Students will choose one of the following:

Composition Through Literature 9 

This course is designed to introduce students to varied literary and writing genres. Over the course of the year, students will read short stories, poetry, non-fiction, drama, and a minimum of one novel. The introduction is comprehensive in nature, but centers around students understanding authorial intent of esteemed writers and developing an understanding of their own authorial intent.  With this in mind, students develop the ability to formulate individual responses to literature and develop voice and fluency in their writing, especially in the areas of narrative, expository, essay, and research genres.  The course is designed to create a community of readers and writers who are expected to make connections between literature and their immediate environment.  

Honors Composition Through Literature 9

This course is designed to introduce students to varied literary and writing genres. Over the course of the year, students will read short stories, poetry, non-fiction, drama, and a minimum of one novel. The introduction is comprehensive in nature, but centers around students understanding authorial intent of esteemed writers and developing an understanding of their own authorial intent. With this in mind, students develop the ability to formulate individual responses to literature and develop voice and fluency in their writing, especially in the areas of narrative, expository, essay, and research genres. The course is designed to create a community of readers and writers who are expected to make connections between literature and their immediate environment.  The Honors Composition Through Literature 9 course is designed to be more rigorous and quicker paced.  This class is typically taken in preparation for an AP English course during a student’s 11th grade year. There are no prerequisites for this course. It is designed for any student who has the desire for increased rigor and depth of study. Honors Composition Through Literature 9 is not a prerequisite for an AP course; it is a suggested sequence.

Reading/Writing 9

Reading Writing 9 is designed for students who have difficulty in reading comprehension and/or writing skills.  Students with less than a ninth-grade reading level and writing ability will improve with more one-on-one teaching within a smaller class size.  This course helps students in attacking new words, reading with understanding, and learning study techniques as well as study a variety of literary genres.  Students are exposed to a variety of purposes, styles, and forms of writing, with emphasis on a review of grammar, mechanics and editing techniques.  This course is very similar to Composition through Literature 9; however, the pace and delivery of instruction are more appropriate.

Students will choose one of the following:

American Literature

The course is designed to broaden the scope of student understanding as it relates not only to their immediate environment, but American Culture as a whole.  This one year course exposes students to literature from colonial times to the present with literary genres to include short stories, non-fiction, autobiographies, biographies, novels, and poetry.  Students are expected to apply a wide range of listening, speaking, reading and writing strategies as they study texts.  Students draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, and their understanding of textual features.  Students explore varied writing genres such as descriptive, narrative, expository, and analytical writing.  Students are expected to continue developing as writers in their sense of voice, fluency, writing for a variety of audiences and purposes, and communicating their intent appropriately and in a more sophisticated manner. 

Honors American Literature

This course is designed to broaden the scope of student understanding as it relates not only to their immediate environment, but American culture as a whole.  This one year course exposes students to literature from colonial times to the present with literary genres to include short stories, non-fiction, autobiographies, biographies, novels, and poetry.  Students are expected to apply a wide range of listening, speaking, reading and writing strategies as they study texts.  Students draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, and their understanding of textual features.  Students explore varied writing genres such as descriptive, narrative, expository, and analytical writing.  Students are expected to continue developing as writers in their sense of voice, fluency, writing for a variety of audiences and purposes, and communicating their intent appropriately and in a more sophisticated manner.  This class is typically taken in preparation for an AP course during a student’s 11th grade year.  There are no prerequisites for this course.  It is designed for any student who has the desire for increased rigor and depth of study.  Honors American Literature is not a prerequisite for an AP course; it is a suggested sequence. 

Reading/Writing 10

Reading Writing 10 is designed for students having difficulty in reading and writing.  Students are exposed to the same curriculum as Composition through American Literature; however, the pace and content are more appropriate for those students who require more assistance with reading and composition.  Students read literature from colonial times to the present in a variety of genre.  Students also explore different writing genres and communicate fluently in a variety of writing styles.

Students will choose one of the following:

World Literature

This is a year course designed to expose students to a wide variety of literature.   The expanded nature of the course will present literary genres to include short stories, non-fiction, autobiographies, biographies, novels, and poetry.  Students are expected to apply a wide range of listening, speaking, reading and writing strategies as they study texts.  Students draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, and their understanding of textual features.  Students explore varied writing genres such as descriptive, narrative, expository, and analytical writing.  Students are expected to continue developing as writers in their sense of voice, fluency, writing for a variety of audiences and purposes, and communicating their intent appropriately and in a more sophisticated manner.  

Reading/Writing 11

Reading Writing 11 is a Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop course designed for students having difficulty in reading and writing.  The course will allow students to improve their skills as readers and writers while self- selecting many of the texts they will explore and the topics they will write about.  Students will be encouraged to stretch their skills and try new genres and topics, but primarily students will learn to become better readers and writers by reading and writing every day.  The core assumption of the reading aspects of the course is that students need to have authentic reading experiences that allow them to practice and develop the skills needed to read a variety of texts for a variety of contexts – academic, occupational and personal leisure.  The core assumptions of the written aspects of the course are basic:  students write better by practicing  writing daily; by making their own choices about things like topic, style, and structure; by writing for a wide variety of real-world audiences; and by examining the practices of other writers, professionals and other students, so they can belong to a community of writers.

AP English Language and Composition (Prerequisite: CTL-9 and American Lit./can be taken in 11th or 12th grade)

AP Language and Composition engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes by reading and writing extensively using a well-developed vocabulary and standard English grammar, while using varied syntax and diction to develop their own style.  Both the reading and writing should make students aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects, as well as the way genre conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing.   Throughout the course we will address grammatical and mechanical issues which appear in students’ papers. Students must also identify the audience, context, purpose, and claim for each of the readings throughout the year.  The main types of writing emphasized in this course are expository, analytical, and argumentative. Students will develop their writings through the use of the writing process, using multiple drafts and peer as well as instructor feedback.

Students will choose one year long or two semester long courses from the following:

AP English Language and Composition (Prerequisite: CTL-9 and American Lit.)  |  Year Long  |  Can be taken in 11th or 12th grade

AP Language and Composition engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes by reading and writing extensively using a well-developed vocabulary and standard English grammar, while using varied syntax and diction to develop their own style.  Both the reading and writing should make students aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects, as well as the way genre conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing.   Throughout the course we will address grammatical and mechanical issues which appear in students’ papers. Students must also identify the audience, context, purpose, and claim for each of the readings throughout the year.  The main types of writing emphasized in this course are expository, analytical, and argumentative. Students will develop their writings through the use of the writing process, using multiple drafts and peer as well as instructor feedback.

AP English Literature and Composition (Prerequisite: CTL-9, Am. Lit., World Lit., or AP Lang./Comp.)  |  Year Long  |  Can be taken in 11th or 12th grade

This is a year course designed to expose students to a wide variety of literature.   The expanded nature of the course will present literary genres to include short stories, non-fiction, autobiographies, biographies, novels, and poetry.  Students are expected to apply a wide range of listening, speaking, reading and writing strategies as they study texts.  Students draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, and their understanding of textual features.  Students explore varied writing genres such as descriptive, narrative, expository, and analytical writing.  Students are expected to continue developing as writers in their sense of voice, fluency, writing for a variety of audiences and purposes, and communicating their intent appropriately and in a more sophisticated manner. 

British Literature 1 (through the 18th Century)  |  Semester Long  |  10th-12th Grade

This course begins with Beowulf, the earliest literature written in English, and continues with the legends of King Arthur, ballads and sonnets, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, and various other poems, short stories, and essays through the eighteenth century.  Historical background, authors’ biographies, the changing English language, and universal themes will be emphasized.  Outside reading of an English novel will be required.  This class is a valuable experience for the college bound student. 

British Literature 2 (19th and 20th Century)  |  Semester Long  |  10th-12th Grade

This course surveys British literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  Included are short stories, poems, plays, essays, and novels from such authors as Coleridge, Wordsworth, Austen, Shelley (Frankenstein), Browning, Dickens, Tennyson, Lawrence, Thomas, and Christie.  English history, authors’ lives, the changing English language, and universal themes will be emphasized.  Outside reading of an English novel will be required.  This is a valuable experience for the college bound student.

College Literature  |  Semester Long  |  11th Grade (with teacher recommendation)/12th Grade

This class has been designed to provide a forum where students can ponder, analyze, and respond to literature; deepen their appreciation and understanding of literature; and actively read in an environment that promotes intellectual and personal growth.  Novels, short stories, and poetry will be studied with emphasis placed on classroom discussion, small group work, and written analysis.  This class is highly recommended for college bound students.

College Writing  |  Semester Long  |  12th Grade

College Writing is geared exclusively toward  senior students who plan to apply to multiple colleges that use the Common Application and require multiple essay prompts for their application.  Students apply to enroll in College Writing (similar to Yearbook application process), and admission is based on the colleges the student anticipates applying to as a senior.

Contemporary Issues in Literature  |  Semester Long  |  11th/12th Grade

The class is designed to give the non-college bound student experience in reading novels on various topics.  Units to be covered will include suspense fiction, non-fiction, children’s literature, and contemporary literature.  Both teacher-selected and student-selected material will be used.  Emphasis will be placed on discovering what makes good literature enjoyable to read.

Contemporary Non-Fiction  |  Semester Long |  10th-12th Grade

The main course objective is to survey and analyze the various ways media impacts our society and culture.  Students will explore the mediums of print media such as newspapers, magazines and tabloids, audio and visual media such as radio, music, television, and film, as well as related fields of public relations and advertising.  Students will scrutinize the question, “Does art imitate life or does life imitate art?” 

Creative Writing  |  Semester Long |  10th-12th Grade

NCAA Approved - Creative writing is a craft which requires a desire on the part of the writer to want to improve the quality of his or her writing.  Accordingly, this course is designed for students who enjoy writing and wish to develop their creative writing ability in several areas.  Students are expected to become more sophisticated writers using a writing-workshop format.  This allows students to search out meaningful topics and direct these into various assignments including both poetry and prose.  Students share readings in the workshop and receptively incorporate appropriate and informed suggestions.  Students become proficient in using figurative language, sentence variety, use of metaphor, parallel structure and other writing techniques.  All assignments must be turned in to receive credit for the course.

Drama  |  Semester Long |  10th-12th Grade

NCAA Approved - This class explores themes in drama from Greek and Roman times to the present day.  Some scene work will be presented before the class as part of the course work.  There will be an emphasis on writing in the assessment of a student’s progress in the class.

Independent Novel Study  |  Semester Long |  10th-12th Grade

Are you a book lover?   Maybe you like to read but never have the time.  Maybe you are just waiting to discover the joy of reading.  This class could be for you!  As a member of this class, you will select the books you want to read, have the opportunity to share what you read and learn from these books, and be exposed to different authors, styles, and topics. 

Literature Through History  |  Semester Long |  10th-12th Grade

This course is to help the student detect and understand societies of the past through the rich history that literature provides us with.  The student will read various works, mostly in the classical genre, of both fiction and non-fiction.  The class will consist of a lecture, whole class and small group discussions, and written compositions.  The course would be a companion piece to those interested in the history of western civilization and world religions. 

Mosaic Literature  |  Semester Long |  10th-12th Grade

This course is designed to expose students to a variety of cultures through the authentic voices of multicultural authors and the experiences of their characters.  We will be introduced to the intriguing customs of others while reflecting on our own community and what has shaped who we are today.  Genres will include poetry, short story, non-fiction, graphic novels, fiction and visual arts.  Students enrolled in this course will be required to be active class participants and engage in reading and writing both inside and outside of the course. 

Mythology  |  Semester Long |  10th-12th Grade

NCAA Approved - This course will emphasize Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology.  Other mythologies such as Egyptian, Chinese, Native American, and African may be studied as well.  In addition, selections from the Old Testament of the Bible will be read.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature  |  Semester Long |  10th-12th Grade

What is science fiction and fantasy?  We will explore this popular genre of writing and see what these stories have to say about our world, even as they tell stories of worlds from long ago or far away.  We will read many authors, from those who wrote the classics of the genre (like Tolkien’s The Hobbit), to more contemporary voices (like Adam Moore’s graphic novel V for Vendetta).  Through them all, you’ll get a better picture of why this genre has exploded in popularity in the last century to become one of the dominant types of story told in our world today.

Senior Writing  |  Semester Long |  12th Grade

A writing workshop course in which students explore the concept of purpose, audience, genre, and exigence.  Students have freedom to read/write texts of their choice to be submitted for an end of the semester portfolio.  A balance of genres, purposes and audiences is required.  This course deals with matters of style, organization, development of ideas, sentence structure, paragraph development, punctuation and vocabulary.  Students will complete guided close readings of mentor texts for imitation and inspiration.   This class is intended for any student who strives to improve his/her writing.

Shakespeare  |  Semester Long |  10th-12th Grade

NCAA Approved - A survey will be undertaken of five to six of Shakespeare’s comedies, tragedies, and histories and of the cultural and theatrical settings in which they were first presented.  Students will be shown the versatility of Shakespeare’s plots and themes.  They will be encouraged to view Shakespeare’s works as lively and vital.  This course is appropriate for both college-bound and non-college-bound students.