English

This is a year-long literacy course designed to provide freshmen with an overview of literary genres from different time periods and/or cultures, written by a variety of authors from diverse cultural backgrounds. Students will read selected short stories, poems, plays, novels, and epic. They will learn to appreciate the distinctive qualities which each possess. English I offers students a rigorous but supportive learning environment that addresses reading (both literary and informational texts), writing and research (with emphasis on writing as a process), speaking & listening, and language (vocabulary development, conventions of Standard Written English, grammar, mechanics, and usage). develop their skills in composition, students will write a variety of compositions including paragraphs, multi-paragraph essays, and a research project. Vocabulary development will be based on the literary selections and speaking/listening standards will be assessed through various presentations and self-reflection. 

Estimated Homework Time: 3 hours/week 

College & Career Connection: All career fields require English as a foundation.

Welcome to American Literature.  In this class, we will read texts that depict the experience of living in America.  We will look at the stories of the Native Americans and read first-hand accounts of the first Africans and Europeans to encounter the American continent.  We will discover how the written word was used to create a new nation based on the idea of equality.  Most of the texts we read will question whether America has lived up to the promise of its founding ideals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. 

This class is designed to teach you the skills needed to succeed in college-level classes. Be prepared to read, write, listen, speak, and think critically. What you have to say and write about your experiences will add to the literary conversation that has been going on for more than 200 years. 

Estimated Homework Time: 1-2 hours/week 

College & Career Connection: This course will prepare students to think critically and to problem-solve real-life issues in any career of their choice.

Students in the English III course have the opportunity to read and analyze literature that is both a window into the world beyond North-Grand as well as a mirror that reflects the rich and diverse lives of our student body. Using a variety of texts, as well as other media, students will further develop their critical analysis skills through close reading, collaborative conversations, in addition to argumentative, creative, and narrative writing tasks. Units of study include topics ranging from gender and Shakespeare, literature from the Harlem Renaissance to the Black Lives Matter movement, persuasive rhetoric, studying perspectives of the differently-abled, and examining global mythology that questions existence and purpose.

Estimated Homework time: 1-2 hours a week

College & Career Connection: Career fields may include: writing, public relations, teaching, publishing, social media management, marketing, advertising, sales, film development, library science, business.

Students in our class will read and evaluate two major texts throughout the year: The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao + Native Son.  Both novels have significant relevance to our world today: oppression, opportunity, immigration, violence, and human behavior just to name a few.  Students will identify the themes and connections daily in class discussion + assignments: close reading, argumentative- T.I.A. writing, and collaborative conversations.  Furthermore, students will create their own protagonists, and develop their characters in weekly creative writing assignments.  Finally, students are required to present quarterly speeches, connecting their protagonists to the literature we're reading.  

Estimated Homework time:  1-2 hours a week

College & Career Connection: Literature, Journalism, Humanitarianism, Education, Legal, Communications, Social Work, and/or Media 

In Drama students: present plays by reading the lines in the front of the class, discuss/write in response to the literature we're reading, and create + perform frequently in group skits.

In Honors Seniors Project English I, also known as Honors Film, we approach the study of film in two distinct ways. The first semester is spent on developing narrative and film knowledge through reading critical theory. This process allows for students to take a critical and analytical look at media, specifically film.

The second semester is applying that critical knowledge to the creative process. Students will learn various aspects of film creation and be tasked with writing, producing, and creating a film of their own. 

Note: Students will be required to watch and create films on their own time outside of class. It is important that students consider the large time commitment in terms of their progress and final grade.

College & Career connection: Students are surrounded and immersed in digital media daily and this continues through their college, career, and life experiences beyond school. Honors film is designed to give students insight into how to think, analyze, respond, and create digital media, a skill that is valuable in every post-high school pathway.