The Language Arts LIFEPACs for high school level cover grammar, composition, literature, vocabulary, and practical skills such as listening, note taking, and using the library. As with other comprehensive language arts courses, these may be repetitive on grammar or other skills that have been mastered previously. However, the study of literature is likely to be fresh material, especially with its use of complete literary works alongside a few of the LIFEPACs.
Ninth grade level, an introduction to literature, includes study of the play, The Miracle Worker, and the novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Students also learn about short stories, poetry, library skills, literary analysis, essay writing, and communication.
Tenth-grade level studies the development of the English language, listening and speaking skills, writing effective sentences, expository writing, oral reading and drama, the short story, and the novel. The book In His Steps is required for the unit on the novel.
Eleventh-grade level addresses American literature, especially through the play Our Town and the novel The Old Man and the Sea. Students also learn additional grammar and writing skills, literary analysis, skills for reading non-fiction, the study of poetry, Greek and Latin word roots, and research skills. Students write a research paper at this level.
Twelfth-grade level again studies grammar, writing skills, and the history of language, although this year the emphasis is on British literature from medieval through Victorian times. Composition skills include the research paper and creative writing.
Grammar study throughout this series includes some sentence diagramming, but it is covered very minimally, and students should be able to complete the lessons even without prior exposure to diagramming.
Students learn various forms of writing, although the amount of writing is less demanding than in some other high school courses. Also, parents might want to consciously create opportunities for oral presentations or speeches since these independent study courses do not stress actual presentations in front of a group very much.
Each grade level comes as a boxed set of the student LIFEPACS and the teacher guide. The teacher guides serve primarily as answer keys, but there often valuable lesson presentation tips that you should implement.
The high school language arts courses from Alpha Omega are one of the publisher's strongest subject areas. Homeschoolers generally have had quite favorable experience with them.
See also my review of the elective American Literature and British Literature LIFEPAC courses.
