Course Descriptions

Rhetoric is the body of principles and theory having to do with the presentation of facts and ideas in clear, convincing, and attractive language. This course, then, is an advanced writing course for students who have successfully completed Mrs. Becky Celsor’s essay writing course (or equivalent), Mr. Jack Hightower’s “The Bridge” writing course (or equivalent), or any other English course with a strong writing focus in the ninth or tenth grades.

The course builds on the concepts learned previously and includes all modes of writing: descriptive, narrative, informative, argumentative, comparison/contrast, process analysis, classification/division, style analysis, literary analysis, etc. In preparation for the argumentative essay, the students study logic and reasoning, reasoning fallacies, motivational appeals, emotional appeals, as well as the concepts of logos, ethos, and pathos in effective writing. Utilizing the stages of the writing process as teaching/writing tools, the course explores various prewriting, editing, and revising strategies to assist students in adding effective elaboration or commentary to their writing, as well as improving their use of the conventions of the English language.

Young writers can learn a great deal from professional writers and their craft; therefore, the students will read excerpts from published writers for analysis and modeling. It is possible that, time permitting, the students will read a classic novel and write a literary analysis research paper about the work using the literary criticism available in a public or college library, or online. As a part of both the argumentative essay and the research paper, the students will learn proper documentation of information borrowed from other sources and Works Cited entries using MLA style.

Rhetoric and Composition meets two hours per week. The tuition is $50 per month plus $5 added to the first payment to help defray the cost of supplies. This class is for 11th and 12th grade students; however, Mr. Garrett my allow 10th graders in the class with his personal approval based on his assessment of a sample of the student’s writing provided to him and a conference with parents and/or former teacher(s). There is no textbook for this class. Mr. Garrett provides all the necessary instructional materials.

Although primarily a course in public speaking involving the planning and presentation of various types of speeches, this course will also deal with improving interpersonal communication skills, learning to think on one’s feet, and managing stage fright. The students will also enhance their self-confidence, poise, and public speaking skills through this course of study. Textbook: Sound Speech: Public Speaking and Communication Studies for Christian Schools, available online from Bob Jones University Press or at Love 2 Learn in Tomball. The second semester of the course will be more activity oriented. It will focus primarily on competitive speaking, debate, and drama. During second semester the student will have the opportunity to observe and perhaps even participate in a forensics tournament sponsored by our local home school team affiliated with the National Christian Forensics and Communication Association (NCFCA), the national speech and debate organization for home school students. The class is open to students in Grades 9-12. Tuition is $50 per month, $55 the first month (extra $5 to defray the cost of classroom materials and supplies). Send completed registration form and a check for the first month's tuition, including the extra $5, to John Garrett. See the Contacts section of this website for his mailing address and other contact information.