Our Language Arts Courses

List of Courses:

  • Honors Literature & Composition I (7th-9th grade recommended)

  • Honors Literature & Composition II (7th-9th grade recommended) 

  • Honors Literature & Composition III (9th-12th grade recommended) 

  • Honors Literature & Composition IV (10th-12th grade recommended) 

  • Honors Literature & Composition V (11th/12th grade recommended)

  • Honors Literature & Composition VI (12th grade recommended) 

  • Honors Fiction Writing (10th-12th grade recommended) 

  • *Honors Omnibus: Inklings (British Literature & Composition, Critical Thinking, Bible/Theology) (10th-12th grade recommended) *out-of-pocket - not charter approved

  • Independent Study Honors British Literature & Composition (10th-12th grade recommended) 

  • Writing Tutorial (required for 1st-time Omnibus class students only) (10th-12th grade recommended)

  • Dual Enrollment through Santiago Canyon College - Click here to learn more!

    • ENGL 101 - Freshman Composition (4 credits)

Honors Literature & Composition Courses Description (I & II)

Literature from various authors, genres and time periods provide opportunities for students to engage with some of the great works of Western Civilization and participate together with the help of a mentor in “The Great Conversation,” an on-going dialogue around universal experiences, philosophical ideas and historical events. Engaging with the questions that have both shaped Western Civilization and been around since the beginning of time, students learn to love the true, the good and the beautiful found within these works. Becoming familiar with the books’ stories and ideas through close reading, annotation, and note-taking, students interact together through Socratic dialogue, and clarify and synthesize their thinking through weekly writing-response assignments based out of class discussions and semester projects.

The composition portion of these courses includes a slew of engaging writing projects that prepare students for a life of self-expression and academic achievement, including:

  • Guidance for poetry recitation, word play, nature study, art appreciation, music, and movies

  • Month-long writing projects: reports, interviews, letters, poetry, fiction, advertisements, diaries, literary elements, book reviews and more

Students will learn to combine compositional style with skill through: 

  • Indulging wild word play

  • Designing a dust jacket book review

  • Reporting on a natural disaster

  • Keeping a diary as a historical figure

  • Examining headlines for bias

  • Learning the features of great fiction

  • Discovering the joy of writing poetry

  • Writing a semester length report

Students will be introduced to academic skills including:

  • summarizing

  • reporting

  • conducting research

  • citing sources

  • letter writing

  • book reviewing

  • interviewing

Honors Literature & Composition I (7th-9th grade recommended)

Honors Literature I Book List:

Honors Literature & Composition II (7th-9th grade recommended)

Honors Literature II Book List:

Honors Literature & Composition Courses Description (III-VI)

Literature from various authors, genres and time periods provide opportunities for students to engage with some of the great works of Western Civilization and participate together with the help of a mentor in “The Great Conversation,” an on-going dialogue around universal experiences, philosophical ideas and historical events. Engaging with the questions that have both shaped Western Civilization and been around since the beginning of time, students learn to love the true, the good and the beautiful found within these works. Becoming familiar with the books’ stories and ideas through close reading, annotation, and note-taking, students interact together through Socratic dialogue, and clarify and synthesize their thinking through weekly writing-response assignments based out of class discussions and semester projects.

The composition portion of these courses focuses on rhetorical thinking, as well as the essay formats most commonly assigned in high school and college. Students learn how to think, argue, and create their own powerful writing style at the same time.

Included are:

  • Modules of writing instruction

  • Exercises that build critical thinking skills

  • Lessons that teach the two key essay formats

    • Exploratory Essay (open form)

    • Persuasive Essay (closed form)

  • Instruction in writing thesis statements and conducting research

  • Directions for how to paraphrase and cite expert opinion

  • Samples and models for feedback 

Students will build the following skills:

  • developing a command of language

  • creating a supported argument

  • fostering a rhetorical imagination

  • comparing and contrasting viewpoints

  • discovering the role of narrative writing in academic formats

  • understanding the difference between exploratory and expository essay forms

  • writing thesis statements

  • identifying points and particulars

  • documenting sources

  • paraphrasing versus quoting experts

  • understanding viewpoint, bias, perspective, and facts

  • creating in-line citations and works cited

Honors Literature & Composition III (9th-12th grade recommended)

Honors Literature III Book List:

Honors Literature & Composition IV (10th-12th grade recommended)

Honors Literature IV Book List:

Honors Literature & Composition V (11th/12th grade recommended)

Honors Literature V Book List:

Honors Literature & Composition VI (12th grade recommended)

Honors Literature VI Book List:

Honors Fiction Writing (10th-12th grade recommended)

In Fiction Writing, students will learn how to develop their creative writing skills through reading and writing short stories. They will read exceptional short stories by authors such as Flannery O-Connor and Edgar Allen Poe and discuss what makes them great. Additionally, students will cultivate their writing skills through studying how to develop plots, settings, characters, conflict, and climax through in-class and at-home exercises. Students will finish the course with a personal manuscript containing four complete short stories. They will also have an opportunity to submit their short stories to different writing contests with the goal of having their work reach a wider audience and, hopefully, be published!

Materials:

Honors Omnibus: Inklings (British Literature & Composition, Critical Thinking, Bible/Theology) (10th-12th grade recommended) *out-of-pocket - not charter approved

This course provides a foundation in critical thinking, academic writing, Christian thought, and biblical hermeneutics. Students explore the works of the twentieth-century group of Christian writers and thinkers known as the Inklings, as well as authors who influenced or were influenced by their writing. Readings include works from C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, Charles Williams, T.S. Eliot, Sheldon Vanauken, J.R.R. Tolkien, and others. The Gospel of John and hermeneutic materials will also be discussed and studied. We recommend that parents and independent study programs count this class as meeting the requirements for 30 high school academic credits: English Composition and Literature (ten credits), Critical Thinking (ten credits), and Bible/Theology (ten credits).

Students will analyze and interpret the texts of the Inklings in collaboration with others. Students will begin to

  • identify and analyze the structure of fiction, non-fiction, and Biblical texts

  • identify and summarize major arguments of non-fiction and Biblical texts

  • summarize fictional plots

  • identify and analyze major themes in fiction and Biblical texts

  • compose and support compelling argumentative thesis statements

    • support a thesis with a well-organized written argument of 5-6 pages

    • apply textual and historical context in interpreting textual passages

    • support interpretations of a text with textual citations

    • visualize an intended audience and articulate opposition to a thesis
      Students will apply knowledge gained from a synthesis of multiple texts and discussions. Students will begin to

  • identify major elements of Christian theology

  • evaluate ideas based on the Bible as the ultimate authority on Truth

  • synthesize the relationship between Christian faith, the life of the mind, and daily living

  • demonstrate a willingness to change beliefs and behaviors due to the insight of others

  • apply Christian thinking to their own lives by pursuing challenging application questions

Students will contribute in intellectual discussion confidently, critically, and charitably. Students will begin to

  • ask relevant, critical questions about texts and ideas

  • distinguish between good and bad arguments

  • articulate significant ideas in their own words using outline and paragraph forms

  • format written work and citations according to an academic standard (MLA)

  • assert opinions and beliefs with courteous and reasonable arguments

  • respond to opposition to opinions and beliefs with courteous and reasonable rebuttals

Course objectives will be realized through the intensive reading, writing, and discussion required of the students. Discussion and the writing assignments will serve as evaluative tools to assess the student’s progress toward the set objectives. Student notebooks serve as a catalog of the student’s progress through the course of the academic year, and the final term paper is equivalent to a final exam.

*out-of-pocket - not charter approved

^NOTE: If this is your first Omnibus class, you must also concurrently take our Writing Tutorial (see below).

Materials for Omnibus: Inklings

Independent Study Honors British Literature & Composition (10th-12th grade recommended) 

Click HERE for more information

Writing Tutorial (required for 1st-time Omnibus class students only) (10th-12th grade recommended)

This live, online Writing Seminar meets once per week to help prepare students for the writing coursework. A skilled writing mentor will guide students through the basics of crafting weekly assignments, formatting, and term paper development while providing time for students to ask questions and get feedback. (Live sessions will be recorded for students who cannot attend.) Brief supplemental assignments will aid students in their Omnibus class coursework. Writing Tutorial supplements the composition component of the Omnibus class and does not count for class credit on its own.

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