Curriculum

Grade 9

FOUNDATIONS OF ENGLISH

Foundational in another way, the course draws partially from texts from the traditional Western canon, so as to expose students to the cultural reference points therein. When examining canonical texts, the students are encouraged to consider whose perspectives are absent or assumed. These texts are often paired with contemporary works, deepening the students’ understanding of the importance of narrative frame, and encouraging them to interrogate the unspoken assumptions in the texts they encounter, in and out of the classroom.

Because this course is a study of communication in all its forms, students also critically assess information in non-traditional “texts,” such as online media, advertisements, and news articles. Students compose literary analyses and expository essays with a clear focus, logically consecutive ideas, and supporting detail/textual evidence to uphold their arguments. In creative writing, students work to develop a strong voice and to integrate literary elements, such as figurative language, characterization, and narrative structure. Students use their knowledge of the standard conventions of the English language to revise and edit their work. Students are encouraged to become active participants in the classroom through student-centered discussions and oral presentations. To foster a positive attitude toward learning and to support students as they assume responsibility for their progress, the course provides instruction in critical thinking, reading strategies, and effective study habits. Other emphases include grammar and vocabulary development.

Students electing to take the course for honors credit will be responsible for demonstrating skills with advanced sophistication, consistency, and independence. Please click the live links for more information about the standards based skills and the FAQ document.

Grade 10

EXAMINING EXPRESSION

Course Description: This course is designed to provide a foundation for success in the entire high school English program. To develop this foundation, students read classic and contemporary works, apply reading strategies, develop skills of literary analysis, and broaden their knowledge of literary terms. The course involves the close reading and discussion of major literary genres including poetry, nonfiction, drama, the short story, and the novel. Because this course is a study of communication in all its forms, students also critically assess information in non-traditional “texts,” such as online media, advertisements, and news articles. Students compose literary analyses and expository essays with a clear focus, logically related ideas, and supporting detail to uphold their arguments. In creative writing, students work to develop a strong voice and to integrate literary elements, such as figurative language, characterization, and narrative structure. Students use their knowledge of the standard conventions of the English language to revise and edit their work. Students are encouraged to become active participants in the classroom through student-centered discussions and oral presentations. To foster a positive attitude toward learning and to support students as they assume responsibility for their progress, the course provides instruction in critical thinking, reading strategies, and effective study habits. Other emphases include grammar and vocabulary development.

Grade 11

Students entering grade 11 may take one of the following year-long courses. All juniors will study both classic and contemporary works of American Literature.

AMERICAN LITERATURE

Course Description: The English 11 full-year American Literature program is an exploration of major American writers from colonial times to the modern day. Students explore the essential questions “What does it mean to be American?” and ”How does the American Dream change over time?” Specific themes include the transition from innocence to experience, the conflicts between the individual and society, the realization of a moral code, and the pursuit of happiness. Selected novels and plays from the list above are supplemented by short stories, poems, and essays. As readers, students are challenged to engage texts purposefully in order to make meaning, generate critical questions, observe connections among texts, and defend interpretations with relevant evidence. As writers, students focus on crafting and supporting original claims through organized, fluid, and unified essays. Students reflect upon their accumulated work and establish individual writing goals. Grammar instruction, based mainly upon student writing, targets sentence complexity, variety, and precision. Students develop and strengthen their command of language through the study of vocabulary drawn from the texts read in class

AP LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION

AP Language and Composition is intended for juniors who have demonstrated proficiency in composition and literary analysis and are ready to engage in college-level study of more sophisticated writing and effective rhetoric. Through thematic units the students will explore purpose and audience, the tools of effective argument, the elements of style, and the use (and misuse) of language. Through close analysis and synthesis of a variety of texts, students will develop their expository, analytical, and argumentative writing skills to address the essential question: How does the study of rhetoric enable one to be a contributing citizen and a conscientious consumer? While students will read novels of American literature, equal emphasis will be given to classic essays, speeches, political tracts, and literary criticism from such authors as Frederick Douglass, Deborah Tannen, Brent Staples, Richard Rodriguez, Annie Dillard, Perri Klass, Henry David Thoreau, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Amy Tan, George Orwell, and others. AP students will be expected to read deeply, prepare oral presentations and lead discussions. Grammar instruction, based mainly upon student writing, targets sentence complexity, variety, and precision. Students develop and strengthen their command of language through the study of vocabulary drawn from the texts read in class.

Grade 12

In order to graduate, students must enroll in and pass a full year of senior English. In the fall, students will spend time on the composition of the college essay and review for the final administration of the SAT. All courses will include regular writing assignments and a variety of reading experiences.

AP LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION

Advanced Placement Literature and Composition engages students in the careful reading and close textual analysis of complex, sophisticated and imaginative literature. By reading fully and deliberately, by noting how meaning is embedded in literary form, students are given the tools to strengthen their knowledge of literary analysis and to foster a deep appreciation of literature. The writing in this course challenges the student to argue ideas clearly, precisely and elegantly in essays of critical analysis. The assignments will be predominantly analytical and require students to demonstrate close reading of a text. Some works that will be studied include Oedipus Rex, Heart of Darkness, Frankenstein, a novel by Toni Morrison, the plays of William Shakespeare, and a rich variety of poetry from many cultures and time periods. Advanced Placement students are required to take the College Board's National Advanced Placement Test in May.

Memoir, Poetry and Fiction: Reading and Creating Literary Forms

Students in this course will have the opportunity to find their creative voices in three distinct areas. The college essay will begin a study of memoir; students will then study the short story, and finally poetry. In each case, writing will be informed by both classic and contemporary literature. Memoirs by David Sedaris, Dave Eggers, Jeannette Walls; poetry by authors ranging from William Shakespeare to Robert Frost to Billy Collins; and short stories by Hemingway, Poe, Vonnegut, Chopin and many others will all give shape and texture to the literary forms that students will write. Students will create a writing portfolio as the culmination of the year’s work.

* Students have the option of earning Honors Credit through more challenging research and project work.

Missing Voices, Other Cultures

Literature often tells us about people whose lives are informed by the societies in which they live. Whether defined by race or culture, exclusion or inclusion, power or weakness, characters in literature can help us to see how society shapes both behavior and motivation. Students in this course will hear the voices of people who have had to work to be heard, whether it is because of gender, beliefs, family background, political realities, or other issues that have caused them to speak out as a means of defining themselves. Students will write regularly in this course; analytical essays, personal essays, and formal presentations will offer students opportunities to hone the writing skills they have been working on throughout their high school years.

* Students have the option of earning Honors Credit through more challenging research and project work.

Poetry as Art

As one of the oldest art forms, poetry has become both a time-piece and a gallery of diverse expression. It has inspired and informed works ranging from Homer’s classic epics to more contemporary forms such as rap and hip-hop. More importantly, perhaps, it is a representation of our own life rhythm. Seamus Heaney once wrote: “I rhyme to see myself. To set the darkness echoing.” In an effort to find our own rhyme, we will explore poetry from its most basic roots to its more sophisticated forms. Instead of surveying poetry as a chronological timeline, we will bounce back and forth from the past to the present in order to discover how one has informed the other. Haikus and sonnets, ballads and slam poetry will all receive equal attention. Students will read, compose, and analyze poetry as an artisan might, by paying close attention to the process, the craft, and the history that informs our work. While the majority of the writing in this class will be creative in nature, students will occasionally write expository pieces about poems as well.

* Students have the option of earning Honors Credit through more challenging research and project work.

Public Speaking (Semester Course) Grades 11-12

Sharpening communication skills, which rests on the ability to ‘stand and deliver,’ promises academic and professional success for life. That remains the guiding belief of this course. In a relaxed, supportive environment, students identify and cultivate strategies to most effectively express themselves. In doing so, they discover their hidden voices and master proven techniques of informing, persuading, and motivating others. By choosing their own topics and acting on ongoing peer feedback, students come to celebrate their existing strengths as communicators while targeting focused areas for maximum improvement. In little time, all students reach heightened self-awareness, gain valuable confidence, and achieve distinct professionalism in the way they present themselves and their personal beliefs. This course does not count towards the four year English requirement. * Students have the option of earning Honors Credit through more challenging research and project work.