High School Literature
Telling Other People's Stories
The literary “canon” is a subject of much debate — and it should be. What we decide to elevate to “must-read” status in order to be considered “educated” tells us a lot about the values we place on our society as well as which perspectives we privilege.
Join us in this class that takes canonical works and places them alongside contemporary film versions to open up conversations about the messages they send and their staying power in our pop culture.
Read Three Classic Works
In this class, we’re going to read three classic canonical works of literature — A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, The Odyssey by Homer, and Hamlet by William Shakespeare. We will also view their contemporary film adaptations — The Muppet Christmas Carol, O Brother Where Art Thou?, and The Lion King.
We’ll focus on a different literary device as we write a paper for each set of texts.
Dig Deep and Gain Analysis Skills
During class discussion, we will not only examine the stories told in these works but also talk about how the idea of the canon has been disrupted and challenged in recent years.
In this way, students will both get familiarity with canonical works while questioning the assumptions used to create a canon in the first place. In addition, they’ll learn key literary analysis skills that will be translatable to a wide range of reading situations as well as learning to “read” film as literary text.
Course Details
Schedule:
August 31-December 13, 2026 with meetings on Thursdays from 11-11:45am Eastern.
(There is no class on October 22 (Fall Break) or November 26 (Thanksgiving Day).
If a learner cannot attend a session due to illness or a schedule conflict, they will still have access to all class materials and can check in with the instructor with any questions.
Time Commitment
Most learners can expect to spend 5-7 hours per week (including the live meeting) working on class materials.
(This class will meet or exceed 60 hours of coursework to count as 0.5 credits of high school ELA).
Supplies
To participate successfully in class, learners will need the following:
Copies of the following books:
- The Odyssey by Homer (IMPORTANT: I'm using the Robert Fitzgerald translation. If you use another translation, then the Reading Guides will not match. ISBN: 978-0-374-52574-3)
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Any credible publisher version will do. I'm using ISBN 978-81-7599-327-3)
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare (Any credible publisher version will do. I recommend the No Fear Shakespeare version, especially if you are new to reading Shakespeare or find the language hard to follow. ISBN 978-1-58663-844-3)
Used books will work just fine, but it's preferable to have your own copy (rather than a library copy) so you can annotate it. If you like to use audiobooks, I HIGHLY recommend having a print version to read as you listen.(Dayla Learning Bookshop Link)
Access to the following movies:
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
- Muppets Christmas Carol (1992)
- The Lion King (animated, 1994)
(Note: You don't need access to the films for the entire duration of class, so you can rent or borrow them from the library for the times we need them.)
- Microphone and camera for in-class participation
- PDF Reader
- Zoom (free account)
- Learners will submit work through Google Drive (a Google (Gmail) account can be acquired for free)
Assignments Open Each Week
In order to allow for learners and their families to have the flexibility they need, assignments open at the beginning of each week and are due at the end of that week. Learners can complete work at whatever time works best for them throughout the week.
Evaluation and Records
At the beginning of class, families will have the option to opt into numerical grading. All learners will receive a detailed class wrap-up report suitable for inclusion in a portfolio. All students receive detailed feedback (including video feedback) on major assignments.
Is this the right fit?
This is an advanced high school class. Learners will do best if they have the following skills:
- Can write about 1500 words (6 pages) on a single topic confidently
- Can integrate direct quotes and paraphrases smoothly into writing
- Can locate and evaluate sources for credibility and relevance
- Confidently reads texts at or above ~1100L on the Lexile rating
This class is a good fit for high schoolers who are confident in constructing essays over multiple drafts and have a solid writing process.
Finding the Right Challenge
Writers who have not had much experience writing academic essays would likely benefit from a High School Writing class before taking this one.
Skills Gained
We will practice in-depth research and critical thinking skills as well as constructing complex informative essays and a multimodal rhetorical text.
Students will gain the following skills:
- Exploring advanced reading and note-taking strategies
- Sustained attention to a single topic over multiple weeks
- Finding and evaluating sources for relevance and creativity
- Writing a complex informative text that explores multiple perspectives on the same topic
- Crafting rhetorical arguments through multimodal exploration
- Comparing and contrasting multiple texts on similar topics
Content Note
Hamlet contains references to suicide and murder with several deaths within the play. It lives up to its categorization as a Shakespearean tragedy.
The Odyssey contains slavery, murder, kidnapping, and war.
References to religious mythology (Christian and Greek) will be treated in their historical context and through a secular lens.
Meet Your Teacher!
