English 1 focuses on basic skills of reading and writing so that students can move on to higher level concepts. The students in this course can only be enrolled by determination of the Individualized Education Plan Team and not open to general enrollment.
Students enter this class with a variety of skills and needs. The targets below are more of a scope of topics that students will master rather than a curricular guideline.
Prerequisite: IEP
English 2 focuses on basic skills of reading and writing so that students can move on to higher level concepts. The students in this course can only be enrolled by determination of the Individualized Education Plan Team and not open to general enrollment.
Students enter this class with a variety of skills and needs. The targets below are more of a scope of topics that students will master rather than a curricular guideline.
Prerequisite: IEP
English 3 focuses on basic skills of reading and writing so that students can move on to higher level concepts. The students in this course can only be enrolled by determination of the Individualized Education Plan Team and not open to general enrollment.
Students enter this class with a variety of skills and needs. The targets below are more of a scope of topics that students will master rather than a curricular guideline.
Prerequisite: IEP
English 4 focuses on basic skills of reading and writing so that students can move on to higher level concepts. The students in this course can only be enrolled by determination of the Individualized Education Plan Team and not open to general enrollment.
Students enter this class with a variety of skills and needs. The targets below are more of a scope of topics that students will master rather than a curricular guideline.
Prerequisite: IEP
Full-Year Freshmen English (CP): HS12121/HS12122 (2 credits)
Students will read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts to improve their reading comprehension skills. Students will respond to the Learning Targets for each Measurement Topic. Students will write a variety of short pieces to improve their writing skills and learn new vocabulary words and learn to incorporate them into their writing. Sample texts include, but are not limited to: Of Mice and Men, Where the Lilies Bloom, The Crazy Horse Electric Game, The Lottery, The Red Convertible, Woodsong, and a variety of timely nonfiction pieces.
Analyzing Arguments: HS14190 (1 credit)
This is an alternative education course designed to help students to meet the ELA narrative standards required for graduation.
Prerequisite: Alt. Ed.
Sharing Information: HS14192 (1 credit)
This is an alternative education course designed to help students to meet the ELA narrative standards required for graduation.
Prerequisite: Alt. Ed.
Telling a Story: HS14191 (1 credit)
This is an alternative education course designed to help students to meet the ELA narrative standards required for graduation.
Prerequisite: Alt. Ed.
LITERATURE:
I: Introduction to Fiction (CP): HS12162 (1 credit)
In this introductory literature course, students will read a variety of short fictional texts and study the ways in which authors tell stories by developing characters and themes, and playing on common literary themes and structures. Students will be introduced to literary analysis, critical thinking skills and approaches to literary study. Students will demonstrate their competence, and perhaps their prowess, in literary analysis by planning, drafting, and revising compositions of various lengths.
II: The Novel (CP): HS12163 (1 credit)
Students will continue development of literary analysis and critical thinking skills through the reading of novels and other complex texts. They will deepen their understanding of the ways in which authors make meaning through the development of stories, common literacy themes, and archetypes. Students will demonstrate their competence, and perhaps even prowess, in literary analysis by planning, drafting, and revising compositions of various lengths.
Possible texts may include, but are not limited to; Sation 11, Marrow Thieves.
Prerequisite: Literature I: Introduction to Fiction
II: Hero Quest (CP): HS12261 (1 credit)
This course follows the hero in Western Literature from the Greeks to the modern era focusing on the question: What does it mean to be human? Students will read, discuss, and analyze literature with an emphasis on understanding major themes and analyzing the rhetorical strategies of the argument. Students will produce written arguments about the ideas this genre explores, practicing the interplay between grammar, logic, and rhetorical strategies for clear and effective evidence-based argument.
Prerequisite: at least one Level-1 Reading or Writing class
Potential texts: Homer’s Odyssey, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations
III: American Literature and Composition (CP): HS12360 (1 credit)
This course focuses on the close study of great works of American literature, including The Great Gatsby, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Catcher, and Things They Carried. Additional reading may include other novels, short stories, narrative and lyric poems, plays, and essays. Writing assignments, primarily in response to the literature studied, encourage students to practice the clear, logical, coherent, stylistically appropriate expository prose they might use in any college course.
Prerequisite: at least 2 courses from level three or below.
IV: Introduction to Literature (DE): HS12462 (1 credit)
This humanities course will provide students with the opportunity for personal growth and an insight into social problems as revealed through literature. Students will read and discuss a selection of short stories, plays, poems and novels. This is a dual enrollment course offered by MHS and Thomas College for our advanced literature students and strongly recommended for those intending to pursue studies in the humanities or languages.
Possible texts may include but are not limited to Dracula, The Cantarbury Tales, and Street Car Name Desire.
Prerequisite: American Literature or Hero Quest
Instructor will work individually with students on an as-needed basis to help them achieve learning targets; however, it should be noted there is a basic level of expectation of achievement anticipated of students entering this class.
AP Literature and Composition: HS11021/HS11022 (2 credits)
AP English Literature and Composition is a demanding college-level literature and writing course that focuses on complex interpretation and analysis, with an emphasis on expository writing based on literature. It provides in-depth study of several major literary perspectives, eras, genres, authors, and works, as well as extensive preparation for the College Board AP English Literature and Composition exam given in May, which is a means of earning advanced placement in English at most colleges. This two-credit course meets every day for two semesters, resulting in two MHS English credits. Summer work is required.
Prerequisite: at least one successful level-3 or level-4 experience
NON-FICTION:
I (CP): HS12140 (1 credit)
Students will read a variety of nonfiction texts and view a variety of documentary films. Students will write a variety of short pieces to respond to the Learning Targets for Reading Informational Texts and Writing Informative/Explanatory pieces. Students will learn new vocabulary words and learn to incorporate them into their writing. Note: Topics may vary based on student interests. Sample texts include full-length articles from National Geographic, Smithsonian, Atlantic, The New York Times, Exerpcts of Food Inc, Garbology, and other informational sources.
II: Outdoor Life (CP): HS12241 (1 credit)
Students will gain an appreciation for informative/explanatory and narrative writing by reading newspaper and magazine articles about hunting, fishing, and other outdoors subjects. As part of the course, students will be expected both to dissect the various elements of a well conceived outdoors story and write their own accounts of outdoors experiences using those elements.
Possible texts include Stranger in The Woods, Bless the Beasts + the Children.
III: Media Literacy and Film Analysis (CP): HS12341 (1 credit)
This course takes an in depth look at the ways media reflects and shapes our culture. Through the analysis of film, advertising, and print material, students will develop a deeper understanding of the way media is formulated and the way it impacts their own ideologies. In-class discussions and written analysis of film help students further develop basic written and verbal communication skills while also supplying them with the skills they need to navigate today’s media saturated world.
IV: College and Career (CP): HS12482 (1 credit)
This course will prepare students for post-secondary plans through writing and literature and is intended for students in their senior year. We will start by looking at narratives in order to develop college essays. We will also work with the art of interpersonal communication in the context of debates and collaborative communication. Additionally, we will cover different types of technical and practical writing and work on developing and delivering compelling and informative presentations. This course will specifically work to help students to develop skills in writing, speaking, and listening in order to prepare for post-secondary endeavors including college, trade-specific career training, and the workforce.
WRITING:
I: Writing for High School (CP): HS12180 (1 credit)
Students will learn how to express themselves in different rhetorical writing modes and effectively edit what they write. They also will become proficient in sentence fluency as well as in the important research process skills of assessing and analyzing information. To exhibit their skill development, students will engage in a variety of writing tasks, including responses to prompts, short essays, and long essays.
Possible texts include Friday Night Lights, Night, Romeo and Juliet, Absolutely True Diary, and Out of Nowhere.
II: Argument & Social Issues (CP): HS12280 (1 credit)
This course focuses on the argument in writing with the understanding that writing in which an argument is established and then proven is a college-level expectation. Students will read, discuss, and analyze the ideas in literature and short non-fiction. Writing instruction centers on developing debatable thesis statements and crafting evidence-based arguments in which grammar, logic, and rhetorical strategies work together effectively.
Prerequisite: at least one Level-1 Reading or Writing class
Potential texts: Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, The Hate U Give, Fahrenheit 451, as well as numerous non-fiction selections.
III: Journalism (CP): HS12381 (1 credit)
Students will read and study newspaper articles and columns on a daily basis - focused on the works of accomplished journalists - and also have an opportunity to meet and learn from professional newspaper writers and editors. They will learn that to become a competent journalist a person must understand sentence fluency as well as how to investigate, evaluate, and analyze subjects. To exhibit their skill development, students will engage in a variety of newspaper writing tasks, including articles, columns, obituaries, news briefs, as well as opportunities to create podcasts and video presentations of news.
IV: Creative Writing and Literary Analysis (CP): HS124__ COURSE CODE (1 credit)
In this course designed for students with a strong interest in writing, students will develop their writing skills through specific writing assignments and independent projects, while working in a variety of forms and genres. Students will study and write a variety of personal essays, plays, poetry, and short fiction. The writing process of planning, drafting, editing, revising, and workshopping is central to the course. Additionally, because every writer must learn, in part, from masters of the craft, students will also read a variety of literature and poetry and conduct higher level literary analysis of these texts.
IV: College Composition (DE): HS12480 (1 credit)
Students will learn how to express themselves in different rhetorical writing modes and effectively edit what they write. They also will become proficient in sentence fluency as well as in the important research process skills of assessing and analyzing information. To exhibit their skill development, students will engage in a variety of writing tasks, including responses to prompts, short essays, and long essays. Students also will study the writings of accomplished writers, analyze their techniques, and communicate their findings from this analysis in a formal written assessment. As a final project, students will write a research-based essay using the argumentation-persuasion mode and incorporating MLA or APA style. The project will involve independent research, documentation, analysis, and synthesis of multiple perspectives in a balanced treatment of a controversial issue.
Prerequisite: completion of a level III ELA Course.
AP Language and Composition: HS11011/HS11012 (2 credits)
AP Language and Composition is a rigorous course of study designed for highly motivated juniors and seniors who wish to study English at the college level. This course focuses on the art of rhetoric and argument. Students engage with a wide array of print, visual, and audio compositions including novels, essays, articles, editorials, speeches, films, photographs, advertisements, and radio broadcasts, examining the choices that authors make to enhance opinions and arguments. The course is generally arranged by topical units, each focused on a particular subject. Coursework includes studies in grammar, mechanics, and writing style. Students take the Advanced Placement examination in May. Success on the exam usually results in one college credit and/or advanced placement in college. Students are encouraged to speak to the AP Language and Composition teacher for further information. Summer work is required.
Prerequisite: at least one successful level-3 or level-4 experience