British Literature and Composition Year 2-Dickens & Lewis – [Live Class]

Description

High School British Literature and Composition Year 2

For Autumn 2025 Enrolment

This high school British Literature and Composition Year 2 course is a full high school credit if you are doing the US transcript.

Day & Time: Tuesdays 2:30 – 4:00 PM GMT (Two 40-minute sessions with a short break in the middle.)

Location: Zoom Meeting

Tutor: Emma Cummings

Prerequisite: Pre-GCSE English Grammar & Writing or equivalent and British Lit & Comp Year 1 (or equivalent).

Required Materials:

• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens  (Oxford World’s Classics)
• Mere Christianity (April, 2012) & Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
• Digital PDF Workbooks for the class.
  • Great Expectations Workbook
  • Victorian Poetry Workbook
  • Mere Christianity Workbook

British History Companion Course

The Contextual British History – Year 2 – Victorian & Modern Era   Students following the USA High School Diploma & Transcript model will receive 1 Social Studies and 1 Literature & Composition credit for each class successfully completed with a passing grade when taking both courses.

•   Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
•   An introduction to great Victorian poets
•   Selected works of C.S. Lewis
•   Early 20th century poets

In British Literature and Composition Year 2, we will engage the curiosity of the students through the study of great thinkers and writers like Dickens and C.S. Lewis. The course will look at the literary techniques employed by these writers, as well as the ideas they expounded. We will also spend time analysing contemporary poets of the period.

Semester 1 – Dickens

In Semester 1 students will study Great Expectations and will read a second book of their choice from a reading list of complementary texts. Term 2 students will study a selection of Lewis’ works and those of the Inklings. The Inklings were the literary group Lewis was part of. We will explore the ideas that were being explored by the great Christian thinkers of this time, and in doing so introduce the field of literary criticism.

Students will learn to write in different forms, learning the conventions of these forms. This will develop the foundation laid in the British Literature Year 1 course, where we explore writing persuasively and discursively in detail. British Literature Year 2  – Dickens & Lewis will add the element of literary criticism. 

Semester 2 – C.S. Lewis

In Semester 2 we will be looking at the work of C.S. Lewis. Most Christian home educators are familiar with the works of Lewis, for many younger children The Chronicles of Narnia series is a right of passage. This semester we will study Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters.

Mere Christianity is a classic of the faith. It was originally a series of radio broadcasts given by Lewis, in which he explores the uniqueness of the Christian faith, as well as exploring the major cultural issues of his day.

The Screwtape Letters is also a classic of Christian Literature and is written in the form of a satirical, epistolary framework. Lewis explores the strategies of the devil to war against human souls. He does so in often a humorous way, in order to communicate a serious message.

Finally, we will study a selection of poems from the period, particularly looking at how the major social and cultural shifts of the early 20th century affected Britain by studying the poetry of that period.

As part of the second semester of this course, we will:

1. Discuss the general effectiveness of the texts in achieving their objectives.
2. Conventions of Letter writing
3. Summary writing
4. We will compare the differences between speaking and writing persuasively.
5. Close textual analysis: how to understand a text.
6. Recognising fact, opinion and bias.
7. Consider the way Lewis would engage with culture now as opposed to his lifetime.
8. How to craft a response to key cultural issues today.
9. A group project to address a chosen cultural issue. They will communicate a Christian response to that issue via a mock medium for example podcast, website, social media, video or blog etc.

Please note the group project, will be collaborative but student’s work will not be searchable on the Internet. Work created will be in a mock format.

Not sure if it’s a good fit for your student?

Take a look at the sample lesson and see our tutor’s style and better understand the content of the course.

Enrol Today!

Don’t miss the opportunity to dive into the exciting literary worlds of Victorian and early 20th-century writing and thinking with British Literature and Composition Year 2. It’s a chance to expand your horizons and explore a world of knowledge and adventure.

For any inquiries about the course, please contact us at Arise@AriseHomeEducation.com 

Spaces are limited (only 10 students per class), secure your spot today (payment options available) and prepare for an unforgettable home education educational experience.

More details about how these courses can be used for both the UK Exam Model & the USA High School Diploma & Transcript Model are here.

Course Taster Session: Great Expectations

Get your FREE Great Expectations sample lesson here:

 

More details about how these courses can be used for both the UK Exam Model & the USA High School Diploma & Transcript Model are here.

More British Literature curriculum resources.