Scholé Academy currently offers literature courses at the middle-school level and at the upper-school level. It will be important to carefully consider which course is the right fit for your student. We have provided target grade ranges to assist you in your determination; and it should be noted that there will be a substantial difference between middle-school-level courses and upper-school-level courses. Those differences will be experienced both in the content the students will be covering (pacing, amount, and maturity of topics) as well as expectations of the student (grading, independence, responsibilities, etc.).
Students in Scholé Academy literature courses are asked to consider and engage carefully crafted questions as their window into “the Great Conversation.” They will read works from a wide range of authors and contemplate powerful questions. Guided by the teacher, students are invited to participate in conversations about the text through discussion and writing. Together, students and the instructor have the great privilege of reading novels, short stories, poetry, and other forms of narrative.
While Scholé Academy literature courses primarily feature literary study, they also incorporate some studies from history, helping students to see and enjoy the integration of both history and literature. These classes are paired with history courses, often taught by the same instructor, and scheduled back-to-back with that course in a “block.” Students who take both courses receive a discount. These courses may also be taken as a standalone literature study. See each individual course for a full course reading list.
“Deprive children of stories and you leave them unscripted, anxious stutterers in their actions as in their words.“
—Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue, A Study in Moral Theory