Full-year course Honors 1 credit Grade 11

Throughout this honors level course, students will study and explore what it means to be American by analyzing and evaluating how American texts portray the American identity, the tensions between the individual and American society and perspectives on the American dream. Students will use authentic historic documents, fiction and nonfiction literature, poetry, music, internet sources, and each other as resources to explore American cultural perspectives. Students will be able to distinguish between each author’s purpose by analyzing the literary craft in each work and how it enhances meaning. Examining and composing a variety of writing genres, including: narrative, expository, rhetorical and creative, students will articulate answers to the overarching course Essential Questions. Texts include Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Miller’s The Crucible, Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, and a variety of poetry, short story, speeches and historical documents.

Full-year course Honors 2 credits Grade 11

American Studies Honors is co-taught by English and Social Studies faculty members for two class periods. This course fulfills the state U.S. History requirement.  Students earn 2.0 credits with 1.0 credit each towards graduation for English and Social Studies.

American Studies Honors provides students the unique opportunity to explore what it means to be American as both a historian and a literary scholar. Throughout this honors level course, students will investigate concepts such as the American identity, democratic ideals, the tensions between the individual and American society, diverse perspectives on the American dream, and active citizenship. Through the marriage of historical documents and literature, students will develop a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, those people, events, institutions and turning points that have shaped American history and that continue to influence the nation and students’ lives today. 

Pending approval: Students who are enrolled in American Studies may elect to concurrently enroll in UCONN's Early College Experience (ECE) course, AMST 1201: Seminar in American Studies, for a fee.  Dual enrollment allows FHS students to earn high school and UCONN's ECE college credit simultaneously. The UCONN American Studies ECE course, AMST 1201, is described as a course in which students engage in "a multi-disciplinary inquiry into the diversity of American societies and cultures".

Full-year course Honors 1 credit Grade 9

Literature and Composition Survey is a foundation course in which students explore the human condition as presented in literature and develop skills necessary to be successful in high school English and post-secondary life. Students will use critical thinking skills to read, analyze, and write about complex texts of varying lengths in an array of genres including contemporary and classical fiction, Shakespearean poetry and drama, classical and modern poetry, and nonfiction including memoir.  Students will analyze basic rhetorical strategies in order to write persuasively. Students will also explore the fundamentals of creative writing and will learn to construct clear and arguable thesis statements in a variety of forms and then support their arguments with strong and relevant evidence. Texts include  Of Mice and Men,  Night, and Romeo and Juliet and a variety of independent choice and book club books.

Full-year course Honors 1 credit Grade 10

This honors course challenges students to analyze how authors communicate ideas about human nature: whether we are innately good or evil and how a variety of forces influence our daily decisions. Using a variety of genres, including novels, plays, poems and films, students will critically analyze how writers convey a message about our inherent humanity. By studying historical, allegorical, and Shakespearean literature, students will develop interpretations and apply the traits of writing to analytical essays. With each major work of literature, students will articulate in speaking and writing their interpretation of the author’s thesis about human nature. Students will analyze, synthesize, and develop arguments through the study of literature and other texts. Major texts include Purple Hibiscus, Lord of the Flies, Macbeth, and a variety of book club and independent choice texts. 

Full-year course College Prep 1 credit Grades 9, 10, 11

Prerequisite: Identified students

Literacy Workshop is an intervention designed for select students in grades 9 through 11 who require intensive and focused support in reading, writing, and vocabulary. Students will learn a variety of strategies to improve their reading and writing skills.  A major goal of this intervention class is for students to accelerate growth as readers and writers in an effort to meet the FPS Literacy Graduation Standards.

Full-year course Advanced Placement 1 credit Grades 11, 12

This mastery based course offers students the opportunity to connect deeply with their own work using a formative, metacognitive process that culminates in an evidence-based self study at the end of each quarter. Effective skills in analytical reading, persuasive writing, civil discourse and synthesis are essential both to rich and rewarding lives as readers and writers and to a healthy democracy; Advanced Placement English Language prepares students to become  “effective  citizen  rhetoricians”  (Collegeboard.com). Throughout the course, students will improve their ability to think, read, write, speak, and present effectively, critically, analytically and persuasively using a variety of genres for various audiences. As students journey toward this goal they will explore a wide variety of nonfiction, fiction, poetic, dramatic, and visual texts.  All students enrolled in this course are expected to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.

Full-year course Advanced Placement 1 credit Grades 11, 12

This course is for students who have demonstrated high academic achievement, strong skills in written expression and literary analysis, and a strong interest in the area of English. It is designed to provide challenging instruction on a college level and to prepare students for the Advanced Placement English Literature examination. In order to gain skill in the critical analysis of literature, students will study representative works from several genres: the novel, short story, drama, poetry, and the essay. All students enrolled in this course are expected to take the Advanced Placement exam in May.

Full year course Honors 1 credit Grade 12 

Media Matters: Reading, Writing, and Thinking in the 21st Century expands the definition of “text” to include the visual and new media of the 20th and 21st centuries. The goal of this course is to make students more disciplined thinkers and civic-minded contributors: students who take Media Matters will learn how to read and critically evaluate the complex tapestry of persuasive, informative, and manipulative media messages they are confronted with as global citizens in the 21st century. Students will apply new media literacies to and apply to become, ethical, persuasive media producers, as well as to reflect on what it means to live in a highly visual culture as media consumers. 

Composition may elect to concurrently enroll in UCONN's Early College Experience (ECE) ENGL 1007:  Seminar in Academic Writing and Multimodal Composition course, for a fee.  Dual enrollment allows FHS students to earn high school and UCONN's ECE college credit simultaneously. ENGL 1007 introduces students to different modes and approaches to composition and become aware of, and respond to, a variety of rhetorical situations. Students will compose through multiple forms of literacy, including rhetorical, digital, and information literacies necessary for twenty-first-century contexts. 

Full year course Honors 1 credit Grade 12 

Through authentic writing experiences rooted in inquiry, students will examine the many facets of self that we present to the world and how these identities have been constructed over time, including how they have been challenged and redefined. Students will look both inward and outward to understand how identity is represented in film, media, literature and academic contexts, paying particular attention to intersectionality, othering, and marginalization. 

Composition may elect to concurrently enroll in UCONN's Early College Experience (ECE) ENGL 1007:  Seminar in Academic Writing and Multimodal Composition course, for a fee.  Dual enrollment allows FHS students to earn high school and UCONN's ECE college credit simultaneously. ENGL 1007 introduces students to different modes and approaches to composition and become aware of, and respond to, a variety of rhetorical situations. Students will compose through multiple forms of literacy, including rhetorical, digital, and information literacies necessary for twenty-first-century contexts. 

Full year course Honors 1 credit Grade 12 

In this course, students will think critically about what it means to belong within their own communities and beyond.  Students will examine many different kinds of perscpectives and experiences that ultimately marginalize others and ponder the consequences thereof.  Within this frame, students will be invited to investigate their own identities, developing an increased awareness of how perscpective shapes identity and vica versa.  Within this course, students will study memoir, fiction, and film which investigate the othering of individuals within society.  Students will examine themes such as coming of age, love and friendship, and ethics and morality with a range of texts to choose from, including: Frankenstein, Carrie, The Glass Castle, and The Bluest Eye.

All senior course electives will aim to answer three essential questions about human nature.  Students will engage in assusred experiences throughout each course, including academic writing, narrative writing, critical lens application, and an individualized exploratory project on a topic of their choice.

Full year course Honors 1 credit Grade 12 

In this course, students will examine a variety of genres that lead to the development of imagined alternate realities. Examples of sub genres include dystopian, science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism. Students will investigate authorial intent in regards to place and time of publication as we imagine what our authors might be trying to tell us and how this is received by audiences. Within this course, students will seek to uncover the important questions authors invite us to ask about identity, morality, culture. Text options might include:  Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale, Maus, Akata Witch, and a choice of many others. 

All senior courses will aim to answer three essential questions about human nature. Students will engage in assured experiences throughout each course, including academic writing, narrative writing, critical lens application, and an individualized exploratory project on a topic of their choice.

Full year course Honors 1 credit Grade 12 

In this course, students will examine common themes across space and time by familiarizing themselves with key pieces of classic literature and then examining the ways in which these stories have been retold over time. Students will engage in comparative analysis of texts, and well as evaluation and critique of archetypal relevance. Students will study adaptations through film, short stories, art, and other mediums. Students will examine themes such as coming of age, love and friendship, and ethics and morality with a range of texts to choose from. Including: Shakespearean drama, Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, Catcher in the Rye, The Odyssey. and many others. 

All senior courses will aim to answer three essential questions about human nature. Students will engage in assured experiences throughout each course, including academic writing, narrative writing, critical lens application, and an individualized exploratory project on a topic of their choice.

Half-year course College Prep ½ credit 1 semester Grades 11,  12

Creative Writing will provide students the means and opportunity to explore a variety of experiences such as poetry, narrative, screenplay, and other genres of prose. Students will develop the ability to become productive peer critics, self-critics, and empowered by the workshop writing process. Students should expect to publish and produce the Fine Line Literary Magazine, which will be showcased as part of each student’s VOGC Exhibition of Learning. 

Half-year course College Prep ½ credit 1 semester Grades 11,  12

In this course, students will study film from the perspective of critics and filmmakers. Students will explore aspects of both the creative and technical processes, while experimenting in small group and independent settings.  Through this learning, students will discover the technical aspects of film, including narrative, cinematography, sound, and mise-en-scene and apply this learning to their own productions. Students will act as producers, directors, actors, and critics in this exploratory course .This learning will lead to the writing and production of a short film, which will be showcased as part of each student’s VOGC Exhibition of Learning. 

Full-year course Honors 1 credit Grades 11, 12

Prerequisite: One year of Journalism

Students interested in exploring journalism in the 21st century, particularly as a possible career, should consider joining Journalism in the Digital Age. Each student will focus on a particular passion related to journalism. In pursuing this focus, students will be expected to build connections to the community outside of FHS, reach out to professional news organizations, participate in internships, publish in professional journals and/or conduct in-depth research.  Each capstone student will take a leadership role in the production and public distribution of The Voice, the FHS student newspaper. The final product from this class will be showcased as part of each student's VOGC Exhibition of Learning.

Full-year course Honors 1 credit Grades 11, 12

In this dynamic and interactive high school writing course, students will step into the roles of both writers and peer tutors, fostering a collaborative learning environment that enriches their own writing skills while supporting their fellow students. This course not only cultivates innovative writing techniques but also empowers students to become proficient mentors to their peers. 

Throughout the semester, students will explore various forms of writing, from creative narratives to argumentative essays, to multimodal communications, while developing critical thinking, research, and revision skills. They will engage in peer review sessions and provide constructive feedback to enhance their own writing and assist others in refining their work. The inaugural group will build and sustain the FHS Writing Center, serving as invaluable resources for their fellow learners, fostering a culture of improved writing and communication throughout the school community.

With the help of the UConn Writing Center Conference in the fall, this course equips students with the tools and confidence to excel in their academic writing, and also nurtures empathy, patience, and communication skills as they support their peers in their writing journeys.

The final product from this class will be showcased as part of each student’s VOGC Exhibition of Learning.

Full-year course Honors 1 credit Grades 10, 11, 12

Journalism is a full-year course designed for students who are interested in writing for publication and can work independently. It offers concentrated study in news writing and production, and fosters the development of critical thinking skills. Since there is a heavy writing requirement, students should be self-motivated and willing to work collaboratively with other students in contributing to the school’s newspaper. Students should feel confident with their writing skills before taking this course. In addition to enhancing writing and editing skills, this course will improve students’ abilities to question intelligently, to substantiate arguments, and to consider ethical questions related to journalism. 

Areas of writing emphasized are news, features, interviews, sports, editorials, critical reviews, current events, aspects of layout, photography, and headline writing. Students work with specialized software in producing regular editions of digital and printed versions of the high school newspaper, The Voice. Students are also expected to make regular contributions to the 9:05 news broadcast.  For editors, this course requires after school participation in the production of the newspaper.

Half-year course Honors ½ credit                 Grades 9, 10, 11, 12

Theatre is a one-semester course that is a prerequisite to further coursework in theatre. The course emphasizes the development of basic acting skills needed for students to appear on stage as well as an understanding of how other elements—sound, costume, arrangement of space, and staging—communicate meaning in theatre. Voice, movement, and acting exercises develop focus, creativity, spontaneity, trust, teamwork and self-reflection while more formal projects teach the essentials of creating characters and developing original scenes. Theatre terminology is incorporated throughout the course so students learn the vocabulary necessary for continued work in theatre. Students keep an actor’s notebook throughout the semester in which they reflect on their own progress and critique performances.  This course satisfies the Fine Arts requirement.