Michelle in AL Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 What books, short stories, dramas, poems would you put on your must read book list for high school in order to make a challenging, engaging and motivating literature course (these must be something you've read and truly enjoyed or gained insight from)? I'd like to add in some that may not be considered Great Books and delete some Great Books that may be complete drudgery for your average student (I teach a literature co-op). We've only started with 9th grade so here's my winners list: Till We have Faces The Epic of Gilgamesh The Odyssey The Aeneid Aristotle Poetics Beowulf Romeo & Juliet (only with Shakespeare Set Free guide) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted December 13, 2008 Author Share Posted December 13, 2008 Forgot some... Modern era: To Kill A Mockingbird A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote (short story) The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote (short story~has some cussing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IsaiahM Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 The Pilgrim's Progress Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift Candide - Voltaire A Tale of Two Cities Uncle Tom's Cabin The Killer Angels The Great Gatsby 1984 Animal Farm Frankenstein Pride and Prejudice Tom Sawyer, The One Million Pound Bank Note - Mark Twain The Old Man and the Sea Death of a Salesman The Wasteland - T.S. Elliot Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck War and Peace - Tolstoy The Old Curiosity Shop - Dickens Robert Louis Stevenson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill- OK Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 The Iliad Epic of Gilgamesh Analects of Confucius Bhagavad Gita One play from Euripides, Sophocles, or Aeschylus (they can choose one) The Clouds (Aristophanes) Selections from Herodotus, Thucyclides, and Xenophon (I have a combined volume with selections from each of their respective histories) Selections from The Republic (Plato) Julius Caesar (Shakespeare--set to coincide with Roman history study) The Aeneid Coolidge's Greek Myths Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 The Iliad Epic of Gilgamesh Analects of Confucius Bhagavad Gita One play from Euripides, Sophocles, or Aeschylus (they can choose one) The Clouds (Aristophanes) Selections from Herodotus, Thucyclides, and Xenophon (I have a combined volume with selections from each of their respective histories) Selections from The Republic (Plato) Julius Caesar (Shakespeare--set to coincide with Roman history study) The Aeneid Coolidge's Greek Myths I would add the Tao te Ching to Jill's list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielle Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 "Manners and Morals of the Americans" by Fanny Trollope. Ms. Trollope lived in the U.S. in the 1830's(?--it's been a couple of years since I read it) and comments on the behavior and mores as seen thru her educated, upper class British eyes. You will fall off your chair laughing, and it's a fascinating counterpart to authors like Twain. Rarely assigned, but not to be missed IMHO. Also, particularly if you are interested in incorporating some world literature, I'd eyeball the list of Nobel prize winners for literature and pick out some of their works. (I plan to.) Danielle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielle Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 IMHO, the Analects is BORING. It looks like a short book, but I felt like it was 500 pages by the time I finished it. I much preferred Sun Tzu's Art of War for its relevance and snappiness. Danielle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted December 20, 2008 Author Share Posted December 20, 2008 Thanks all, I'm writing these down for future yrs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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