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Welcome to 12th Grade College Prep English The formal name for this course is College Preparatory English\British Heritage This survey course of British Literature makes connections among history, literature and language from the beginnings of English through to modern times. Students will respond to the literature through, discussion, individual and group projects and various written responses, both formal and informal. The course also includes in-context vocabulary study, writing skills instruction and grammar for the college-bound student. The research paper and speech preparation portions of the Graduation Project will be completed during the third trimester.

Required Readings:
 * __Life of Pi__ by Yann Martel - Life of Pi is a fascinating story about survival, belief, animal behavior, hope and hopelessness. The young boy struggles to survive in a very tough environment. A hyena, a tiger, lack of food and water, the sun, the salty water and sharks are some of challenges he has to face in a very limited space.
 * __Macbeth__ by William Shakespeare - Shakespeare describes the tragic fall of Macbeth. Pride and power blind Macbeth and lead to his downfall. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth transform throughout the play after experiences with the three witches and various delusions.
 * __Beowulf__ translated by Burton Raffel - In this epic poem, Beowulf a hero of the Geats, battles three antagonists: Grendel, who has been attacking the resident warriors of the mead hall of Hrothgar (the king of the Danes), Grendel's mother and an unnamed dragon.
 * __Sir Gawain and the Green Knight__ - In this Arthurian legend, Sir Gawain accepts a challenge from a mysterious warrior who is completely green, from his clothes and hair to his beard and skin.
 * __The Canterbury Tales__ by Geoffrey Chaucer - Chaucer writes about a pilgrimage the characters undertake from Southwark to the Canterbury Cathedral . Each character symbolizes part of the English society at the time.
 * __Independent Novel Project (2__) - Each student will choose 1 novel per trimester to read and then complete a project to be due at a time specified by Mrs. Reed