- IF YOU SEE "SEMESTER COURSE" NEXT TO A COURSE'S NAME, IT IS A HALF-YEAR (SEMESTER-LONG) COURSE. IT WILL BE PAIRED WITH ANOTHER SEMESTER-LONG COURSE. ANY COURSE THAT DOES NOT HAVE THE "SEMESTER COURSE" VERBIAGE NEXT TO IT IS A "YEARLONG" COURSE.
Course Description: AP English Language and Composition Course – AP Central | College Board
Prerequisites: On track for 11th Grade ELA and 88 average in Core ELA classes
Course Description: AP English Literature and Composition Course – AP Central | College Board
Prerequisites: On track for 12th Grade Literature and 88 average in Core ELA classes
Course Description: Students may earn the AP Capstone Certificate by scoring a 3 or higher on the AP Seminar and AP Research Exams. AP Research Course – AP Central | College Board. Learn more about AP Capstone by visiting this link: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-capstone.
Prerequisites: Minimum of 88 average in AP Seminar
Course Description: This course satisfies the graduation requirement for Literature & Composition II. AP Seminar Course – AP Central | College Board.
The AP Seminar experience involves a variety of performance tasks students will complete both individually and in small teams. As such, collaboration and teamwork are key components of the course; students must be willing and able to work with others for prolonged periods of time as they explore complex problems and develop potential solutions. Team based components include collaborative exploration and development of a research question which will form the basis of two scored components, the cooperative creation of a multimedia presentation, and the oral group presentation. Additionally, students will be expected throughout the duration of the class to work together for peer reviews, reflections, and learning tasks.
Individually, students will be expected to develop and utilize a wide range of analytical, research, communication, and sophisticated writing skills as they research and produce multiple long form writing assignments and presentations supported by a variety of credible academic and current event sources. Students will engage in cross-curricular conversations that explore the complexities of academic and real-world topics and issues by analyzing divergent perspectives. Students learn to investigate a problem or issue, analyze arguments, compare different perspectives, synthesize information from multiple sources, and work alone and in a group to communicate their ideas. While the components worked on during the year also factor into the students’ AP scores, the course also culminates in an AP Exam designed to assess the students’ skills at identifying and evaluating elements of a well-crafted argument and producing one themselves.
Additionally, students enrolled in AP Seminar / English 10 will take the Georgia Milestones End of Course Exam.
Prerequisites: On track for 10th Grade Literature and 88 average in Core ELA classes
This course focuses on an introduction to journalistic writing through an analysis of newspapers, yearbooks, literary magazines, and broadcast journalism. A concentration on the following components of journalistic writing may include, but is not limited to the interview process; evaluating sources; the purpose, structure, and diction in writing; and training in the various technology used in publishing. Students should participate in news gathering, the study of journalism ethics and laws, and the aspects of copy writing, editing, and revising. If a publication is produced, the students will be exposed to the process of publishing and how to manage a successful publication. This course reflects the Georgia Standards of Excellence.
JOURNALISM: LITERARY MAGAZINE PATHWAY: (Unmasking Literary Magazine)
Click this link to see their video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CkunkTUqdIkU-yLrIiovrBiNU1JlXHtL/view?usp=sharing
The Unmasking literary magazine serves any student with previous journalism experience
who demonstrates an interest in reading, analyzing and producing creative writing. As members
of the literary magazine, students will gain first-hand experience compiling, designing marketing
and editing a published work. The Unmaking received the Pacemaker Award in 2016, the top
award given by the National Scholastic Press Association.
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JOURNALISM: NEWSPAPER PATHWAY (The Southerner & Nexxus)
Click this link to learn about the The Southerner and Nexxus: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uYlYNG4b1c_-AdHj7vDft0a8BjvJ7PKS/view?usp=sharing
Description: The Southerner newspaper and Nexus arts and culture magazine and their online, social
media and multimedia components are student-driven, from story generation to editing,
publication design, photography, fund-raising and distribution. The staff also produces video and
podcast and other multimedia content for the online platforms. The publications have a daily
social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The Southerner newspaper, which
averages nearly 10,000 readers online a month, has a long-standing tradition as Georgia's top
high school newspaper. The Southerner is a 2020 and 2019 Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Gold Crown winner. Yearly, the Southerner is rated All-Georgia, the top rating given by the
Georgia Scholastic Press Association. The 16-page print newspaper is published monthly and has
published every year since the school’s inception in 1947. Nexus magazine is a 24-page, superior-rated arts and culture magazine that provides opportunities for students to create arts and
entertainment and lifestyle-themed content in print and online. The Southerner and Nexus are
members of the Georgia Scholastic Press Association, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association,
the National Scholastic Press Association, Quill & Scroll and the Southern Interscholastic Press
Association.
Important Southerner and Nexus Links:
The Southerner: https://thesoutherneronline.com
School Newspapers Online Distinguished Sites: https://snosites.com/our-customers/award-winners/
Nexus: https://nexusmagazineonline.com
Southerner Podcasts: https://soundcloud.com/southernerpodcast
Southerner Facebook: https://facebook.com/gradysoutherner
Southerner Instagram: https://instagram.com/southerneronline
Southerner Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesoutherner
Southerner YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0MLUVMrZp6SCYmrSZXqxDQ/videos?view_as=subscriber
Southerner Multimedia: https://thesoutherneronline.com/category/specialsection/multimedia/
Southerner/Nexus Awards: https://thesoutherneronline.com/category/award-winners/
Southerner History: https://thesoutherneronline.com/about-the-southerner/
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JOURNALISM: YEARBOOK PATHWAY (The Orator)
Click here to see their video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qdqrg9A1J1LuZYwrSwbONH3jrlh_4etJ/view?usp=sharing
• Any student who wants to preserve memories of Midtown High School is welcome to join
the Orator yearbook. There's room for everyone: Writers, photographers, designers, marketing
gurus, and other creative individuals. Students will dive deep into the publication process--from
developing a yearbook theme and designing the layout of each section, to creating stories,
captions, and pictures from scratch to comprise yearbook content, to devising a marketing plan
to ensure we generate business funds. Endless leadership opportunities exist within yearbook,
for the class is run as a small business. The Orator is a member of the Georgia Scholastic Press
Association and received a Superior rating in 2020 and 2019.
Literature & Composition I is the first course (required) in the sequence of secondary English language arts courses required for graduation. This course develops the integrated skill set that comprises the English language arts discipline to ensure that students are on track to be college and work ready. Literature & Composition I focuses on the interpretation, evaluation, construction, and design of texts across genres and modes in a variety of real-world, academic, and disciplinary contexts while sustaining and building mastery of language applications and discipline-specific practices. This course must utilize the 9-12 standards and 9th grade expectations of Georgia's K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) Standards.
Literature & Composition II is the second course (required) in the sequence of secondary English language arts courses required for graduation. This course develops the integrated skill set that comprises the English language arts discipline to ensure that students are on track to be college and work ready. Literature & Composition II focuses on the interpretation, evaluation, construction, and design of texts across genres and modes in a variety of real-world, academic, and disciplinary contexts while sustaining and building mastery of language applications and discipline-specific practices. This course must utilize the 9-12 standards and 10th grade expectations of Georgia's K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) Standards.
Literature & Composition III is the third course in the standard pathway of secondary English language arts courses. This course develops the integrated skill set that comprises the English language arts discipline to ensure that students are on track to be college and workplace ready. Literature & Composition III provides a platform for the wide interpretation, evaluation, construction, and design of texts across genres and modes, with an emphasis on the application of these skills in a variety of realworld, academic, and disciplinary contexts. This course must utilize the 9-12 standards and 11th grade expectations of Georgia's K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) Standards.
Literature & Composition IV is the fourth course in the standard pathway of secondary English language arts course. This course develops and refines the integrated skill set that comprises the English language arts discipline to ensure that students are on track to be college and work ready, with an emphasis on the interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and application of real-world texts and communications across a wide variety of modes, genres, and disciplines. This course must utilize the 9-12 standards and 12th grade expectations of Georgia's K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) Standards.
Support for Literature & Composition I is designed to reinforce and develop essential literary skills that will set students up for success in Literature & Composition I. Building skills in vocabulary development, word study, and comprehension and composition across a wide range of academic and real-life text modes of genres are emphasized in this course. This course may be taken as a pre-requisite or co-requisite as part of a local sequence.
Mythology introduces the importance of myths and tales of classical mythology, focusing on a comparative study of plot, characters, themes, and figurative devices. The course emphasizes the following: critical and analytical skills, vocabulary development, composition, and a study of the influences of Greek, Roman, and Norse word origins on the English language and literature. The study of the relationship between people and their societies is a major emphasis, along with the impact of mythology on the literary world. Exploration through media literacy and viewing will be a focus in this course.
Oral/Written Communication offers an introduction to public speaking. Students identify effective strategies for organizing ideas and information, with an emphasis on planning for and delivering effective oral and/or multimodal presentations. The course focuses on critical thinking, organizing ideas, researching support and counter viewpoints, and communicating appropriately based on intended purposes and target audiences. Students will analyze professional speeches to enhance their knowledge of speech writing and rhetorical strategies.
Speech/Forensics I is a detailed study of forensic speaking, including but not limited to extemporaneous speaking, oration, literary interpretation, and debate. There is an emphasis on understanding various forensic speaking formats and the importance of applying analytical reasoning, research, and presentation/delivery skills. Critical thinking is a major component of this course.
Speech/Forensics II is an extension of Speech/Forensics I. This course provides a review of the first course's skills, but the emphasis is on the philosophical bases of both classical and contemporary rhetorical theory.
Speech/Forensics III builds on skills acquired in Speech/Forensics I and II. It provides an in-depth exploration of speech and debate techniques, focusing on public speaking, argumentation, and forensic analysis. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the context, author, audience, and purpose of each speech or debate topic, and students will engage in research and critical thinking to formulate sound arguments and understand and address counterarguments. Students will hone their speaking skills through practice and performance, preparing them for both academic and professional success.
Speech/Forensics IV emphasizes learning to interpret and construct speeches and arguments with a nuanced understanding of the rhetorical strategies involved. opportunities to master advanced techniques in public speaking, argumentation, and forensic analysis. The course will build skills in effective communication and teamwork, tailored to different audiences. This course aims to equip students with the advanced skills and confidence necessary to excel, fostering an appreciation for the power of effective communication in various aspects of life.
Writer's Workshop offers opportunities for students to explore a wide variety of modes and genres through composition. Students will study a variety of writers and texts, analyzing their respective styles. Students will have opportunities to improve writing proficiency through a study of the components of writing: organization, fluency, style, diction, grammar, usage, mechanics, imaginative expressions, and details. This course allows students to utilize writing processes to independently evaluate and improve their ability to communicate effectively.