English Courses

Full Year – 1.00 Credit 

1131 - Level 1

Offered for grade 11 only

This junior-year seminar course is designed for readers and writers who have clearly demonstrated superior language arts ability. Students who select this class must be able to employ accurate grammatical conventions, logical organization, and a sophisticated vocabulary in their writing for both impromptu and revised writing assignments. With this foundation, students will develop a mature stylistic prose and an individual voice. The primary aim of the course is to help students write effectively in different forms (narrative, descriptive, expository, analytical, and argumentative), for different purposes and audiences. Students will not only learn the rhetorical devices and strategies writers employ for effectiveness and persuasion, but also incorporate these rhetorical strategies into their own writing. A special emphasis on argumentation will require students to evaluate academic sources, synthesize information, and properly cite these sources using MLA standards. This course prepares students for the AP Language and Composition Exam (which they are encouraged to take in May) by focusing on non-fiction texts written by memoirists, essayists, literary critics, speechwriters, and journalists. Open only to juniors, this course can be taken independently of senior AP English.

Note: All students must pass English 11 before taking courses in grade 12. 

Full Year – 1.00 Credit 

1132 - Level 1

Offered for grade 12 only

This senior seminar course is designed for readers and writers who have clearly demonstrated superior language arts ability. Students who select this course must be able to employ accurate grammatical conventions, a mature stylistic prose, a logical organization, and a sophisticated vocabulary in their writing for both impromptu and revised writing assignments. Students taking this course are encouraged to take the Composition and Advanced Placement Literature Exam in May. The composition portion of the course provides a college-level reader, which includes models from professional and student writers. Students practice a variety of strategies used by professional writers. The major emphasis of the course is for students to learn the many rhetorical strategies and stylistic techniques that writers use as the foundation of meaning and to employ these techniques in their own writing. The literature of this course focuses on in-depth analysis of selections from fiction and non-fiction. Students read a wide variety of thematically grouped literature from many different periods. They develop their own papers, which analyze or interpret writers’ style and meaning.

Half Year – 0.50 Credit 

1193 - Level 1

1593 - Level 2

This course focuses on the consumption and interpretation of information via modern mass communication systems and forms of multimedia such as print texts, news, advertising, film, television, websites, social media, video games, and podcasts. Using an understanding of the purpose and design techniques behind such texts, students will interpret and analyze the mass mediated messaging embedded within them. Ultimately, students will become effective consumers of the media as they learn how and why messages are created. They will also learn to write and publish their own multimedia texts to more effectively navigate contemporary society.

Full Year – 1.00 Credit

1101 –Level 1

1301– Level 2

1701– Level 2

The English 9 curriculum provides students with the opportunity to explore the relationship of the individual within the larger society. Through their reading experiences, students explore the concepts of Personal Journey, Family and Relationships, Heroes and the Better Self, and The Individual vs. Mass Mentality. Students study literature in a variety of genres (novel, short story, poetry, drama, non-fiction), literary periods (classic and contemporary texts), and cultures, and they practice research as a scaffolded process, learning critical skills for finding information and discerning fact from fiction. Additionally, students study media literacy, exposing them to the profound role media plays in contemporary society, fostering the essential skills of inquiry and self-expression. 

Students read to interpret the author’s purpose. Students continue to use reading strategies such as prediction, visualization, and questioning to analyze theme, character, and setting. The study of text includes how an author crafts meaning with textual elements and stylistic devices. By the end of the course, students should be able to effectively respond to text by interpreting, making personal connections, critically judging the quality of various works, and supporting their positions with relevant evidence and elaborate explanations. 

The English 9 writing curriculum continues to emphasize clear and fluent writing with an awareness of audience and purpose. Assignments require students to practice writing 

skills within three writing modes: narrative, informative/explanatory, and argument/opinion. The grammar concepts taught at the secondary level are mapped across grades and aligned with both CCS and SAT; concepts are also taught in response to students’ weaknesses observed in the context of writing. Students study vocabulary words related to unit concepts. 

Skill acquisition and development might focus on employing figurative devices, description, and imagery in narrative pieces using facts, reasons, examples, and quotations to support a clear position in literary analysis and applying sound research skills while completing the Freshman Research Experience.

Note: All students must pass English 9 before taking English 10.  

Full Year – 1.00 Credit 

1111 – Level 1

1311 - Level 2

1711 - Level 2 

Prerequisite: English 9

The English 10 curriculum builds upon the concepts studied in English 9, requiring and supporting more sophisticated and independent application of reading and writing skills. The study of literature in English 10 develops a sense of being a responsible and empathetic member of society. Through their reading experiences, students study concepts of Love and Sacrifice, Innocence and Experience, Power and Persuasion, and Personal Philosophy and a Sense of Self. Students study literature in a variety of genres (novel, short story, poetry, drama, non-fiction), literary periods (classic and contemporary texts), and cultures.

The literature study further emphasizes the development of the important skills of making inferences and interpreting an author’s purpose. Students continue to use reading strategies such as prediction, visualization, and questioning to analyze theme, character, and setting. The study of text includes how an author crafts meaning with textual elements and stylistic devices. By the end of the course, students should be able to effectively respond to text by interpreting, making personal connections, critically judging the quality of various works, and supporting their positions with relevant evidence and elaborate explanations with increasing sophistication.

The English 10 writing curriculum continues to emphasize clear and fluent writing with an awareness of audience and purpose. More emphasis is placed on rhetoric and writing techniques as students continue to practice skills within three writing modes: narrative, informative and argument. Skill development focuses on applying more complex and sophisticated style devices and techniques appropriate to each writing mode. Assignments require students to employ figurative devices, description, and imagery in narrative pieces; use facts, reasons, examples, and quotations to support a clear position in literary analyses; and research a current issue and take a stance to complete the Sophomore Research Paper. The grammar concepts taught at the secondary level are mapped across grades and aligned with both CCS and SAT; concepts are also taught in response to students’ weaknesses observed in the context of writing. Students study vocabulary words related to unit concepts.

Note: All students must pass English 10 before taking English 11.

Full Year – 1.00 Credit 

1112 – Level 1 (ECE)

1312 – Level 2

1712 –  Level 2

In English 11, students will research, adopt, and adapt the habits, attitudes, and methods of authentic writers in order to discover and declare who they are as writers. In no other English class is such an autonomous experience of self-discovery offered to students! While carrying out the work of writers, students will identify areas of personal interest and inquiry and deeply consider and synthesize their understandings about broad, complex topics. Moving recursively through writing process stages requires that students engage in the self-driven work of the writer who must make purposeful choices and richly reflect on their own product, progress, and learning.

For each mode of writing studied and crafted, students will examine mentor texts as models, practice offering and applying feedback within a community of peer writers, and ultimately assess the effectiveness of their own moves and choices as writers of their own pieces. Writers will create and self-evaluate a comprehensive portfolio of persuasive, informative, and narrative pieces and then select a showcase piece to contribute to a community publication as a final course product. 

Ongoing engagement in the writing process offers all English 11 students opportunities to develop and practice the ten GHS Learning Expectations. Each student writer will also demonstrate their achieved level of mastery by writing 6-8 of the following pieces to showcase their learning: Profile, Commentary, Rhetorical Analysis, Speech, Podcast, Review, Compare/Contrast Essay, College Essay/Personal Statement Essay, Epistolary Fiction, Narrative Poem, “Obscure Sorrows” Word Invention Piece. Students will also participate in an independent reading strand called Writers Read and study and master vocabulary and grammar concepts designed to offer them SAT-style preparation. 

Instructional Units and Strands of the Course Include: 

Unit 1 I Am a Writer in a Community of Writers

Unit 2 Writing to Persuade

Unit 3 Writing to Inform

Unit 4 Writing to Delight & Capture the Self Independent Reading Strand: Writers Read Vocabulary Strand: SAT-Prep

Grammar Strand: SAT-Prep

Upon successful completion of this course, students will fulfill the writing requirement for graduation. Students enrolled in English 11, L1 may also choose to enroll in the UConn ECE program. To be eligible, students must indicate their preference for an ECE section of English 11, L1 during the course registration process.

Half Year – 0.50 Credit 

1103 - Level 1

1503 - Level 2

1703 - Level 2

This course focuses on understanding individual stories, struggles, identities, and cultures through the exploration of multicultural contemporary texts. Students will examine and explore how individuals can maintain a sense of optimism and hope despite struggle, even in direst of circumstances. Using these diverse texts, students will navigate and appreciate a dynamic global society that can feel isolating yet simultaneously interconnected. Students will learn how empathy and understanding of others’ stories leads to a better understanding of the self and one’s place in the modern world. Books include, but are not limited to A Long Way Gone, Sold, Krik?Krak!, and Persepolis. 

Half Year – 0.50 Credit

1153 - Level 1

1453 - Level 2

1753 - Level 2

This course focuses on how American literature originated and how unique voices and cultural themes emerged and evolved through its history such as the American Dream. Students will also explore how historical and cultural forces shaped literature. By engaging in the same cultural conversation as early American writers, students will develop an appreciation for the diversity of our nation’s literature as well as an understanding of the American identity as a rich, complex paradox of idealistic values and realistic truths. Ultimately, students will use their literary investigation as a means to evaluate traditional American ideas and their roles in our current society.

Half Year – 0.50 Credit 

1163 - Level 1

1563 - Level 2

1763 - Level 2

This course involves reading poetry and writing critical analyses and interpretations of individual poems. Attention is devoted to the student’s own writing of poetry. Imagery, metaphor, form, metrics, and speaking voice will be emphasized. Students are not expected to have extensive experience in reading and reciting poetry; they are expected, however, to have an interest in learning more about these skills.

Half Year– 0.50 Credit

1107 - Level 1

1507 - Level 2

This course is designed to develop the student’s ability to interpret and appreciate significant works of world writers. The course begins with mythology. The students will explore the similarities in how cultures understand their origins, make sense of their world, and establish social order. Students will then trace the development of a hero across time and culture, beginning with the classic hero exemplified by Beowulf and Hamlet before moving on to modern ideas of heroism in novels and short stories by writers who represent different cultures: Nigeria, India, Afghanistan, France, England, American and African American, Indigenous groups, and Latino/a cultures. Through this study, students will explore universal human truths about life.

Half Year – 0.50 Credit 

1197 - Level 1

1497 - Level 2

1797 - Level 2

This course focuses on writers who break from tradition in narrative structure as well as in their portrayal of cultural norms and identity. Students will examine the intense reaction of modern writers to the perceived contradictions and restrictions of traditional thinking and writing. Students will analyze the experimental nature of form and the writers’ pessimistic view of reality. Ultimately, students will develop empathy for isolated individuals and understand them as products of their circumstances. Books include, but are not limited to, Catcher in the Rye and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Half Year – 0.50 Credit 

1200 - Level 1

1600 - Level 2

Offered for grades 11 and 12

This course teaches students to develop those thinking and writing skills that are especially helpful in writing creative pieces. During the semester, students write in a variety of genres within a workshop approach. Students taking this course share their writing in draft forms with the class and lead the discussion concerning significant revision. By the end of the course, students are expected to produce a portfolio of writings from several different genres. This course may be taken for level 1 credit with the permission of the teacher and the Director of Secondary English. An outline detailing additional requirements must be filed with the Director of Secondary English prior to the beginning of the course. 

Half Year – 0.50 Credit 

1610 - Level 2

This course is primarily devoted to the craft of acting and to the reading and discussion of modern plays. In this class, students become more intimately involved in literature by placing themselves in the situations and circumstances of characters. This course allows beginning and experienced actors to develop specific acting skills including focus, body movement, voice, emotional recall, memorization, and improvisation in order to bring life to dramatic scenes. Students work individually and collaboratively to write and perform creatively.  Students read 20th century plays and view some video clips in order to understand characterization and dramatic structure. They also develop a critical eye for both writing and performance. The course may include a field trip to view a professional production. 

Half Year – 0.50 Credit 

1290 - Level 1

Offered for grades 11 and 12

This course introduces students to the analysis and interpretation of classic American and foreign films. Students will view films from the early days of film making to the present. Students will discuss key elements such as editing, storyboarding, sound and special effects, composition, and directing. This course concentrates on the critical viewing of film rather than criticism or making films. 

Half Year – 0.50 Credit

1240 - Level 1

1630 - Level 2

This survey course introduces students to the technology and design concepts of lighting and sound for live performance applications. Some of the work is conceptual and is grounded in a theoretical framework, involving design as influenced by scripts and directorial concepts, but a great deal of the coursework will involve hands-on use of equipment. Students will learn to hang and focus lighting instruments, to use a computer dimmer board, to create cues, to use a sound mixer, and to create special effects. Students completing this course may opt to participate in the theater program of the school and see some of their designs implemented in GHS productions. This course may be taken more than once with the permission of the teacher and an administrator. 

This course may be taken for level 1 credit with the permission of the teacher. An outline detailing additional requirements must be filed with the Director of Secondary English prior to the beginning of the course.

Half Year – 0.50 Credit  

1650  - Level 2

Offerered for grade 11 only

Prerequisite: Completion of at least one full semester of Geometry.

This course provides students an extensive review of math concepts and problem-solving techniques as well as test-taking strategies and ways to build vocabulary and reading comprehension. This course will be taught by an English and a mathematics teacher. Students planning to continue their education beyond high school should plan to take the PSAT in the fall of their sophomore and/or junior year. SATs should be scheduled by students in the spring of the junior year and/or fall of the senior year. Credit for this elective may not be counted as math or English credit toward graduation.