The curriculum

The Excellence in Literature curriculum presents a feast of great ideas by immersing students in great literature. Classics that have stood the test of time-rollicking adventures, compelling plays, engaging poetry-encourage students to enjoy literature study, rather than just endure it. Students will study and write about the following books:

- Short Stories by Eudora Welty, O. Henry, and others,

- Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne,

- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain,

- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë,

- Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw,

- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson,

- Animal Farm by George Orwell,

- The Tempest by William Shakespeare,

- Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift.

How it works

A four-week lesson plan guides the study of each unabridged classic, providing writing assignments and context resources - background information on the author, relevant historical events, related art and music resources, etc.. To help students stay engaged, a variety of sources, voices, and formats have been carefully chosen as context resources, with links provided to those that are online.

There are 9 4-week modules in each study guide for one school year of study. An optional Honors track adds additional reading and writing, including a research paper and an optional CLEP exam. The text is written directly to the student, and can be used independently or in a classroom. There is no separate teacher manual; all writing assignments, context resource links, and student/teacher helps are included in the Introduction to Literature study guide.

Student helps

- Week-by-week assignment schedule

- Instructions and a student-written model for each type of paper assigned

- A chapter on how to read and understand challenging literature

- Overview of how to write an essay, from conception to revision

- A curriculum website with supporting resources, including author biographies, art, music, related poetry, and writing helps.

- Built-in time for both a rough and a final draft of each month's essay

- Instructions for setting up a study area and English notebook - Suggestions for study habits, time management, and the computer

- A model essay that teaches and demonstrates MLA formatting

- Glossary of literary terms

Teacher helps

- Week-by-week pacing chart with overview of reading and writing for the entire school year

- Grading instructions and reproducible rubric

- Suggestions for using in a co-op or classroom

- A year-end Student Evaluation Summary to keep with student records

Each student and teacher will need a copy of the study guide, plus a copy of each classic that is studied (short stories are linked online). There are specific book editions recommended, but students who already own a different edition may use that. It is also helpful to have access to a dictionary, thesaurus, and the Handbook for Writers (from Excellence in Literature).

This award-winning curriculum, now in its fourth edition, is designed to be flexible and easy to use for homeschool families, co-op teachers, and classroom instructors. Reading and hearing wonderful books, poetry, and plays, all at a reasonable pace, can cultivate a love of great literature, just as steady, careful practice in a variety of writing forms helps to cultivate clarity and confidence in communication skills. Enjoy!