World Literature
There are two major writing assignments in the Gold Book: World Literature that will be submitted for assessment throughout the year.
- The Epic Adventure: This writing assignment is the culmination of the Epic Poetry Unit, where students have studied six epic poems. Your students will then have the opportunity to create their own epic adventure. They will be led through the steps that are taken to creating an Epic Adventure.
- Cry, the Beloved Country Book Report: a 500 word book report on the novel Cry, the Beloved Country.
American Literature
There are three major writing assignments in the Gold Book: American Literature that will be submitted for assessment throughout the year.
- Narrative Essay: A narrative essay is an essay based on a personal experience. It is developed by telling a story with the purpose of making a point. This is a five-paragraph essay.
- Poetry Analysis Essay: Students will choose a poem covered in the Poetry Unit to analyze in this five-paragraph essay.
- Persuasive Essay: Students will write a five paragraph, persuasive essay one of the novels they’ve read.
British Literature
Assessments are provided for four major writing assignments in the Gold Book: British Literature that are to be submitted throughout the year.
- A five-paragraph essay on Shakespeare’s play Hamlet on a topic of student’s choice.
- A five-paragraph Compare/Contrast essay of the film version and the book version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
- A five-paragraph Historical Literary Criticism of Jane Austen’s novel Emma.
Students may choose one of the following two five-page essays for assessment:
- A five-page Author Focused paper on Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities.
- A five-page Moralistic Literary Critique paper on either J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit or George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
Literary Criticism
In order to assist your student, we recommend that the following essays be submitted for assessment throughout the year after completing the indicated lessons:
- Lesson Two – the basic five-paragraph essay on student’s chosen topic. Skills learned here are the foundation for the other writing assignments.
- Lesson Six – the five-paragraph essay based on chosen short story. This assessment is intended to correct any major essay writing mistakes. Students will continue to build on what they have learned.
- Lesson 16 – the five-page essay based on Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein should pull together all that the students have learned thus far.
Students may choose one of the other two five-page essays for assessment:
- Lesson 23 – The Trial Franz Kafka
- Lesson 28 – Macbeth William Shakespeare
