ENGLISH I - Intro to Literature and Composition
English I serves as an introduction to literary genres, namely; fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, short stories and novels. It emphasizes the principle characteristics of literary devices. Students examine universal themes in literature. The course also emphasizes integrating writing skills.
ENGLISH I (HONORS) - Intro to Literature and Composition
English I Honors is a ninth grade course which prepares and challenges students to a higher level of work, including additional readings. Although English Honors uses the same basic foundation as emphasized in the course description of English I, students will analyze and evaluate literature holistically.
ENGLISH II - World Literature and Composition
English II is a survey course of world literature. Students examine and analyze a variety of literary texts in multiple genres, written and oral, from ancient to modern civilization. The course serves as a means of exploring varying philosophical perspectives, identifying themes and motifs specific to a particular culture in time and place and recognizing the relationships between works of literature, their authors, the culture, and the conditions in which the literature was created. More importantly, this course serves to generate, through comparative analysis, an awareness of the human condition that transcends cultural specifics and prevails as a universal human experience.
ENGLISH I (HONORS) - Intro to Literature and Composition
Prerequisite: Pending the approval of the course instructor, students must submit the AP/Honors recommendation form and take a written test which serves as an evaluation of their skills.
English II Honors is a survey course of world literature. Students examine and analyze a variety of literary texts in multiple genres, written and oral, from ancient to modern civilization. The course serves as a means of exploring varying philosophical perspectives, identifying themes and motifs specific to a particular culture in time and place and recognizing the relationships between works of literature, their authors, the culture, and the conditions in which the literature was created. More importantly, this course serves to generate, through comparative analysis, an awareness of the human condition that transcends cultural specifics and prevails as a universal human experience
ENGLISH III - American Literature
English III is a survey of American Literature, from the translated oral tradition of the Native Americans to the diverse cultural, historical, and philosophical writings of contemporary authors. This course serves as a means of highlighting structural features of various forms of fiction and nonfiction, as well as building vocabulary and improving writing skills to adequately express ideas and analyses of literature. Students will read a rich assortment of novels, essays, short stories, dramas, poems, biographies, speeches and scripts.
AP ENGLISH III - AP Language and Composition
AP English Language and Composition, as stated in the AP English Course Description published by the College Board, will enable students to “read complex texts with understanding and to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively with mature readers through writing and speech.” Students will study “basic elements of rhetoric: writing with a purpose, addressing and appealing to an audience, creating effective text structures and effecting an appropriate style.” AP English III students will be challenged to extra readings, a vast compilation of new vocabulary, and writing with a variety of rhetorical modes. Additionally, students in this class must take the AP English Language and Composition test toward the end of the school year.
ENGLISH IV - British Literature
English IV is a survey of English Literature, from the ancient stories of the Anglo-Saxon period to the culturally diverse writings of post-imperial and contemporary authors. Students learn to recognize the purposes and structural features of different kinds of texts through informed exposure to a variety of genres. Students examine readings for historical contexts, philosophical underpinnings and cultural parallels. In addition to reading and analyzing, students are expected to compose essays, create visual depictions, deliver presentations, and craft sonnets and other forms of poetry.C
AP ENGLISH IV - AP Literature and Composition
AP English IV is a college-level survey of British Literature. In addition to the requirements of English IV, AP students should expect extra readings of Shakespeare, the Romantic poets and twentieth century authors whose works are challenging. Additionally, students in this class must take the AP English Literature test toward the end of the school year.
ENGLISH COMPOSITION
Through research and critical reading (i.e. annotation, outlines) students will perform the appropriate writing tasks: descriptive, narrative, process, division and classification, comparison/contrast, cause and effect, expository, and argumentative. This course also analyzes works of literacy, and enhances writing, grammar usage, and mechanics, as well as critical thinking and vocabulary skills. Students are required to do weekly assignments using the writing process, inside and outside of class, which span from using multi-level sentences in paragraph writing to the development of the formal research paper. The skills and assignments for the research paper are applicable to all fields of study and help to integrate other subjects with English Composition. This is an intense study of writing in all forms with practical applications.
YEARBOOK / CREATIVE WRITING
In this course, students will learn basic principles of creative writing, layout and design, and desktop publishing. Utilizing desktop publishing software, students will create flyers, yearbook spreads, advertisements, and information graphics. Proficiency in the use of basic computer programs is recommended for students taking this course. The class is responsible for the funding, production, and promotion of the yearbook.
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