HOnors English II: Journeys from home

Honors English II (grades 9 & 10) picks up where the 3rd Year program leaves entering High School students, placing them into the first year of a two-year preparation for the AP Language & Composition Exam. A year-long study of creative non-fiction and World Literature allows students both to develop their essay-writing skills at a High School level, and to increase their understanding of language use and structure. Students must complete at least 36 revisions and 6 peer edits each Quarter.

Novels in English II (Honors World Literature) include: The Catcher in the Rye, The Odyssey, The Little Prince, The Metamorphosis, and Things Fall Apart. In addition, The Elements of Style (Strunk & White) and William Zinsser's On Writing Well inform students' own creative non-fiction pieces throughout the year.

A section on the poetry of Robert Frost and e.e. cummings further challenges students’ ideas of place, and allows them to begin the process of connecting poetic themes through analytical writing.

Students in Honors English II are required to make three attempts at publishing their work in the larger community, by entering contests or submitting pieces for publication. They must receive three rejections, win a contest, or publish in a non-local publication or online magazine to finish their year.

Required written pieces include:

1st Person Narrative
Personal Opinion Essay
Peer Interview
Interview piece
Memoir
Travel piece
Technical Brochure
80-word synopsis of each Book (I-XXIV) in The Odyssey
Graph of themes, action, or other connecting threads in The Odyssey
Things Fall Apart Study Guide (short answer essays)

Ten timed SAT essays (no revision; graded on an SAT rubric)
Three timed AP Exam essays (graded; revised; graded on an AP exam rubric)
Four different analytical paragraphs using quotes from a text (short stories, essays, and novels)

Seven analytical essays on:

The Catcher in the Rye and a selection of short stories (essay citing a novel and two short stories)
Mending Wall by Robert Frost and space being... by e.e. cummings(essay interpreting, analyzing, and connecting poetic themes)
The Odyssey (5 exam essays, connecting and citing verse across Books I-XXIV to support a thesis)

A Final Blue Book exam, including vocabulary, diagramming sentences, short essay answers, and an analytical essay

Initial College prep exercises, including:

Brag sheet (collation of HS activities, extra-curricular participation, hobbies, and awards)
class bibliography of all stories, novels, poems, and essays read in English II
Chart of all rules and stylistic advice in The Elements of Style

Pink poetry (Free verse; figurative language) if unfinished from 1st Year
Green poetry (figurative language, rhythm, rhyme, meter) if unfinished from 2nd Year
Blue poetry: (metric free verse or other verse structures) >>> if unfinished from 3rd Year

A personal SKILLS LIST, which contains 75-80 stylistic and grammatical writing skills by the end of English II

Typical English II students will complete 45 pieces, each comprising 5-10 drafts, for a total of 225-450 pieces of writing, just in English class, during the school year.