This live online Honors English course is designed for advanced high school homeschoolers in the 9th grade (14+) and up. As a comprehensive English class, it will acquaint students with the art of examining literature analytically. It will help students read introspectively, write soundly and creatively, and practice applying nuanced grammar and punctuation.
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Through analytical reading and the collaborative discussions books, short stories, and poems, students will expand and reinforce foundational literary language as they express their views and opinions in weekly informal (discussion forums) and formal (essay) writing.
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Looking back to literary classics as well as forward to more contemporary imaginative fiction, students will learn to scrutinize their reading, both figuratively and literally.
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Live weekly "check ins" focus on what students can benefit from the most week to week. These are not formal lectures, but there is plenty of instructional information imparted in an interactive manner.
Class Details
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Honors English Literature & Composition 1 | Traditional, full-year, live class
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Looking for a 9th grade NON-honors or self-paced English class? Look HERE.
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Tuition & Resources:
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Tuition: $865
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Instructor: Christine Proctor
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Dates: August 18, 2025 to May 8, 2026
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Optional Weekly Live Check-Ins: Wednesdays @ 12-1 p.m. Eastern
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Grade level: 9th and up (14+)
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Prerequisite: Students should have successfully completed Blue Tent's Introduction to Literature & Composition or rigorous 8th grade-level English classwork
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Class size: 35
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See our FAQ for:
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age/grade guidelines, prerequisites, and class fit recommendations
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a complete list of days, times, and breaks
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a list of CA charter schools where this course is a-g approved
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Format:
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Students share an interactive online classroom and (optional) meet live on Zoom.
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This class can be taken synchronously or asynchronously.
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An optional mid-week "check in" takes place on Zoom.
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The live meeting in this class is not a lecture.
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Topics in the optional check-ins vary week to week based on what students need the most. They might include such things as:
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a discussion about the details of an upcoming writing assignment
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modeling of a student essay, with the instructor walking through it to point out strengths and weaknesses (the essay is always one that has prior approval of the author to use)
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teacher instruction/elaboration on elements that need reinforcing
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student and teacher-directed discussions about the class reading
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questions/answers about anything related to the class assignments/reading
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- Students can drop in to ask questions and receive assistance or they can attend the entire hour.
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This class is highly active. Students will be conversing with one another and with the instructor both live (optionally) and on the class website in weekly text-based discussion forums.
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Average weekly time estimate: 7-9 hours per week
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This course is NCAA-approved.
Active and Interactive
In Honors English 1, students offer their opinions and essays in weekly discussion forums. They will share and compare as they read and comment on each others' writing projects and debate with one another in a friendly, encouraging environment. This is a rigorous class, but there is never any busywork.. All that is assigned--from forums to annotations to essay topics--has been carefully planned with specific reading, writing, and analytical objectives in mind.
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Students will work independently on grammar in short bursts of daily exercises. This practice will help refresh and reinforce fundamentals as well as introduce more advanced skills--and then help to add subtlety and refinement to their writing.
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Vocabulary is not a dreary slog through prepared lists of words. Instead, students will see the immediate value in their studies as they pull unfamiliar words directly from their core reading.
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Literary analysis exercises will include both independent reading and collaborative assignments. Students will share and discuss their pre-writing and full essays. They'll also offer answers and opinions in response to short weekly assignments. These conversations will involve the class as well as the instructor.
Honing Writing
Writing in Honors English 1 is tailored for students who feel the need for more practice composing and editing paragraphs that weave in a variety of sentence structures and word choices, that utilize well-constructed topic sentences and closing sentences, and that fluidly integrate supporting quotes and commentary.
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Every student will be stretched and encouraged with plenty of individual feedback to help develop their individual writing style.
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Writing instruction will start with the basics and move students toward the ability to confidently compose analytical essays and a research paper.
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Shorter writing assignments will help students practice constructing effective thesis statements and strong topic sentences while learning the indents, headings, and citation style of MLA 9 formatting.
Learning Lit Language
From an obvious allusion to the most difficult-to-discern irony, literary devices and strategies will become familiar tools as students and their classmates annotate and excavate their way to becoming more discerning readers and writers. By the end of this adventurous, interactive course, Honors English 1 students will be well equipped to confidently take on future analysis and writing endeavors!