• Welcome to Mr. Helton's English IV!

    The English Heritage
     
    What is English IV all about???
     
       English IV is a general introduction to, and survey of, literature from the British Isles and the British tradition. We will be reading many works from throughout the last 1,500 years of British history, including some of the earliest examples of works written in our language. We will also be using them to look at the development of the English language and to write critically about those works.  We will also be looking at other works from around the British Empire and the rest of the world.
     
    Here's an overview of what you can expect this year:
     
     
    FALL SEMESTER
     
    • Memoir
    • The Epic Hero
    • The Anglo-Saxons and Beowulf
    • The History of the English Language
    • Early English Poetry
    • The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
    • The Chivalrous Tradition
    • William Shakespeare! (In particular, Macbeth or Hamlet)
    Plus this useful stuff:

    ACT/SAT Review
    College Entrance Essay Practice
    English Grammar
    Various Modes of Writing (Expository, Narrative, Persuasive, Reflective, and Analytical)

    SPRING SEMESTER
    • The Lord of the Flies, William Golding
    • Anthem, Ayn Rand
    • 1984, George Orwell

       Plus the useful stuff from above. During the spring semester, plan to examine how changing social conditions, the rise (and eventual decline) of the British Empire, two world wars, the rise of the United States as a global superpower, and other global events impacted the literature of the English language.

       This is a writing-intensive class, but I pride myself on developing students' self-confidence in their writing abilities and producing writers that are ready for the rigor of academic college writing.

    It is a busy year, but we will work to learn and have as much fun as possible.