Well....

..... I got the job.

... and I'm awfully excited about it.

As it stands at the moment, it seems as if I'll be teaching 6 sections of English 12 (but the schedule is still a little up in the air).

The school operates on a modified block schedule, so although I'm teaching 6 classes, I'm still only teaching 24 classes a week, as compared to the 25 that I teach now. Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, we teach all 6 classes for 50 minutes, but Wednesdays and Thursdays we teach 3 classes each day for 75 minutes. There schedule is a little cooky, compared to what I'm used to, but I suppose I'll get used to this one too.

So here's the problem: English 12 consists of both composition and British Literature.... and I know NOTHING about British Literature. So for those of you who know a little bit about it... tell me! What books are typically taught in this sort of classroom? What poems? Essays? Historical documents? Any ideas?

I've contacted my new Department chair, but she hasn't gotten back with me on anything yet, so I'm still patiently waiting. It's been 4 days now... which irks me a little, but she is dealing with creating schedules too, so maybe she wants to finalize some stuff first.

We don't have a British lit class at my school, rather, it's a World Studies class, which is a bit different. I have collected a lot of materials from those teachers though, but much of the literature is coordinated with our Social Studies department since these classes are taught in a English / History block.

The positive aspect of it though is that it's a year-long course, so I'll have plenty of time to mix the composition connection with the literature. There will still be the mandatory essays for seniors, all of which I've taught these past 2 years, and there will be a bunch of literary analysis essays, which are pretty easy to teach too (and grade). I can also imagine how I might organize a semester too, so I think I've got a little bit of an idea about all of this....

I did take a British Lit class in college, but it was primarily centered around poetry. I also have a huge Norton's Anthology of British Literature, but I haven't looked at it in several years. And just my luck, it's in Indiana right now too.. .. so I can't get a head start.

But I know virtually nothing about British Literature..... and this isn't good. So I need the help of all of you Educators out there... I NEED INPUT!

What sorts of "literature" might I be able to incorporate in a British Literature classroom?