High School English Level 5 Year 2 Course

Course Description

This honors-level English course surveys British literature from 1500-1900 alongside Dante’s Divine Comedy. Students engage with diverse literary forms including poetry, drama, and prose, with study of three Shakespeare plays and selections from major British authors spanning four centuries. Students develop college-level writing proficiency through frequent compositions (2-3 weekly), two formal analytical essays (5-7 pages each), and a substantial research paper (8-10 pages). Technical writing skills are reinforced through systematic grammar instruction via dictation exercises, while analytical thinking is cultivated through both written and oral literary narrations. This challenging honors curriculum develops the close reading and academic writing skills essential for advanced literary study.

Books and Resources

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Literature:

• The British Tradition II: Poetry & Prose from the Elizabethan to the Neoclassical Age (1485-1784 A.D.), Memoria Press [Publisher]
  • This book will be completed in the lesson plans for Level 6 Year 1.
  • Optional: Teacher Guide, Student Guide – These resources provide some vocabulary help and questions you may find useful for discussions or essay prompts. In general, reading and narrating the material is sufficient.
  • The “Introductions” in the MP books may be omitted.
• Great Myths of the World, Colum [Amaz][online version] – Note, students read from this book through the first three years of English courses.
• Optional, for the most ambitious students: Paradise Lost, Milton [Amaz][online version] – The lesson plans below do not include Paradise Lost, but we do have a reading plan on the Resource Plans page if you are interested in assigning it to your student.

Epics:

• Term 1: Inferno, Dante
• Term 2: Purgatorio, Dante
• Term 3: Paradiso, Dante

The Divine Comedy may be read in any translation of your choice. You may find it useful to check out different translations of the epics at the library and allow the student to choose the translation that seems most enjoyable and clear. Here are some popular translations, but there are many others.

• Ciardi [Amaz] – a single volume
• Esolen Inferno [Amaz], Purgatory [Amaz], Paradiso [Amaz]
• Hollander Inferno [Amaz], Purgatorio [Amaz], Paradiso [Amaz]
• Sisson [Amaz] – a single volume
• Digital Dante [online version]

A note on study guides and other resources – The goal is to develop a familiarity with The Divine Comedy because it is a core text of our culture. Students should read the cantos and any accompanying notes and narrate them without worrying too much about the allusions and poetic terms. Students will be able to return to it as adults or be prepared for a college course later in which they can delve more deeply. In this sense, you should not feel it necessary to provide a great number of outside resources or study guides, but if you would like more information, here are a few optional resources.

• Memoria Press Teacher Guide (which uses the Ciardi translation)
• Digital Dante, which includes commentary and videos
• Website devoted to the Divine Comedy
• Baylor University Honors College: 100 Days of Dante – 100 short video introductions to the cantos of Dante’s Divine Comedy, by teachers who know and love Dante

Modification – A student may read only the Inferno or perhaps Inferno and Purgatorio.

Drama:

• Term 1: As You Like It
• Term 2: Richard III
  • Optional, ad lib: The Daughter of Time, Tey [Amaz]
• Term 3: Macbeth

Modification – a family may choose instead to watch a live or filmed version of these plays. Recommended adaptations: As You Like It (Globe Theatre) [Globe Player]; Richard III (2012 Globe Theatre Original Practices production) [Globe Player]; Macbeth, Ian McKellen and Judi Dench [Amaz]

Studied Dictation (optional at this stage, but recommended for Level 5):

Spelling Wisdom Book 5: Study a given passage for 2 days, write on the 3rd day, weekly [Simply Charlotte Mason]

Composition: 

• Traditional English Sentence Style, Einarsson [PDF download] – This book does include exercises and worksheets, which the student will need to complete, but parents will also wish to have the student narrate these readings, particularly the lectures on style toward the end of Chapter 5.
• End-of-term essays and essay exams, longer research paper on a chosen topic at the end of Term 3. If your student did not complete the Level 5 Year 1 course, you may find these resources helpful:
  • 7 Sisters Introductory Guide to High School Essay Writing [7 Sisters Homeschool]
  • 7 Sisters MLA Research Paper Writing Guide, 2nd edition [7 Sisters Homeschool]

Modification – Assign shorter papers, especially the research paper in term 3.

Lesson plans

All readings are narrated, orally or in writing. For Honors credit, written narrations should be the norm.

The student should be encouraged to keep a commonplace book, in which to write down any striking or memorable passages that stand out in reading. The student should also be encouraged to commit favorite poems to memory, or at least favorite passages from longer poems. 

Abbreviations:

• MP=Memoria Press The British Tradition I: Poetry, Prose, & Drama from the Old English & Medieval Periods
• GM = Great Myths of the World
• TESS=Traditional English Sentence Style.

TERM 1

Week 1
Day 1: MP Introduction pp. 6-9, GM “Celtic” pp. xii-xiv and Irish: Midir & Etain pp. 125-129, give dictation
Day 2: Dante, Inferno, Cantos I-II + notes, study dictation
Day 3: As You Like It, Act I, write dictation
Day 4: Dante, Inferno, Cantos III-IV + notes
Day 5: TESS Chapter 1, pp. 3-8

Week 2
Day 6: MP Queen Elizabeth I, On Monsieur’s Departure, p. 10, GM Death of Conaire Mor I and II pp. 129-132, give dictation
Day 7: Dante, Inferno, Cantos V-VI + notes, study dictation
Day 8: As You Like It, Act II, scenes 1-4, write dictation
Day 9: Dante makeup day
Day 10: TESS Chapter 1, pp. 8-11 (follow instructions for exercise)

Week 3
Day 11: MP Queen Elizabeth I, Speech to the Troops at Tilbury, p. 11, GM Death of Conaire Mor III pp. 133-136, give dictation
Day 12: Dante, Inferno, Cantos VII-VIII + notes, study dictation
Day 13: As You Like It, Act II, scenes 5-7, write dictation
Day 14: Dante, Inferno, Cantos IX-X + notes
Day 15: TESS Chapter 2: pp. 12-14

Week 4
Day 16: MP Edmund Spenser, Faerie Queene Canto I, pp. 12-18, GM Voyage of Bran pp. 136-142, give dictation
Day 17: Dante, Inferno, Cantos XI-XII + notes, study dictation
Day 18: As You Like It, Act III, scenes 1-3, write dictation
Day 19: Dante, Inferno, Cantos XIII-XIV + notes
Day 20: TESS Chapter 2, pp. 14-15 (do homework assignment) AND pp. 16-18 (stop at ***)

Week 5
Day 21: MP Spenser, Faerie Queene Canto I, pp. 19-25, GM Welsh: Pwyll Prince of Dyfed pp. 142-146, give dictation
Day 22: Dante makeup day, study dictation
Day 23: As You Like It, Act III, scenes 4-5, write dictation
Day 24: Dante, Inferno, Cantos XV- XVI + notes
Day 25: TESS Chapter 2, pp. 18-22 (check answers on assignments)

Week 6
Day 26: MP Christopher Marlowe, The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, p. 27, GM Math I pp. 146-151, give dictation
Day 27: Dante, Inferno, Cantos XVII-XVIII + notes, study dictation
Day 28: As You Like It, Act IV, write dictation
Day 29: Dante, Inferno, Canto XIX-XX + notes
Day 30: TESS Chapter 3, pp. 23-26

Week 7
Day 31: MP Sir Walter Raleigh, The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd, p. 28, GM Math II pp. 150-151, give dictation
Day 32: Dante, Inferno, Cantos XXI-XXII + notes, study dictation
Day 33: As You Like It Act V, scenes 1-2, write dictation
Day 34: Dante makeup day
Day 35: TESS Chapter 3, pp. 27-28 (check answers)

Week 8
Day 36: MP Sir Walter Raleigh, What Is Our Life?, p. 29 (bonus: As You Came From the Holy Land), GM Math III pp. 151-154, give dictation
Day 37: Dante, Inferno, Cantos XXIII-XXIV + notes, study dictation
Day 38: As You Like It Act V, scenes 3-4, write dictation
Day 39: Dante makeup day
Day 40: Review the Introductory Guide to High School Essay Writing and begin the  planning process for an essay of roughly 5 pages on a topic of the student’s choice, preferably based on written narration in some school subject. Due Week 11.

Week 9
Day 41: The Art of the Sonnet (https://tinyurl.com/artofsonnet), GM Math IV pp. 154-159, give dictation
Day 42: Dante, Inferno, Cantos XXV-XXVI + notes, study dictation
Day 43: Plan/draft 5-page exploratory essay. Write dictation.
Day 44: Dante, Inferno, Cantos XXVII-XXVIII + notes
Day 45: Plan/draft 5-page exploratory essay

Week 10
Day 46: MP Sir Philip Sidney, Sonnet 31, p. 30, GM “Finnish” pp. xiv-xv & Lemmikainen pp. 161-166, give dictation
Day 47: Dante, Inferno, Cantos XXIX-XXX + notes, study dictation
Day 48: Draft 5-page exploratory essay
Day 49: Dante, Inferno, Cantos XXXI-XXXII + notes
Day 50: Draft 5-page exploratory essay

Week 11
Day 51: MP Sir Philip Sidney, Sonnet 39, p. 31, GM makeup day, give dictation
Day 52: Dante: Inferno, Cantos XXXIII-XXXIV + notes, study dictation
Day 53: Read paper draft aloud to editorial person, conference and revise, write dictation
Day 54: Dante makeup day, revise paper
Day 55: Finish and turn in 5-page essay.

WEEK 12: DAYS 56-60 MAKEUP/EXAM WEEK

Examination questions for exam week
To be answered as short in-class essays, taking roughly 30-45 minutes each.
The student will choose four of the questions to answer.

1. In which circle of Hell would you least like to find yourself, and why? You might compare this circle with others, to demonstrate why – although nobody wants to be in any of them! – and in what ways this one would be the worst to you. 
2. Tell everything you know about sonnets. 
3. Tell what you learn about conventions or fashions in love, versus true love, in As You Like It. 
4. Tell everything you know about the clause. 
5. Retell your favorite myth from this term
6. Recopy your favorite poem from this term from memory. 
7. The parent may also wish to give a short dictation passage to study quickly and write on the spot.

TERM 2

Richard III is the Shakespeare play for this term. It might be worth assigning the short novel The Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey, as a free read for the term as well.

Week 13
Day 61: MP George Peele, A Farewell to Arms, p. 32, GM “Icelandic” pp. xv-xvi & In the Beginning pp. 167-170, give dictation
Day 62: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos I-II + notes, study dictation
Day 63: Richard III, Act I, write dictation
Day 64: Dante, Puratorio, Cantos III-IV + notes
Day 65: TESS, Chapter 4, pp. 29-32

Week 14
Day 66: MP Robert Southwell, The Burning Babe, p. 33. For a more complete account of St. Robert’s heroic life and martyrdom, we highly recommend Alice Hogge’s book God’s Secret Agents [Amaz]. GM The Building of the Wall pp. 170-174. Give dictation
Day 67: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos V-VI + notes, study dictation
Day 68: Richard III, Act II, write dictation
Day 69: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos VII-VIII + notes
Day 70: TESS Chapter 4, pp. 32-35

Week 15
Day 71: MP Shakespeare, Sonnets 18 & 29, pp. 34-35, Optional – Poetry for All podcast episode 64: Shakespeare, Sonnet 29. GM Mimir pp. 174-175, give dictation
Day 72: Dante makeup day, study dictation
Day 73: Richard III, Act III, scenes 1-3, write dictation
Day 74: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos IX-X + notes
Day 75: TESS Chapter 4, pp. 36-40

Week 16
Day 76: MP Shakespeare, Sonnets 55 & 116, pp. 35-36, GM Baldr pp. 175-182, give dictation
Day 77: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos XI-XII + notes, study dictation
Day 78: Richard III, Act III, scenes 4-7,write dictation
Day 79: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos XIII-XIV + notes
Day 80: TESS Chapter 4, pp. 40-50 (check answers for exercise)

Week 17
Day 81: MP Shakespeare, Sonnet 130, p. 36, Sonnet 73, GM Loki’s Punishment pp. 182-184, give dictation
Day 82: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos XV-XVI + notes, study dictation
Day 83: Richard III, Act IV, scenes 1-3, write dictation
Day 84: Dante makeup day
Day 85: TESS Chapter 5, pp. 51-53

Week 18
Day 86: MP King James Bible, pp. 37-39, GM Children of Loki pp. 184-188, give dictation
Day 87: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos XVII-XVIII + notes, study dictation
Day 88: Richard III, Act IV, scenes 4-5, write dictation
Day 89: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos XIX-XX
Day 90: TESS Chapter 5, pp. 54-59 (check exercise answers; note: some punctuation is missing in the answer key for this exercise)

Week 19
Day 91: MP Ben Jonson, Song to Celia; Daughter, Mother, Spouse of God, pp. 40-41, GM Ragna Rok pp. 188-192, give dictation
Day 92: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos XXI-XXII + notes, study dictation
Day 93: Richard III, Act V, scenes 1-3, write dictation
Day 94: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos XXIII-XXIV + notes
Day 95: TESS Chapter 5, pp. 60-67 (check worksheet answers)

Week 20
Day 96: MP Early 17th Century and Puritans, Introduction pp. 44-45, GM “Indian” pp. xvi-xviii & Vedic Heavenly Nymph pp. 193-196, give dictation
Day 97: Dante makeup day, study dictation
Day 98: Richard III, Act V, scenes 4-5, write dictation
Day 99: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos XXV-XXVI + notes
Day 100: TESS, pp. 68-73

Week 21
Day 101: MP Aemilia Lanyer, Eve’s Apology in Defense of Women, pp. 46-47, GM Churning of the Ocean pp. 196-198, give dictation
Day 102: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos XXVII-XXVIII + notes, study dictation
Day 103: Begin planning and drafting a 5-page exploratory essay on any topic, due Week 23, write dictation
Day 104: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos XXIX-XXX + notes
Day 105: TESS, pp. 73-80

Week 22
Day 106: MP John Donne, A Hymn to God the Father, Meditations, pp. 48-52, GM Birth of the Ganges pp. 198-201, give dictation
Day 107: Dante, Purgatorio, Cantos XXXI-XXXII + notes, study dictation
Day 108: Draft exploratory essay, write dictation
Day 109: Dante, Purgatorio, Canto XXXIII + notes
Day 110: Draft exploratory essay

Week 23
Day 111: MP John Donne, Death Be Not Proud, p. 53, Batter My Heart, Three-Person’d God, GM Savitri pp. 201-206, give dictation
Day 112: Dante makeup day, work on exploratory essay
Day 113: Editorial conference and revision of exploratory essay
Day 114: Revise and polish exploratory essay
Day 115: Finish and turn  in exploratory essay

WEEK 24: MAKEUP/EXAM WEEK

Examination questions for exam week
To be answered as short in-class essays, taking roughly 30-45 minutes each.
The student will choose four of the questions to answer.

1. Describe Dante’s journey up the Mountain of Purgatory. 
2. If you were rewriting the Divine Comedy to include English kings, in what realm – Inferno or Purgatorio – would you place the character of Shakespeare’s Richard III? Give substantial reasons for your judgment, and describe what he would be experiencing in the place where you have located him. 
3. Tell what various cultures’ myths reveal about the people who told those stories. 
4. Recopy your favorite poem from this term from memory. 
5. Tell everything you know about independent and dependent clauses. 
6. Tell everything you know about the style and structure of English sentences.
7. The parent may also wish to give a short dictation passage to study quickly and write on the spot

TERM 3

Note that a research-paper project will begin in Week 30, and be due at the end of Week 35. The student might start looking back over narrations from the whole year at this point, to begin to discern what kind of topic might be of interest (though it could be a topic totally outside the school sphere, and the choice is up to the student, it’s always good to be able to use written narrations as material for a paper if possible). This paper might be longer than last year’s, though this depends on the student’s ability level at this point. A student who wrote 10-12 pages last year might aim for a 15-page project this year, though the basic model is still the structure of the MLA Research Paper Writing Guide. (Note: You may choose to purchase and introduce the Chicago Style Research guide this year.) The student should think in terms of three main sections for the paper, plus introduction and conclusion, but possibly more paragraphs within each section than last year. 

We will also presume from here on out that the student knows to read the notes to Dante’s Cantos.

Week 25
Day 121: MP Herrick all three poems, pp. 54-56, GM Damayanti’s Choice pp. 206-209, give dictation
Day 122: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos I-II, study dictation
Day 123: Macbeth, Act I, scenes 1-4, write dictation
Day 124: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos III-IV
Day 125: TESS pp. 80-91

Week 26
Day 126: MP Herbert, all three poems pp. 57-59, GM Buddhist Gautama’s Attainment pp. 209-212, give dictation
Day 127: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos V-VI, study dictation
Day 128: Macbeth, Act I, scenes 5-7, write dictation
Day 129: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos VII-VIII
Day 130: TESS pp. 91-101

Week 27
Day 131: MP Milton pp. 60-65, GM “Chinese” p. xviii & In the Beginning pp. 213-215, give dictation
Day 132: Dante makeup day, pre-plan research paper, study dictation
Day 133: Macbeth, Act II, scenes 1-2,write dictation
Day 134: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos IX-X
Day 135: pre-plan research paper, revisiting the MLA Research Paper Writing Guide if needed, make up any reading

Week 28
Day 136: MP Milton, pp. 66-70, GM The Weaver Maiden and the Herdsman pp. 215-217, give dictation
Day 137: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos XI-XII, study dictation
Day 138: Macbeth, Act II, scenes 3-4, write dictation
Day 139: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos XIII-XIV
Day 140: pre-plan research paper, make up any reading

Week 29
Day 141: MP Milton, On His Blindness, p. 71, GM “Japanese” p. xviii & The Sun Goddess & the Storm God pp. 219-222, give dictation
Day 142: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos XV-XVI, study dictation
Day 143: Macbeth, Act III, scenes 1-3, write dictation
Day 144: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos XVII-XVIII
Day 145: pre-plan research paper, make up any reading

Week 30
Day 146: MP Richard Crashaw, both poems, pp. 72-73, GM The First People pp. 222-224, give dictation
Day 147: Dante makeup day, study dictation
Day 148: Macbeth, Act III, scenes 4-6, write dictation
Day 149: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos XIX-XX
Day 150: begin work on research paper

Week 31
Day 151: MP Lovelace, both poems, pp. 74-75, GM “Polynesian” pp. xix-xx & In the Beginning pp. 225-226, give dictation
Day 152: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos XXI-XXII, study dictation
Day 153: Macbeth, Act IV, write dictation
Day 154: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos XXIII-XXIV
Day 155: research paper

Week 32
Day 156: MP Pilgrim’s Progress, pp. 76-84, GM Ma-Ui the Fire-Bringer pp. 226-232, give dictation
Day 157: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos XXV-XXVI, study dictation
Day 158: Macbeth, Act V, scenes 1-4, write dictation
Day 159: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos XXVII-XXVIII
Day 160: begin drafting research paper

Week 33
Day 161: MP Pilgrim’s Progress, pp. 84-95, GM How Ma-ui Strove pp. 232-233, give dictation
Day 162: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos XXIX-XXX, study dictation
Day 163: Macbeth, Act V, scenes 5-8, write dictation
Day 164: Dante, Paradiso, Cantos XXXI-XXXII
Day 165: draft research paper

Week 34
Day 166: GM Pe-le I pp. 233-238, research paper, give dictation
Day 167: Dante, Paradiso, Canto XXXIII, study dictation
Day 168: write dictation, make up any reading, draft research paper
Day 169: make up any reading, draft research paper
Day 170: draft research paper

Week 35
Day 171: GM Pe-le II-III pp. 238-243, conference about research paper
Day 172: revise research paper
Day 173: conference about revised research paper
Day 174: final revision of research paper
Day 175: final revision of research paper, turn in research paper

WEEK 36: MAKEUP/EXAM WEEK

Examination questions for exam week
To be answered as short in-class essays, taking roughly 30-45 minutes each.
The student will choose four of the questions to answer.

1. Compare and contrast Babylonian, Greek, Jewish Post-Christian, Icelandic, Chinese, and Polynesian creation/ “In the Beginning” myths. Consider first what all these myths have in common, then how each one reveals something about the particular people who told it. 
2. Retell Dante’s journey through Paradise. 
3. Tell everything you can about Macbeth as an example of the effects of ambition on the human soul. 
4. Recopy your favorite poem of the term from memory. 
5. Tell what reading from the whole year was your favorite and why. 
6. Tell everything you can about effective sentence style.

Alternative question: Tell everything you can about Milton’s Paradise Lost.