Distance Learning Courses | Grades 9–12

English 11: Writing & Grammar 11 / American Literature

Course Description — Writing & Grammar 11 (first semseter)

This course reviews the writing process—planning, drafting, revising, and publishing. It includes a systematic review of grammatical and mechanical skills. Students create portfolios that include twelve distinct writing assignments, including analytical essay, in-class essay, folktale, letter to the editor, memoir, parallelism, interview, critical response to literature, analogy, narrative poem, hymn, and a research paper. Students participate in specific aspects of publishing, including mailing a letter to the editor, submitting a poem for publication, and interviewing an important person in their lives.

Recommended Viewing Schedule

five 30-minute lessons per week for one semester; 79 lessons total

Course Description—American Literature (second semester)

In this course, students read chronologically through American literature from the 1600s to the present, focusing on four major literary periods: early American, Romantic, Realistic, and Modern. Reading a variety of authors, students note the writers' influence on society as well as society's influence on them. Students develop an appreciation of American literature by seeing the fundamental elements of literature illustrated in specific works. The course builds on instruction from previous years to demonstrate the development of literature.

Recommended Viewing Schedule

five 30-minute lessons per week for one semester; 84 lessons total

Download Scope and Sequencepdf document

Other Eleventh Grade Classes

Bible 11 | United States History | Algebra 2 | Chemistry

Student Texts

cover image of Writing and Grammar Student text Teach the eight parts of speech, verbal phrases clauses, usage, and mechanics. Review the seven sentence patterns. Introduce advanced concepts such as tense sequence, perfect verbals, and adverbial nouns. Reference chapters include library skills and study skills. Lead students through the Writing Process and teach writing strategies such as variety, emphasis, and sentence logic. Writing projects include research paper, literary analysis, folktale, narrative poem, hymn, analytical essay, interview, memoir, analogy, in-class essay, and letter to the editor. The Student Worktext presents clear instruction and offers plenty of practice in writing and grammar, including an overview of the writing process and several focused writing activities.
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cover image of American Literature Student text Introduce your students to more than seventy authors in a study that connects the authors' lives and beliefs as revealed in their writings with the corresponding literary periods. Lessons examine Colonial-Revolutionary, Romantic, Realistic/Naturalistic, and Modern literature and issues such as Darwinism and religious liberalism. Included is the Thornton Wilder play The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden. The updated Student Text includes introductory essays about the cultural and historical events that affect each literary period, biographical essays for each author, and discussion questions for each author's body of included work.
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Meet the Instructors

Dr. Lesa Seibert, BS, MEd, EdS, EdD

Dr. Lesa Seibert, a course instructor for BJU Press Distance LearningDr. Seibert has over 15 years teaching experience in Christian education. She has grown up desiring to be a teacher, and she desires to instill in her students a love for learning. Her main goal in teaching grammar is to show how English follows a logical pattern. God’s Word states that "knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth" (Proverbs 14:6). Gaining knowledge is hard when a student does not understand what he is trying to learn. Therefore, understanding is the key to gaining knowledge. In teaching literature, Dr. Seibert desires to show the beauty of the English language in written form. The literary concepts of metaphors, allusions, symbols, etc., increase not only the enjoyment of a written work but also the impact of the message.

 

Miss Jennifer Martini, BS, MA

Miss Jennifer Martini, a course instructor for BJU Press Distance LearningMiss Martini thoroughly enjoys reading and is excited about the opportunity to teach American literature and to share her love for the subject. "Ever since the fourth grade, I’ve never been more than a stone’s throw away from a book. During high school, my English teacher channeled my love for reading into a more disciplined approach which allowed me to glean much more from my reading. My goal for my students is that, even if they do not ‘love’ reading, they be able to develop the skills necessary to understand and explain the literature for themselves. These skills will allow them to develop a discerning eye toward whatever material they read. More importantly, my desire is that they apply these literature skills to their own personal Bible study. The Word of God can come alive to them in ways that they might not have experienced before taking this class. Having just completed the study of the elements of literature, it is now time that they begin to understand what the literature is saying and the purpose the authors had for their writings."