploration into the delights and wonders of the language arts by reinforcing the sounds and spelling rules which make up individual words and dictate how those words are formed.  Students continue to practice putting words together to form more complex sentences.  In addition, students are introduced to a variety of structural models and stylistic techniques to help them organize their writing so as to gain greater independence and creativity. Classically-based instructional techniques such as memorization, copy work, dictation, oral and written narrations provide the means by which these skills are achieved.

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Curriculum & Supplies  (4th-6th)

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Spelling:

  • Spelling learning log, provided by Heritage

Reading:  

  • 4th-6th family read aloud books (without comprehension questions):  

  • NEW for 2020-2021:   Students will read 5-6 grade level readers and will complete assigned questions and activities independently.  Group work and guided discussion will take place in class.  Books to be announced ​(each grade will have its own assigned list)

  • miscellaneous poems, myths, fairytales, fables  ]

Grammar:  

  • (4th grade) First Language Lessons For the Well-Trained Mind, Level 4 by Jessie Wise

  • (5th & 6th grade)  

    • Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind Core Instructor Text (used 5-8th grade)* 

    • Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind Student Workbook 1 (used 5-8th grade)

    • Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind Student Workbook 1 Key (used 5-8th grade)* 

    • Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind Comprehensive Handbook of Rules--(used 5-8th grade)

      • *Note:  First year of Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind can be purchased as a package set for $108.  Workbook is used for four years. 

Writing:

  • Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) student book to be announced, provided by Heritage (each grade will use a different text)

  • Cursive copywork book, provided by Heritage (4th & 5th grade)

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For specific books by grade, see our book list.  

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Seventh grade:

Class Description:  Seventh Grade English Studies is designed to delight the students with the beauty and order of language while teaching them how to analyze language, to understand how and why language works, and to continue to refine the artful composition of written and spoken language.  

  • Seventh Graders at Heritage will continue their third year of a formal grammar program transitioning them from basic definitions to a detailed analysis of the language usage and mechanical skills needed for the study of rhetoric--the art of persuasive and eloquent speaking and writing. 

  • In addition, students at this level will continue to practice a variety of structural models to help them organize their writing so as to gain greater independence and creativity. The focus will be upon creating usable outlines and practicing narrative, descriptive, and expository writing.

  • Grading rubrics with checklists and guidelines will be provided allowing students to practice attention to detail and to carefully follow instructions. Additionally, stylistic techniques designed to help students begin to achieve eloquence are also taught. Upon completion of this course, students are well prepared to begin composing five paragraph essays.  

  • Poetry memorization will also continue at this level with one poem memorized and recited every 6-8 weeks.

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Eighth Grade: 

 Eighth Grade English Studies is designed to delight the students with the beauty and order of language while teaching them how to analyze language, to understand how and why language works, and to continue to refine the artful composition of written and spoken language. To accomplish this 

  • Eighth Graders at Heritage will complete their final year of formal grammar instruction in the study of grammar usage and mechanics equipping them to correctly and effectively utilize complex sentence structure.  

  • In addition, students are exposed to and practice with a variety of organizational techniques and models so as to gain greater independence and creativity in essay writing. The focus will be upon creating usable outlines and practicing narrative, descriptive, and expository writing. Throughout the year, the writing process and structure are developed to accomplish formal essays including conducting research, proper use of direct and indirect quotations in a text, and the proper citation of sources.

  • Grading rubrics with checklists and guidelines will be provided allowing students to practice attention to detail and to carefully follow instructions. Additionally, stylistic techniques designed to help students begin to achieve eloquence are also taught. Upon completion of this course, students are well prepared to begin composing five paragraph essays. 

  • Poetry memorization will also continue at this level with one poem memorized and recited every 6-8 weeks.

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High School English Studies

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Composition and Rhetoric

Level I (9+), The Persuasive Essay and introduction to the Five Common Topics 

Level II (10th+), Judicial Address

Level III (11th+), Legislative Writing

Level IV (12th), Senior Project

*Composition & Rhetoric Levels I-III must be taken concurrently with Christendom Literature as most of the writing is centered around the reading completed in the literature course.

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These courses are designed to equip students to communicate what is true, good, and beautiful with fluency, grace, and compelling eloquence.  In order to accomplish this, students will write a variety of essays, narratives, and poetry using the progymnasmata (a series of 14 exercises used by Greek and Roman scholars to train students in elegant and effective composition) and five common topics while following the five canons of rhetoric (invention, arrangement, elocution, memory, and delivery).  Students who complete these courses will be organized, independent, and confident writers prepared for all of life’s writing requirements including--but not limited to--academic and college-level composition. 

 

2022-2023:  American Literature

Description coming soon!

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2021-2022 Christendom Literature

This class is designed to take students on a journey through some of the classic literature of Western Culture during the period of Christendom, roughly from the time of the Fall of Rome through the Renaissance (~476-1685 A.D.) Such books are an invitation to discuss and write about the ideas which have driven and continue to drive Western Civilization, past and present.  Each literary work is selected with the aim of capturing the beauty and art of the ideas greatly expressed and initiating conversations about the great ideas and worldviews which dominated the time periods during which they were written.

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