Almost all of the composition assignments correlate with the literature. Additionally students may keep double-entry journals in which they respond to the reading, discussions, or general events of the day, asking other students or adults to comment on their thoughts and may complete creative responses to the literature and to their own experiences. Also included in this year's work is a substantial amount of memory work and vocabulary study designed to increase composition skills and SAT scores. A new course in the fall of 1996, the A.P. Language and Composition course will allow our strongest junior honors students to add to the study of British Literature an intense preparation for the Advanced Placement Language and Composition exam. The added emphasis will include additional practice on analysis of nonfiction and on the syntax of English.
Students also receive help writing the important college essays.
First quarter ends with a review of the elements of fiction using Story and Structure . Quarters two and three offer literary electives including Satire, Art and Literature, Manhood in Literature, Afro-American Literature, Literary Doubles, Southern Literature, American Classics, Contemporary Drama, and Coming of Age. All courses provide college-level reading and writing, preparing seniors for the advanced levels of critical study they will encounter in college. Writing assignments include short, documented essays, essay tests, and creative approaches to the literature. Honors English IV stresses philosophy, creativity, in-depth study of six Shakespearean plays, and independent reading choices.