What is Literature and Composition II?
Literature and Composition II is a robust, English course that follows Literature and Composition. Within this course, students study various works of literature, learn how to recognize literary elements like theme, conflict, character traits, etc., and write multi-paragraph analytical essays called Book Analyses. Students are assigned book analysis assignments in quarters one and two. During enrollment, you can choose one novel out of the available choices for each quarter. The bolded title (seen below) is the default title we will automatically send you if you do not specify otherwise. Generally, students enjoy or do well with the default titles. This does not mean, however, that students cannot benefit by reading one of the alternative novels. Feel free to read about each of the titles to determine which one the student would be most engaged in.
Keep in mind, all course materials are provided to you, including the book analysis novels. If you already have one of the books and you want the student to use that one, you can claim a book credit during your enrollment, and we will not send you that text. I do not recommend the student borrow books from the library because we want to encourage students to mark, highlight, flag, and/or annotate the book while they read. Also, each book analysis assignment in Literature and Composition II is comprised of two essays submitted together as one, typed document.
In addition to reading and completing the two book analysis assignments, students will also read Animal Farm and A Tale of Two Cities. These are required texts that every Literature and Composition II student reads. However, students do not write essays on these texts. Instead, they take a comprehensive test after completing their reading. Additionally, students will read various works of poetry (included in the course manual) in the second quarter and take a poetry test.
One of the key assignments in the course is the 4-page minimum, persuasive research report. In this assignment, students chose one of the topics listed on the required topic list and develop their position using research. They will submit a working thesis statement, develop and submit a working bibliography, and then submit the full report in the last quarter of the course. We provide templates on how to format sources for the bibliography and footnotes according to the Chicago formatting style. While it may seem to be a daunting assignment, we have broken it up into steps to make it more manageable. Like all things in the course, all of these steps are clearly listed in the lesson plans and are easy to follow. I have provided the topic list for the research report below:
Here is a summary of all the texts needed for the course:
Literature and Composition II
Required Texts: English 10 Course Manual, Animal Farm, A Tale of Two Cities
Book Analysis Books (choose one for each quarter)
1st Quarter:
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas
2nd Quarter:
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
My Antonia by Willa Cather (for mature readers)
Lay Siege to Heaven [St. Catherine of Siena] by Louis de Wohl
Here is our course listing on our website: https://www.setonhome.org/high-school/english/english-10/
Literature and Composition II also has SetonOnline functionality. At your leisure, you can read a short explanation about SetonOnline here: https://support.setonhome.org/portal/en/kb/articles/seton-online-explanation
As a part of your enrollment, you have access to academic counseling. If enrolled, you can call or email us during the week (Mon-Friday; 9 am - 5pm ET); it is our primary job to support and help our parents and students. More specifically concerning HS English, if your student is wondering whether his/her theme statement (book analysis essay) or research report is on the right track, clarification on a grade received, or any other specific question, feel free to contact me or my colleagues via email (hsenglish@setonhome.org) or phone (540-622-5560).
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