English Language Arts

English 1

Grade: 9             Credit: 1.0 English       Length: Year

Prerequisite: none

Course Description: English I is a two semester course required for all students. This foundational course provides instruction in basic literacy skills. The course emphasizes vocabulary development, independent reading, and the full writing process. Students explore a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres and analyze core literary works, including Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet, and The Odyssey.

Honors English 1

Grade: 9        Credit: 1.0 English      Length: Year

Prerequisite: An "A" or "B" in 8th grade English and a "B" or better on the writing assessment, or department approval

Course Description: A rigorous advanced course, Honors English 1 focuses on developing advanced writing skills and critical reading selections. This honors course requires students to delve more deeply into reading and writing assignments than in English 1 and will prepare students for future honors and AP classes. The expanded curriculum includes challenging text like The Book Thief, The Odyssey, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. *This course requires summer work*

English 2

Grade: 10       Credit: 1.0 English      Length: Year

Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 1

Course Description: This course aims to empower students to communicate effectively, build empathy, and deepen their understanding of the human experience through focused reading, discussion, and writing. The first semester focuses on analytical reading and foundational research skills, including a study of The Nickel Boys and culminating in a substantial research paper. The second semester emphasizes creativity and diverse perspectives through units on poetry and collaborative literature circles. Ultimately, the class is designed to build the communication skills, reading stamina, and appreciation for thoughtful writing necessary for academic success and informed citizenship.

Honors English 2

Grade: 10        Credit: 1.0 English      Length: Year

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Honors English 1 with an "A" or "B" or an "A" in English 1 and approval of the English department upon examination of the writing portfolio.

Course Description: Honors English II is an advanced course for 10th-grade students, building upon the skills from Honors English 1 and serving as a key preparatory step for AP English courses. The curriculum expands significantly beyond the standard English 2 course, emphasizing both classic and contemporary World Literature, including works like Oedipus Rex, The Kite Runner, The Nickel Boys, and Born a Crime. Students will engage in extensive reading and rigorous writing assignments, including an in-depth research paper, to hone their analytical and communicative abilities.    *This course requires summer work*

English 3

Grade: 11        Credit: 1.0 English      Length: Year

Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 2

Course Description: A comprehensive study of a diverse range of literature grounded in the American tradition, including novels, poems, and essays, with core works such as The Great Gatsby, Into the Wild, and The Crucible. Students demonstrate advanced writing skills by producing several formal essays, specifically a literary analysis, an argument, and a comprehensive research paper. *This course requires summer work*

AP English Language and Composition

Grade: 11        Credit: 1.0 English      Length: Year

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Honors English 2 or completion of English 2 with English teacher recommendation

Course Description: A demanding, rigorous course aligned with both English III expectations and Saint Louis University's composition courses (English 150/190). Focused on American Literature, the course guides students through reading nonfiction and composition, emphasizing rhetoric, argument development, and research-based writing while analyzing major texts like The Grapes of Wrath and The Great Gatsby. *This course requires summer work*

Contemporary Writers

Grade: 12        Credit: 1.0 English      Length: Year

Prerequisite: Completion of 3 English credits and teacher recommendation

Course Description: The Contemporary Writers' curriculum will use a wide variety of mentor texts to challenge students to critically analyze author's purpose and choices, developing essential skills for college and career success. Students will investigate diverse writing styles, including descriptive, narrative, expository, workplace, and argumentative writing, along with nonfiction analysis and creative writing. The course ensures students master effective writing methods and gain the competencies necessary for success in everyday reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Literature Through Film

Grade: 12        Credit: 0.5 English      Length: Semester

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Eng 3  or AP Eng Lang & Comp

Course Description: In Literature Through Film, students will critically “read” or analyze important films using the same evaluative techniques used in interpreting literature. Students will be expected to read essays about film analysis and film history. Students will be expected to write critical analysis of films discussed throughout the course. Students will be required to attend viewings of at least four films after the regular school day.

Not an NCAA approved course

Creative Writing

Grade: 12        Credit: 0.5 English      Length: Semester

Prerequisite: Completion of three credits of English

Course Description: The Creative Writing curriculum will expose you to a wide variety of mentor texts that will challenge you to analyze fiction with a critical lens in order to develop your own writing skills and style. As evidence of your development throughout this course, you will build your own creative portfolio of writing: reflections, journals, drafts, and revisions. Ultimately, through the analysis of mentor texts, weekly writing assignments, and portfolio development you will have the ability to not only read great works of art, but to build your own collection of masterpieces.

Other Voices/Other Rooms

Grade: 12        Credit: 0.5 English      Length: Semester

Prerequisite: Completion of three credits of English

Course Description: Other Voices is a reading and writing intensive course focusing on the study of texts by and about women and minorities in the United States.  A variety of texts, including Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, engage students in a study of multicultural historical and contemporary perspectives on the complex identities of Americans.  

Bosnian American Studies

Grade: 12        Credit: 0.5 English      Length: Semester

Prerequisite: Completion of three credits of English

Course Description: A writing and research intensive course, students engage in a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction texts, collaborate with local and global scholars and professionals, and engage in projects to study the complex history and culture of Bosnians and Bosnian Americans. Student research includes the creation of primary documents for the Center for Bosnian Studies or other authentic audiences.

AP English Literature and Composition

Grade: 12        Credit: 1.0 English      Length: Year

Prerequisite: Successful completion of AP Eng Lang & Comp or successful completion of a Junior level English course with English teacher recommendation. 

Course Description: A rigorous course aligned with the Saint Louis University 1818 program (English 2350/2250), preparing students for the AP Literature exam. The course explores themes like "Faith, Doubt" and "Conflict, Social Justice" through a wide variety of genres, including drama, poetry, and fiction. This advanced study emphasizes close reading, comparative textual analysis, and argumentative writing.