American Literature (Honors High School English Course)

Suggested Grade Level: Advanced 8th Grade, 9th-10th Grade
Course Format: Online, Asynchronous with Instructor Feedback
Course Website Opens: August 1, 2026
Course Dates: August 23, 2026 - May 28th, 2027

Journey through the great works of American literature while developing the reading, writing, grammar, and critical thinking skills essential for high school and college success. This comprehensive Honors English course combines the study of classic American novels and poetry with instruction in grammar, vocabulary, composition, and literary analysis.

Students will receive an invitation to join the course on Google Classroom and must have access to an email address connected to a Google account in order to participate. A copy of the syllabus will be emailed to both student and parent in advance. The course website and initial materials will become available on August 1st, allowing families time to familiarize themselves with the course before instruction officially begins on August 23rd.

Each Sunday, students will receive access to 3-4 prerecorded instructional lectures along with all assignments for the upcoming week. Weekly coursework may include reading assignments, discussion questions, vocabulary activities, grammar exercises, quizzes, writing assignments, and literary analysis.

Literature Studies

Students will read and analyze several of America's most influential novels and works of literature, including:

• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

• The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

• Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

In addition, students will study selections of American poetry and explore major literary themes, historical context, character development, symbolism, and author purpose.

Grammar and Vocabulary Instruction

Students will receive direct instruction and practice in:

• Parts of speech

• Phrases and clauses

• Analogies

• Sentence fragments and run-on sentences

• Prefixes, suffixes, and roots

• Simple, compound, and complex sentence structure

• Academic vocabulary development

Writing Instruction

Writing instruction focuses on preparing students for high school, dual-enrollment, and college-level expectations. Students will learn:

• MLA formatting and citation

• The five-paragraph essay

• Persuasive essay writing

• Literary response writing

• Organization, revision, and editing skills

Course Materials and Assignments

Students are responsible for obtaining copies of the required novels (links to preferred versions will be included with the syllabus). Study guides, note pages, assignment sheets, and additional course resources will be provided through Google Classroom for students to download and print as needed.

All assignments, discussion responses, quizzes, tests, and papers will be submitted through Google Classroom.

To provide flexibility for homeschooling families while encouraging responsibility and time-management skills, students are given a two-week completion window for all assignments, quizzes, and tests. This structure allows students to work at an individualized pace while becoming accustomed to the expectations of dual-enrollment and college-style coursework.

Instructor Support and Feedback

Students receive individualized grading and feedback on all major assignments and papers, including personalized suggestions for improvement. Questions may be submitted directly through Google Classroom, and video conferences may be arranged when additional guidance, instruction, or feedback is needed.

Transcript Recommendation

This course is appropriate for advanced middle school students who are strong readers and ready for challenging literature, as well as most 9th-10th grade students. Families may wish to record this course on a high school transcript as:

Honors English: American Literature