Honors English 2

Course options: Live or Asynchronous

Grades: 10th- 12th (15+) | Prerequisite: Successful completion of Honors English Literature & Composition 1 or a rigorous 9th-grade English course

Course dates: August 17, 2026 to May 7, 2027

Course length: Traditional, full year

Live Sessions - attendance required: Mondays | 2-3:15 p.m. Eastern

Course size:

Live: 20 students maximum
Asynchronous: TBD

Instructor: Christine Proctor

Cost: $885

More about Christine Proctor

Christine Proctor is an avid reader, lifelong supporter of the English language, and an enthusiastic writing coach. After sixteen years of homeschooling her three sons—now grown and pursuing college and careers—Christine transitioned fully into online teaching, where she brings literature and writing to life for students around the country.

Christine holds a degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina and has professional experience as both a news reporter and a copywriter for a national advertising agency. Teaching writing and analysis was a natural next step. Her years of raising three boys with wide-ranging interests expanded her world beyond reading and writing to include art, music, theater, and sports—experiences that continue to inform her teaching and deepen her perspective.

Before joining Blue Tent Online, Christine led poetry, dramatic writing, and storybook art classes through both the homeschool community and her church. Today, she teaches AP and Honors English to a global student base through Blue Tent, where she also facilitates enrichment offerings such as Creative Writing, Aspiring Authors, Journalism Club, and The Zenned Out Student, a course inspired by Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos’s Happiness Lab.

From the first edits students receive on their work, Christine’s appreciation for clear, effective, and thoughtful communication is evident. Nothing brings her greater satisfaction than helping students discover their own voices and express complex ideas with confidence and precision.

Feedback on Christine Proctor

Required:

Core Texts:

Easy Grammar Ultimate Series: 180 Daily Teaching Lessons – Grade 11 Student Workbook, Phillips
MLA Made Easy: Your Concise Guide to the 9th Edition, Hatala
Painless Poetry, 2nd Ed., Elizabeth
The Lively Art of Writing, Payne
The Synonym Finder, Rodale

Reading:

The Odyssey, Homer
"The Birthmark," Nathaniel Hawthorne
"The Cask of Amontillado," Edgar Allen Poe
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
The Color of Water, James McBride
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," Washington Irving
The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Non-fiction readings from satirists and humorists
Book Club selection: More about this to come!

Summer Reading & Assignment:

The Lively Art of Writing, Payne

"I just wanted to send you a thank you in the way of a story for all the wonderful time you spent with [my son]. We dual enrolled him this year, and he is in Comp I. He was so nervous because English is his weakest subject. The first day of class the teacher, who has been there for 40 years, warned the class she was going to give them a test and that the average score was 51%. He was terrified. He took the test and returned to class today for the results. When he got in the car this afternoon, he said, "Well, she was right. The class average was 51% and only two people passed." I asked if he passed. He smiled slyly and said, "Yeah, I got the highest grade in the class. Do they not teach the stuff in public school that Ms. Proctor taught? How do these kids not know about . . . (lists off a litany of literary devices)." So, a long way around to thank you for truly setting [my son] up for success. You have done an amazing job with both my boys, and I am so thankful we found you!"

"This is the best and most challenging [Honors] English class I have ever taken and I am enjoying it immensely!! You have the best writing prompts, books, and you are the best editor I have EVER had!! I mean, come on—who else would give back an essay with something like 116 comments on it. :) I love it!! I have never had a teacher tear apart my writing the way that you do, and I am simply adoring the challenge. I have seen my writing improve already this year, and I have a feeling that it will continue on that path. I really hope that you realize how much I adore your class!"

"I just wanted to tell you how pleased I am with this class that you taught this year. I've always homeschooled [my daughter] and this year I had hoped to accomplish three objectives with this class. First, the obvious language arts high school credit. Second, this would give her experience for the first time in using an online classroom. Third, I wanted to create a bridge for her between mom-as-the-only-teacher-she's-known to next year, when she'll be taking college classes at the community college to finish her last two high school years. I occasionally checked in with what she was working on but was completely hands-off so that I could make sure that she would be ready for the demands of college courses next year. Between her success in this class and two others that she was taking outside of our home, I am confident that she will be ready. Throughout the year she shared with me your praise and encouraging words and would excitedly read to me what you had written to her. Your positive teaching methods and knowledge have given her a solid understanding and readiness for college level English. In fact, she tested into the highest-level English class available to high school students at the community college this week."

Course Details

Our live, rigorous, and full-year Honors English Literature & Composition 2 course is designed for advanced high school homeschoolers who are ready to deepen their analytical reading, strengthen their academic writing, and engage seriously with literature across time, genre, and purpose.

In this course, students study literature as both an art form and a vehicle for meaning—one that reflects cultural values, historical context, and enduring questions about the human experience. Readings span a wide historical and generic range, reaching back to ancient works such as epic poetry and classical drama and moving through plays, poetry, nonfiction, and novels from later periods, including contemporary texts.

Students examine how writers shape meaning through diction, structure, imagery, argument, and rhetoric. Alongside literary analysis, students develop skills in rhetorical analysis through classic and contemporary speeches, essays, journalism, and data-driven texts. Writing instruction emphasizes clarity, depth of thought, and control of language, preparing students for AP-level English courses and college-level expectations.

This course is offered in both a live and an asynchronous format, allowing students to choose the structure that best fits their learning style and schedule. Both sections follow the same curriculum, pacing, and expectations and share the same interactive online classroom.

Live Section: Students enrolled in the live section meet weekly on Zoom for structured, instructor-led sessions that include literature discussion, live writing instruction, guided in-class writing, essay and test preparation, creative group exercises, and collaborative analysis
Asynchronous Section: Students in the asynchronous section do not attend a required weekly live meeting. Instead, they engage fully through the online classroom with instructor-led assignments, peer discussion forums, and written feedback. This section is highly interactive, with regular student-to-student and student-to-teacher engagement and is ideal for students who cannot commit to a fixed weekly meeting time.

Both sections emphasize active participation, collaboration, and peer review, and both offer consistent instructor guidance and feedback.

Writing & Instruction

Students enter Honors English 2 with a foundation in multi-paragraph academic writing. This course builds on that foundation through sustained instruction and frequent practice across multiple forms of academic writing.

Over the year, students will:

Write literary analysis essays focused on prose and poetry
Practice rhetorical analysis of classic and contemporary speeches, essays, journalism, and data-driven texts
Complete a formal research paper in the second semester
Prepare for the reading and writing components of the SAT and ACT through targeted instruction and practice
Sit for comprehensive semester exams at the end of both the first and second semesters

Instruction emphasizes idea-driven arguments, purposeful evidence selection, precise thesis development, and polished academic style. MLA 9 conventions are applied consistently, and revision is treated as an essential part of the writing process rather than an afterthought.

A central component of writing instruction in this course is peer review. Students are explicitly taught how to read and respond thoughtfully to one another’s work through instructor modeling, guided practice, and structured feedback protocols. By offering constructive critique on peer essays and weekly analysis, students strengthen their analytical judgment, internalize effective writing strategies, and become more intentional revisers of their own work. This collaborative approach benefits both the writer and the reviewer, reinforcing writing as a shared intellectual practice rather than a solitary task.

Format

Students share an interactive online classroom
Live and asynchronous sections follow the same curriculum and deadlines
Regular student/student and student/teacher interaction throughout the week
Average weekly time commitment: 8-10 hours
This course is NCAA-approved.
See our FAQs for:
- age/grade guidelines, prerequisites, and class fit recommendations
- a complete list of days, times, and breaks
- a list of CA charter schools where this course is a-g approved

Course Goals

By the end of the course, students will:

Read and analyze literature from a wide range of historical periods and genres, including plays, poetry, nonfiction, and novels
Develop strong literary analysis skills through close reading and interpretation of prose and poetry
Analyze rhetorical strategies in classic and contemporary nonfiction texts, speeches, journalism, and data-driven arguments
Write clear, well-supported academic essays with original, meaning-focused arguments
Complete a formal research paper using credible sources and correct MLA 9 documentation
Prepare for the reading and writing components of the SAT and ACT
Develop the ability to give and receive constructive peer feedback, strengthening analytical reading, revision habits, and academic writing
Engage thoughtfully and respectfully in academic discussion with peers
Build the analytical and writing skills needed for AP English courses and college-level study