9th-10th Writing & Literature

Course Description: The goal of this class is to continue building the writing, discussion, critical thinking, analytical, speaking, and research skills students will use in high school and beyond. These skills are not just academic skills but also life skills that will serve students in whatever God calls them to in the future. Through the reading selections, students will explore literary themes and devices, hone their analysis and discussion skills, and consider authors' beliefs and values as a way to refine their own worldviews. They will read in multiple genres including novels, poetry, short stories, and plays; these selections will include classic works of literature and important voices from history and the literary canon.  As they read, they will continue to improve their writing skills, writing different styles of essays, compiling a research paper, and experimenting with different forms of creative writing.

Classroom Work: Direct instruction, discussion, peer review, presentations, group activities, and writing, along with occasional quizzes and some games to spice things up.

Homework: Reading, literature response, writing assignments, independent research, and other projects and presentations. Timely completion of homework is essential for a functioning class time, and homework will be graded.

Pre-Requisites: This is a high school level, college preparatory class. Students should be comfortable with the steps of the writing process and be able to construct a thesis statement and write a thesis-driven essay. (Although we will refine our essay-writing skills in class, the assumption will be that students are familiar with the basics.) Students should be independent readers who demonstrate age-appropriate annotation and textual analysis skills, moving beyond the surface-level details of the plot into structure, technique, and theme. Those who took 8th grade writing in the 2023-2024 class have the necessary foundation for this class. Those who did not will need to connect with the teacher for a small amount of work due before Compass begins to be prepared for the class.