Introductory Note from Ben Crist

I’m excited to offer American Literature through Compass Classroom.

I love teaching American literature because it presents many of the subtleties of a world literature course in a compressed timeline and with a flavor that they will grow to recognize as unique. In addition to some of the more standard works, I’ve selected a few favorites to share with you.

My first goal is to teach how to read for high school and beyond, the total reading amount will be significant. During the fall semester, I will provide reading comprehension questions to guide families during the week; during the spring semester I will shift this responsibility to students. Active reading, annotations, and consideration of secondary sources will round out our digestion of the books.

The second goal is to develop student writing. Students will write short 1-3 page pieces each week on varied themes and in different forms—even creative ones for the adventurous! In the spring semester, students will be led through the creation of a longer, expository paper.

I look forward with eagerness to walking with your students this year. I hope to challenge your students to grow in grace and knowledge as they read and write.

Lord willing, we’ll cover a little over 2,000 pages of reading together. More importantly, we’ll develop a strong sense of America’s “story” in the hands of our sovereign Lord.