American Literature

Using a selection of excellent American literature and the Socratic method, in this class we will explore why we want to read great literature, what makes it great, and what we can glean from it.  Starting with smaller excerpts, poems, and short stories, we’ll spend the first six weeks discussing the five basic common elements to all fiction – setting, characters, conflict, plot, and theme.  We’ll then graduate to whole novels in roughly chronological order in American History, creating story charts for each and working through a selection of comprehension and “thought” questions.  Along the way we’ll define and look at examples of many of the literary devices common to fiction (alliteration, hyperbole, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, etc.).  Our reading material will be geared toward the 10-12 year-old reading comprehension range so that we can focus more on understanding how to read literature well and less on struggling with the material.

Required texts: To be determined – nothing required until at least week 4