Grades 9-11 | 1 Credit | Tuesdays, 2026-2027
In this engaging one-day-a-week literature and composition course, high school students will journey through the great books of the Western and Christian tradition while learning to write with clarity, elegance, and conviction. Taught through a distinctly biblical worldview, the class trains students to read discerningly, think critically, and lead faithfully in a world that desperately needs Christlike leaders.
Using IEW Structure & Style for High School, students receive step-by-step instruction in key-word outlining, stylistic techniques, and rhetorical writing. They will study entire classic texts—The Cat of Bubastes (G.A. Henty), Julius Caesar (Shakespeare), The Prince (Machiavelli), and The Pilgrim’s Progress (Bunyan)—along with powerful excerpts from Canterbury Tales (Chaucer), The Imitation of Christ (Thomas à Kempis), and The Didache. These selections are carefully chosen to tie directly into the Notgrass Exploring World History Vol. 1 timeline, allowing students to enjoy full immersive, cross-curricular learning as they connect the literature to the historical periods they are studying in their history class.
Students will take a journey through these timeless works where they will encounter and contrast good examples of leadership with worldly leadership. They will examine ambitious rulers, loyal servants, faithful pilgrims, and brutal princes, always measuring them against the servant leadership modeled by Christ (Mark 10:42-45). The year culminates in a polished final project: a persuasive essay (or creative project) answering, “What Makes a Good Leader?”
Class Details
- One 95-minute class per week (see syllabus for exact 2026–2027 dates)
- Light at-home workload: only 3–4 hours per week
- 1 high school credit (Literature & Composition)
- Prerequisites: None – open to all high school students
Materials Required
- The Cat of Bubastes by G.A. Henty
- Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
- The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
- IEW Structure & Style for High School student workbook
- 1-inch 3-ring binder with dividers (for notes, drafts, and final portfolio)
- Loose-leaf paper, pens, pencils, and highlighters
- Personal Bible (ESV or family’s preferred translation)
Teacher-provided excerpt packets (Canterbury Tales, The Imitation of Christ, and The Didache) and all weekly worksheets, vocabulary lists, grammar exercises, and leadership reflection pages will be supplied at no extra cost.
This hybrid drop-off class honors the God-given role of parents by delivering expert, in-person teaching and full lesson plans while keeping home days joyful and manageable. Students will leave equipped not only to analyze great literature but to live as wise, humble, and courageous leaders for the glory of Christ and the good of His kingdom.