The course is organized into 34 weekly study units which include one or more literature selections. The two remaining weeks are reserved for review and tests. Each selection's study includes author/setting background information (student researches); a "Words to Know" section that requires the student to determine the part of speech, provide synonyms, and use in sentences; and questions for both literary analysis and critical reading. Each week the student is challenged to "make it real." For instance: "Think of two examples of foils in literature or movies" or "Name at least one stereotype or stock character that Irving portrays in Rip Van Winkle." Writing assignments are also part of each week's study. As previously mentioned, these are typically coordinated with Write with the Best. There is also a weekly "culminating activity". These activities vary greatly but tend to be more hands-on and often something that will be more meaningful and fun if done in a group. Vocabulary and Literary Terms Tests are given every six weeks.
The Student Worktext is consumable and designed to provide both an excellent study tool and comprehensive test-prep review material. Introductory material and a weekly schedule (in the form of a checklist) communicate to the student the course's independent study nature. Writing space for all assignments is provided although some students may prefer to complete the composition assignments on the computer.
The Teacher's Edition is essentially a full-text answer key but also includes vocabulary and literary terms test masters (reproducible for family) along with their answer keys. There is also a research paper checklist that can be reproduced for the student.
Required resources: Many of the literature selections are taken from Norton Anthology of British Authors - Major Authors although most should also be able to found online. (The only work that does not seem to be found in the current edition of the Norton Anthology appears to be Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard.") Additionally, several whole book studies are covered in the course. These include: Macbeth, The Screwtape Letters, Frankenstein and Gullivers Travels (Part I). For the British Literature course, the author highly suggests that parents or students access audio versions of all literary works online or purchase them in audio format, noting that many can be downloaded free from the Internet. Like the American Literature courses, you will also need: Write with the Best, Volume 2 (#019034), The American Heritage Dictionary and Thesaurus (#035790), Writing a Research Paper: A Step-by-Step Approach (#054413) and the Teachers Edition (#054414).
