Description: With whole book studies as the starting point, students in this class will explore the key components of literature as well as investigate the historical and cultural context of each work. Students will develop and refine their reading comprehension strategies and their ability to think critically about literature. In addition, reading selections will also provide a springboard for writing exercises and the development of formal essays through which students will explore writing techniques, sentence structure, and grammar. Literature selections will be determined at the beginning of the year, selected from our Literature Scope and Sequence found at the back of this catalog. Note: This class is designed so that students can take it two years in a row, with alternating book lists each year.