Welcome to Honors English. At this time Danville High is on the waiting list to be accepted into the KAP English program.  Kenyon is hoping to add more faculty to accommodate us or we must wait until another school drops the program. Until then, the course is considered an accelerated English class with the same rigor as an introductory course in college. There will be lots of opportunity to improve your writing and critical thinking skills. We will have a great reading list with a wide variety of themes. Two of the novels will involve learning outside of the classroom.

Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold*

Love Medicine by Louise Erdich**

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

“A Doll House”, a play by Henrik Ibsen

“Measure for Measure” a play by William Shakespeare

Assorted poems and short stories by minority poets TBD

*Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold has been made into a movie, which premieres in theaters Dec. 7. Following a field trip to the cinema to view the movie, students will write a compare and contrast essay about the book and the movie.

**Love Medicine by Louise Erdich is part of The Big Read Knox County presented by The Kenyon Review and the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County in October and November. What this means to Danville students in an opportunity to meet the author, a classroom lecture from a Kenyon professor, participation in book discussions and a long list of other activities with other Knox County residents who are also reading the book. This is a rare opportunity to enrich your literary experience of this novel.

Summer Reading – Like most accelerated English courses, this class has a summer reading requirement. I ask that you have Lovely Bones and Love Medicine read by the time you return to school in August. “A Doll House” and Pride and Prejudice are not difficult reads. I encourage (not require) you to read these as well to lighten your load in the fall. We will wade through Shakespeare's “Measure for Measure together. The poems and short stories will be assigned later in the semester.

Over the summer you also need to examine your writing skills. By this time in your high school career you should know where your shortcomings are.  Return in August with a list of areas you would like my help in improving. 

Have a great summer!

Ms. Durbin