Which English courses would best suit your student? With his goals in mind, what approach might work best? For information regarding necessary English credits please turn to page 4 in High School of Your Dreams. For additional English resources, experiential learning, essay topics and book lists, please see the following pages:

English Composition and Grammar, pgs. 98-101
English Literature, pgs. 102-105
Journalism, pgs. 147-149
Communications, pgs. 81-84

For assistance from a consultant, who will design an individualized approach and resources tailored to your student’s abilities, interests, and goals, our support team is on hand, ready to help! Please see ‘Individualized Academic Plan’ or email: hsyd@chcweb.com.

The goal of this book is to assist your student in developing expository writing skills. Excellent one- or two- year course for high school! Features step-by-step lessons that include assignments, tests, check sheets, answer key, and sample schedules.

Learn More

The College Prep Workshop for ages 16 to 18 prepares students to excel in college level writing. Many students who earned A's in high school English are shocked to discover that high school writing will earn a C or D in college. These ten lessons provide a year's worth of practice with analyzing writing, developing a classical argument, writing a college admission essay, researching for documented writing, and giving presentations. Because many colleges strongly recommend courses in American and British literature, a convenient list of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama is included lesson by lesson.

Learn More

This is an excellent worktext which has been designed to cover three (18-week) semesters. The book is divided into three parts, and each part can be either a semester or a year-long course depending on the time frame you choose.

Learn More

The Secret Code of Poetry is unique among poetry courses not only for its Catholicity, but also because it combines poetry appreciation with an in-depth study of “how a poem works.” Hands-on activities and memorization assignments increase the student’s appreciation for the beauty of poetry, while clear explanations and step-by-step analyzation assignments de-mystify poetic techniques such as enjambment, alliteration, meter, irony, and more.

The Secret Code of Poetry is an ideal preparation for high school literature studies. Even as it reflects on the beauty and truth in poetry, it also teaches skills that are crucially important for future literature studies. As the author points out, these skills are even more necessary for students who plan to attend college, since “the ability to critically analyze texts and ideas is central to a college education.”

Together, the text and workbook form a complete, one-year literature course for seventh, eighth, or ninth grade.

Learn More

What’s in a story? Begin with an intriguing plot and delightful characters, discover historical information, comedy, conflict, and lively conversation, and conclude with universal truths about the human spirit.  

Based on the novel Emma, the Jane Austen workshop was especially written for young ladies ages 13 to 18. Enter Jane Austen's world with the help of the wealthy and sometimes wrong-headed Emma Woodhouse. Emma learns to distinguish between her own fanciful notions and reality as she tries to rearrange the lives of her friends and relations.  Enjoy learning about manners, history, vocabulary and more in this workshop. Buy or borrow a copy of Emma to use with the workshop.

Learn More

What’s in a story? Begin with an intriguing plot and delightful characters, discover historical information, comedy, conflict, and lively conversation, and conclude with universal truths about the human spirit.

The Shakespeare Workshop has three levels to introduce ages 9 to 18 to Shakespeare's “Comedy of Errors.” The Balcony view targets ages 9 to 11, the Mezzanine ages 12 to 14, and the Box Seat ages 15 and up. Each view repeats the same activities. However, the Mezzanine then goes beyond the Balcony view, and the Box Seat goes beyond the Mezzanine becoming more challenging as children progress. Find out why Shakespeare is still popular today by studying this play about two sets of twins.  Buy or borrow a copy of the play and Charles and Mary Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare to complete the workshop. Tales is also available online at no cost.

Learn More

Available for the first time in English, an explanation of the long-neglected poetry of Blessed John Paul II!

Designed to accompany the late Pope’s main collection of poetry, The Place Within, this illustrated, easy-to-use guide focuses on the volume’s first seven poem-cycles which Wojtyla wrote as a seminarian and young priest.

Using this course, the student will gain an appreciation of Wojtyla’s unique poetic style, and his extraordinary use of theologically symbolic language. Moreover, studying Wojtyla’s poetry will help prepare the student for later analysis of his philosophical works and papal encyclicals.

Generously illustrated and annotated, this self-directing study guide is ideal for use by high-school students and can be easily adapted for use by study groups or in classrooms.

93 pgs. E-BOOK: 3.36 MB download.

Learn More

G.K. Chesterton, who has long been neglected, was a Catholic literary giant whose sparkling defense of the Catholic Faith is as relevant today as it ever was. Chesterton's monumental work The Ballad of the White Horse depicts the never-ending struggle between paganism and Christianity.

Generously illustrated and annotated, this self-directing study guide is ideal for use by high-school students and can be easily adapted for use by study groups or in classrooms. 54 pgs. E-BOOK: 2.15 MB download.

Learn More

Trace the path Belloc took on foot to Rome through central Europe with this Catholic classic! Fulfilling a vow, Belloc made an extraordinary pilgrimage to Rome in 1901, and crossed three mountain ranges, got caught in a snow storm high in the Alps, forded rivers, and marched across the dusty Tuscan plains---all accomplished with lots of stories, songs, and poetry.

Designed for use with the Ignatius Press edition of The Path to Rome. 76 pgs. E-BOOK: 9.34 MB download.

Learn More

T.S. Eliot's harrowing saga of St. Thomas Becket's brutal martyrdom in 11th-century England offers a glimpse into the turbulent age in which Becket lived, an era defined by the climactic struggle between Church and State.

Using this third study guide in the Catholic Great Books Series, guide your student through this masterpiece with ease and insight. Study guide offers discussion of modern poetic drama and includes an appendix of the Latin liturgical hymns alluded to in the play. 74 pgs. E-BOOK: 8.16 MB download.

Learn More

Chesterton's famous poem Lepanto transports students to the post-Renaissance Europe and introduces them to Pope St. Pius V (1556-1572). This poem memorializes the great naval battle between the valiant but greatly outnumbered Christian forces and the enormously powerful Turkish Empire, which was bent on the conquest of Europe via Italy and her Mediterranean colonies. 52 pgs. E-BOOK: 1.87 MB download.

Learn More

Voted the best novel of the 19th century by a European literary congress, Alessandro Manzoni’s finely crafted masterpiece is widely known and dearly loved in his native Italy where it has been adapted not only for stage, opera, ballet, and the modern screen, but is also frequently depicted in art and is even mentioned in tourist guide books!

Generously illustrated and annotated, this self-directing study guide is ideal for use by high-school students and can be easily adapted for use by study groups or in classrooms. The study guide includes the following features:

• an account of the author’s life with a discussion of the Italian Risorgimento and its defining
  influence on Manzoni’s religious/philosophical viewpoint
• a presentation on the historical novel, Manzoni’s many shades of irony, his masterful creation of characters, and his unique use of imagery throughout the novel
• reproductions of the original woodcut illustrations from the 1911 edition of The Betrothed
• introductory notes and discussion questions/activities for each chapter
• comprehensive answer key and daily lesson plan schedule for ease of use

103 pgs. E-BOOK: 11.53 MB download.

Learn More

This series is ideal for anyone wishing to understand the great works of Western civilization, enabling the modern reader to enjoy these classics in the company of some of the finest literature professors alive today.
 
Each book includes an extensive scholarly introduction and several essays of contemporary criticism. Many of the books also include essays of classic criticism by renowned, trusted critics of the past.

Learn More