LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION A 

Tentative Course Overview

​Subject to Revision for the 2026-2027 year 

LITERATURE

"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," by Rudyard Kipling*

Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis

Over Sea, Under Stone, by Susan Cooper

​A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare

A study of numerous:

poems*

fables*

fairy tales*​ 

legends*    

*Provided by Instructor


PARTIAL LIST OF SKILLS TAUGHT

Students will:

Literature:

  • learn the skill and the art of reading a story well
  • become familiar with the elements of literature (setting, character, plot, conflict, theme)
  • become familiar with the elements of plot development 
  • learn about and recognize repeating themes, motifs, and archetypes
  • notice the uses of figures of speech and figures of description
  • become familiar with descriptive and narrative poetry 
  • demonstrate understanding of poetic devices including rhyme and meter
  • learn about Shakespearean comedy 
  • enter the "Great Conversation" though drawing connections between stories read
  • keep a commonplace notebook of favorite quotations from literature

Composition:  

  • understand the importance of organized and orderly composition 
  • develop skill in ​narrative and descriptive writing
  • learn to paraphrase sentences, paragraphs, and stories
  • learn to use a dictionary and a thesaurus for vocabulary work and for word choice
  • learn how to create one-level outlines
  • learn a host of copia tools and apply them to craft artful sentences
  • ​practice the art of revision and editing

Grammar:

  • the eight parts of speech
  • verbs: action verbs, linking verbs
  • subject and predicate
  • subject/verb agreement
  • pronoun/antecedent agreement
  • direct objects and subject complements​
  • prepositional phrases 
  • complete sentences vs. sentence fragments
  • sentence purpose (declarative, exclamatory, imperative, interrogative)
  • punctuation as a function of grammar


FOCUS OF WORK

In class:  

  • A balance of lecture and discussion focused on literary elements, archetypes, and connections between works 
  • Focused lessons on grammar and composition
  • Guided practice in composition
  • Review of weekly homework

Homework:

  • Read assigned literature and maintain a commonplace notebook. 
  • Complete weekly grammar and composition exercises. 
  • Complete multiple narrative compositions throughout the year.


 This syllabus is subject to revision.