English IV Honors Academic Library (1st Semester)
This senior-year honors English course invites NFC Academy students to delve into British literature, from ancient texts such as the epic of Beowulf through contemporary works. Students will engage in a variety of rigorous lessons with a focus on academic inquiry, literary analysis, and inferential evaluation. While critically reading fiction, poetry, drama, and expository nonfiction, honors students will master comprehension, use evidence to conduct in-depth literary analysis, examine and critique how authors develop ideas in a variety of genres, and synthesize ideas across multiple texts.

A copy of the English IV Honors Course Overview. 
Students should see our statement about these courses which are not authored from a biblical worldview. Students uncomfortable with these courses should enroll in our courses from a biblical worldview ​

english iv honors

Unit 1: ​Epic Beginnings
  1. Part 1: Epic Poetry: Gilgamesh Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How does Gilgamesh establish the defining features of epic poetry?
    3. Assignment - Read from Gilgamesh to identify and analyze features of epic poetry.
    4. Instruction - How does Gilgamesh establish the defining features of epic poetry?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  2. Part 2: Epic Hero: Gilgamesh Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How does Gilgamesh model the epic hero archetype and convey themes of epic poetry?
    3. Assignment - Read from Gilgamesh to identify characteristics of an epic hero.
    4. Instruction - How does Gilgamesh model the epic hero archetype and convey themes of epic poetry?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  3. Introduction to Anglo-Saxon Literature: Beowulf Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - What connections can you make between Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon culture?
    3. Assignment - Read from Beowulf to make and support inferences. 
    4. Instruction - What connections can you make between Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon culture?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  4. Characterization in Grendel Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How can a new interpretation change our understanding of a story?
    3. Assignment - Read from Grendel by John Gardner to analyze point of view, perspective, and characterization.
    4. Instruction - How can a new interpretation change our understanding of a story?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  5. Building Vocabulary: Word Roots, Affixes, and Reference Materials Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How can you determine the meaning of an unknown word?
    3. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    4. Assignment - Practice analyzing word parts to determine meaning, spelling, and usage.
    5. Quiz Answers
  6. Writing a Narrative Application Essay Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How can you use a narrative to tell a reader about your experiences?
    3. Pre-Writing - Plan your narrative essay.
    4. Instruction - How can you use a narrative to tell a reader about your experiences?
    5. Drafting - Draft your narrative essay.
    6. Instruction - How can you use a narrative to tell a reader about your experiences?
    7. Revising - Revise your narrative essay.
    8. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    9. Quiz Answers
  7. Unit Test
    1. Unit Test Review Answers
    2. Unit Test Answers
Unit 2: ​From the Middle Ages through the Renaissance
  1. Characterization in The Canterbury Tales Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How can readers understand and analyze characters in The Canterbury Tales?
    3. Assignment - Read from the General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales to analyze characterization.
    4. Instruction - How can readers understand and analyze characters in The Canterbury Tales?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  2. Satire in The Pardoner’s Tale Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How does Chaucer use satire to shed light on social problems?
    3. Assignment - Read from The Canterbury Tales to analyze characterization and satire.
    4. Instruction - How does Chaucer use satire to shed light on social problems?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  3. Chivalry in the Middle Ages: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How do the characters in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight uphold chivalric values?
    3. Assignment - Read from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to analyze how characters uphold chivalric values.
    4. Instruction - How do the characters in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight uphold chivalric values?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  4. Imagery and Figurative Language in Tennyson’s “Morte d’Arthur” Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson. 
    2. Instruction - How does Tennyson help readers visualize an Arthurian legend?
    3. Assignment - Read from “Morte d’Arthur” to analyze imagery and figurative language.
    4. Instruction - How does Tennyson help readers visualize an Arthurian legend?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  5. Central Ideas and Context: Utopia Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How do you understand and critique the central ideas of Utopia?
    3. Assignment - Read to determine the central ideas in Utopia and consider how they are developed.
    4. Instruction - How do you understand and critique the central ideas of Utopia?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  6. Unit Test
    1. Unit Test Review Answers
    2. Unit Test Answers
Unit 3: ​Life in the Renaissance
  1. Speeches of Queen Elizabeth I Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How do persuasive techniques help an author achieve his or her purpose?
    3. Assignment - Read two speeches by Queen Elizabeth I to analyze the author's purpose and use of rhetorical appeals.
    4. Instruction - How do persuasive techniques help an author achieve his or her purpose?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you have learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  2. Part 1: An Introduction to Elizabethan England Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How does Ian Mortimer inform readers about Elizabethan England?
    3. Assignment - Read from The Time Traveler’s Guide to Elizabethan England to learn about life in Elizabethan England. 
    4. Instruction - How does Ian Mortimer inform readers about Elizabethan England?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  3. Part 2: Summarizing Central Ideas about Elizabethan England Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How does an author develop central ideas in a text?
    3. Assignment - Read from The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England to determine central ideas and analyze their development.
    4. Instruction - How does an author develop central ideas in a text?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  4. Part 3: Text Structure in an Informational Text Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - What techniques does Mortimer use to achieve his purpose?
    3. Assignment - Read from The Time Traveler’s Guide to Elizabethan England to analyze text structure.
    4. Instruction - What techniques does Mortimer use to achieve his purpose?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  5. Part 4: Writing to Evaluate Mortimer's Style Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson. 
    2. Instruction - How do you evaluate an author’s writing style?
    3. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    4. Assignment - Prepare to write a paragraph that evaluates an author’s writing style.
    5. Short Writing - Write a paragraph that evaluates an author’s writing style.
    6. Quiz Answers
  6. Parts of Speech: Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How can words and phrases take on new meanings by acting like different parts of speech?
    3. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    4. Assignment - Revise sentences that contain advanced verb forms.
    5. Quiz Answers
  7. Creating a Time Travel Brochure Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How can you use the power of persuasion to create a convincing travel brochure?
    3. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    4. Project: Brochure - Create a brochure that convinces readers to travel to Elizabethan England.
    5. Quiz Answers
  8. Unit Test
    1. Unit Test Review Answers
    2. Unit Test Answers
Unit 4: ​Elizabethan Drama: The Tragedy of Hamlet
  1. Hamlet, Part 1: An Introduction to Elizabethan Theater Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How does Shakespeare use elements of drama to draw the audience into the play?
    3.  Assignment - Read from Act I of Hamlet to identify and analyze elements of drama.
    4. Instruction - How does Shakespeare use elements of drama to draw the audience into the play?
    5. Assignment - Read from Act I of Hamlet to analyze characterization.
    6. Instruction - How does Shakespeare use elements of drama to draw the audience into the play?
    7. Summary - Review and connect what you have learned.
    8. Quiz Answers
  2. Hamlet, Part 2: Word Choice and Tone Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - What strategies can you use to decode Shakespeare’s language?
    3. Assignment - Read from Act I of Hamlet to determine word meanings using context.
    4. Instruction - What strategies can you use to decode Shakespeare’s language?
    5. Assignment - Read from Acts I and II of Hamlet to analyze tone.
    6. Instruction - What strategies can you use to decode Shakespeare’s language?
    7. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    8. Quiz Answers
  3. Hamlet, Part 3: Figurative Language and Allusions Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How do figurative language and familiar stories affect Hamlet?
    3. Assignment - Read from Act II of Hamlet to identify and interpret figurative language.
    4. Instruction - How do figurative language and familiar stories affect Hamlet?
    5. Assignment -Read from Act II of Hamlet to analyze allusions.
    6. Instruction - How do figurative language and familiar stories affect Hamlet?
    7. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    8. Quiz Answers
  4. Hamlet, Part 4: Comparing and Contrasting Interpretations Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How can watching different adaptations help you see a play in new ways?
    3. Assignment - Read from Act III of Hamlet to analyze a soliloquy.
    4. Instruction - How can watching different adaptations help you see a play in new ways?
    5. Instruction - How can watching different adaptations help you see a play in new ways?
    6. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    7. Quiz Answers
  5. Hamlet, Part 5: Characteristics of Elizabethan Drama Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How does Hamlet illustrate what makes Elizabethan drama different from earlier forms of drama?
    3. Assignment - Read from Act III of Hamlet to explore perspectives on drama.
    4. Instruction - How does Hamlet illustrate what makes Elizabethan drama different from earlier forms of drama?
    5. Assignment - Read from Act III of Hamlet to analyze characterization.
    6. Instruction - How does Hamlet illustrate what makes Elizabethan drama different from earlier forms of drama?
    7. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    8. Quiz Answers
  6. Hamlet, Part 6: Applying Literary Criticism Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How can changing your focus help you see a story in new and interesting ways?
    3. Assignment - Read from Act III of Hamlet to analyze the play using a formalist lens.
    4. Instruction - How can changing your focus help you see a story in new and interesting ways?
    5. Assignment - Read from Act IV of Hamlet to analyze the play using a historical lens.
    6. Instruction - How can changing your focus help you see a story in new and interesting ways?
    7. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    8. Quiz Answers
  7. Hamlet, Part 7: Plot and Character Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How do plot and character development work together to build excitement in a drama?
    3. Assignment - Read from Act IV of Hamlet to identify plot elements.
    4. Instruction - How do plot and character development work together to build excitement in a drama?
    5. Assignment - Read from Act IV of Hamlet to analyze character development.
    6. Instruction - How do plot and character development work together to build excitement in a drama?
    7. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    8. Quiz Answers
  8. Hamlet, Part 8: Themes Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson. 
    2. Instruction - How do the themes in Hamlet interact to communicate complex ideas?
    3. Assignment - Read from Act V of Hamlet to determine a theme.
    4. Instruction - How do the themes in Hamlet interact to communicate complex ideas?
    5. Assignment - Read from Act V of Hamlet to analyze the development of a theme.
    6. Instruction - How do the themes in Hamlet interact to communicate complex ideas?
    7. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    8. Quiz Answers
  9. Analytical Essay, Hamlet Guided Notes
    1. Mini-Lesson - Prepare to use a critical lens to write an analytical essay about Hamlet.
    2. Project: Analytical Essay - Write an analytical essay about Hamlet using a critical lens.
  10. Unit Test
    1. Unit Test Review Answers
    2. Unit Test Answers
Unit 5: ​The Enlightenment in England
  1. Poetic Structure in Pope’s Essay on Man Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson. 
    2. Instruction - How does Pope use poetic structures to express Enlightenment ideas?
    3. Assignment - Read from Pope’s Essay on Man to identify and analyze elements of poetry.
    4. Instruction - How does Pope use poetic structures to express Enlightenment ideas?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  2. Central Ideas in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How does Mary Wollstonecraft combine central ideas to build an argument?
    3. Assignment - Read from A Vindication of the Rights of Woman to trace the development of central ideas.
    4. Instruction - How does Mary Wollstonecraft combine central ideas to build an argument?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  3. Satire in Swift's "A Modest Proposal" Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How does Swift use satire to make an argument engaging and effective?
    3. Assignment - Read “A Modest Proposal” to analyze satire.
    4. Instruction - How does Swift use satire to make an argument engaging and effective?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  4. Satire in Swift's "A Modest Proposal" (Continued) Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How do you write an objective summary of a satire?
    3. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    4. Assignment - Practice skills used when writing an objective summary.
    5. Short Writing - Write a paragraph that objectively summarizes Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” and explains his purpose.
    6. Quiz Answers
  5. Comparing Eighteenth-Century Texts on Slavery Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How can comparing two texts give readers deeper insight into a complex issue?
    3. Assignment - Read from Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil and Wicked Traffic of the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species to analyze the author’s beliefs.
    4. Instruction - How can comparing two texts give readers deeper insight into a complex issue?
    5. Assignment - Read from Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho, An African to determine the author’s purpose.
    6. Instruction - How can comparing two texts give readers deeper insight into a complex issue?
    7. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    8. Quiz Answers
  6. Enlightenment Ideas in America Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How can powerful arguments bring about social change?
    3. Assignment - Read the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson to analyze an author’s purpose and use of rhetorical appeals.
    4. Instruction - How can powerful arguments bring about social change?
    5. Assignment - Read the Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton to analyze word choice.
    6. Instruction - How can powerful arguments bring about social change?
    7. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    8. Quiz Answers
  7. Word Meaning in the Preface to A Dictionary of the English Language Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How can you determine the meanings of words in a text?
    3. Assignment - Read from the preface to Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language to determine word meaning.
    4. Instruction - How can you determine the meanings of words in a text?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned. 
    6. Quiz Answers
  8. Writing a Research-Based Informative Essay about Language Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson. 
    2. Instruction - How do you organize and cite evidence from research in an informative essay? 
    3. Pre-Writing - Plan to write your informative essay.
    4. Instruction - How do you organize and cite evidence from research in an informative essay?
    5. Drafting - Draft your informative essay.
    6. Instruction - How do you organize and cite evidence from research in an informative essay?
    7. Revising - Revise your informative essay.
    8. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    9. Quiz Answers
  9. Unit Test
    1. Unit Test Review Answers
    2. Unit Test Answers
Unit 6: ​English Romanticism
  1. Introduction to Romanticism Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson. 
    2. Instruction - How were the Romantic poets different from the poets who came before them?
    3. Assignment - Read “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth to analyze features of romantic poetry.
    4. Instruction - How were the Romantic poets different from the poets who came before them?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  2. Themes in the Poetry of Keats Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson. 
    2. Instruction - How can analyzing word choice help you understand the big ideas in a poem?
    3. Assignment - Read “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats to analyze diction.
    4. Instruction - How can analyzing word choice help you understand the big ideas in a poem?
    5. Summary -Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  3. Haiku and Romantic Poetry Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How are Japanese haiku similar to and different from English romantic poems?
    3. Assignment - Read poems by Basho, Buson, and Issa, and identify the elements of haiku.
    4. Instruction - How are Japanese haiku similar to and different from English romantic poems?
    5. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    6. Quiz Answers
  4. Speaking and Listening: Planning a Multimedia Presentation Guided Notes
    1. Warm-Up - Get ready for the lesson.
    2. Instruction - How do you use text and multimedia to present your ideas in an effective and engaging way?
    3. Summary - Review and connect what you learned.
    4. Assignment - Plan a multimedia presentation.
    5. Quiz Answers
  5. Unit Test
    1. Unit Test Review Answers
    2. Unit Test Answers
Unit 7: ​Cumulative Exam
  1. Cumulative Exam Review Answers
    1. Cumulative Exam Answers