Course Overview

Welcome to Honors English 10!

You can look forward to a year packed with reading, writing, speaking, collaborating, presenting, analyzing, and creating. Together in our community of readers, writers, and thinkers, we’ll learn about ourselves and the world around us. Specifically, we’ll investigate the ways in which reading can enliven our minds and writing can sharpen our thinking.

We will read widely and deeply, as we explore texts from a variety of cultures, societies, and time periods. However, while we may read some whole-class selections together, we will also spend a significant amount of time dedicated to independent reading.

We will draw inspiration, ideas, and evidence from our reading to write across a variety of essay modes and genres. Expect to think deeply about the function and craft of writing – how writers draw from a variety of strategies to achieve their purpose.

READINGS INCLUDE:

• Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel.

• Grendel by John Gardner

• The Odyssey translated by Robert Fagles

• The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

• Selected non-fiction text sets, short stories, and poetry throughout

The best thinking and writing develops within a community of engaged and curious learners. I invite you to take risks in your thinking, to ask questions often, and to put forth your best efforts. I look forward to working with and learning beside you.