English

9th Grade, Honors:

Students in 9 Honors will build a strong foundation for success in upper-level honors and AP courses through extensive study in grammar, vocabulary, writing, and literature. Students will develop a familiarity with the characteristics and features of a wide variety of genres including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and epics through independent reading and novel studies. Students at the honors level should have the ability to handle rigorous coursework with extensive required reading and homework to be completed outside of class time.

• Instructor Led 

• An equal mix of paper-heavy, project-heavy, assessment-heavy, and notes-heavy.

10th Grade, College Prep:

This course includes the knowledge and skills outlined in the Virginia Standards of Learning.  Students will develop knowledge and comprehension skills from reading a range of texts; build vocabulary and word knowledge; use textual evidence; write in a variety of forms; use the conventions of Standard English when speaking and writing; develop oral communication and collaboration skills; and conduct research.  Students will produce literary analysis, persuasion, argument, media, and multimodal products to demonstrate their understanding. 

• Instructor Led 

• An equal mix of paper-heavy, project-heavy, assessment-heavy, and notes-heavy.

10th Grade, Honors:

In English 10A, students must have the motivation and desire to work hard to become a successful writer. They also must be willing to do outside reading, as texts will be read and analyzed independently. This course includes the knowledge and skills outlined in the Virginia Standards of Learning.  Students will develop knowledge and comprehension skills from reading a range of texts; build vocabulary and word knowledge; use textual evidence; write in a variety of forms; use the conventions of Standard English when speaking and writing; develop oral communication and collaboration skills; and conduct research. Students will produce literary analysis, persuasion, argument, media, and multimodal products to demonstrate their understanding. 

• Instructor Led 

• An equal mix of paper-heavy, project-heavy, assessment-heavy, and notes-heavy.

Pre-requisites: English 9 Honors (Suggested) 

11th Grade, College Prep:

This course traces the evolution of American Literature from the Native American tradition to the literature of the present day. Students will not only investigate the literature of our country but also explore the culture and the arts. Study of American Literature is enhanced throughout the year as students study the corresponding periods of U.S. history in social studies classes. The instructor will review and introduce new reading comprehension skills and techniques that apply to both fiction and non-fiction texts to expand students' critical thinking and analysis skills. Students will continue to practice writing in a variety of forms, from literary analysis to personal narratives, to ensure college preparedness and expand students' communication and research skills.

• Instructor Led 

• An equal mix of paper-heavy, project-heavy, assessment-heavy, and notes-heavy.

11th Grade, Honors: 

English 11A traces the evolution of American Literature from the Native American tradition to the literature of the present day. Students will not only investigate the literature of our country, but will also explore the culture and the arts. Study of American Literature is enhanced throughout the year as students study the corresponding periods of U.S. history in social studies classes.  English 11A is an intensive and demanding course which is designed to challenge students and to prepare them for success in upper level English courses. Students are expected to read actively and to fully participate in each and every class.  By making careful observations of textual detail, students will establish connections among their observations, and draw from those connections a series of inferences leading to a conclusion about the meaning and value of the work. Throughout the course of the year, students will also work through the writing process of planning, composing, revising, editing, and publishing to practice writing in a variety of styles. 

• Instructor Led 

• An equal mix of paper-heavy, project-heavy, assessment-heavy, and notes-heavy.

11th Grade, AP: 

Students will read extensively and master a wide range of works of non-fiction and fiction, with an emphasis on non-fiction works by American writers.  Students will be expected to read and analyze works independently. This course is writing intensive. Students will be expected to write a variety of essays in a timed format, and spend time reflecting on their writing and progress. 

• Instructor Led 

• Paper and Notes Heavy 

Pre-requisites: English 10 Advanced is strongly recommended 

12th Grade, College Prep:

Together we will study a wide variety of non-fiction, literature, and poetry, from across the globe and spanning centuries. We will also concentrate on writing and communication skills to prepare students to be articulate and effective communicators in college, career, and beyond. 

• Instructor Led 

• An equal mix of paper-heavy, project-heavy, assessment-heavy, and notes-heavy.

12 Grade, Honors: 

Students will build knowledge and comprehension skills from reading a range of challenging, content-rich texts, including literature from the British tradition and other cultures; systematically build vocabulary and word knowledge based on grade content and texts; use textual evidence to demonstrate comprehension and build knowledge from a variety of grade-level complex literary and informational texts; write in a variety of forms for diverse audiences and purposes; use the conventions of Standard English when speaking and writing; develop effective oral communication and collaboration skills; and conduct research and read a series of conceptually related texts on selected topics.  Students will produce literary analysis, persuasion, argument, media, and multimodal products to demonstrate their understanding. The class is both reading and writing intensive. 

• Mix of self-paced and instructor led

• An equal mix of paper-heavy, project-heavy, assessment-heavy, and notes-heavy.

Grade 12, AP:

This AP English course is a challenging course for seniors who love literature and/or want to work toward a goal of becoming better at reading, thinking critically, crafting arguments, and communicating. Regardless of your future path, this course will prepare you for college-level reading and writing. Students enjoy both the ability to choose some of their novels and some of the creative assessments. Thought provoking discussions happen every class period! 

• Instructor Led 

• Mixed Classwork 

Pre-requisites: AP English Language or English 11 Honors 

Grade 12, Dual Enrollment:

This is a college-level, writing-intensive, composition course offered in partnership with Reynolds Community College.  Students take English 111 in the first semester with the possibility of earning three college credits.  Students take English 112 in the second semester with the possibility of earning an additional three credits.  All total, students can earn six college credits in this course. Students complete at least 15-20 pages of polished writing of various genres each semester. The course fulfills students' English 12 graduation requirement.  Students earn 1.0 quality point in the HCPS GPA for completing this course.  

• Instructor Led 

• Paper-heavy

Pre-requisites: AP English Language or English 11 Honors 

Oral Communications I - College Prep: 

Real World Communication Connections:  Informational speaking, Storytelling, prose, poetry, special occasion speaking, persuasive speaking and more.  

• Both self-paced and instructor-led

• Equal mix of project-heavy, paper-heavy, notes-heavy, and assessment-heavy 

Journalism - College Prep in the first year, Honors beyond that: 

Journalism is a multi-level elective course that provides students with a broad overview of the journalism field & opportunities for writing, editing, and publishing. After building a foundation of journalism skills, students will be asked to plan, write and edit stories, design page layouts with an emphasis on real-world skills application by producing The Sentinel newspaper. Students also have opportunities for leadership roles and Honors credit. 

• The first year is more foundational, instructor-led learning. Beyond that it is all student-led, hands-on, project-based learning!

Pre-requisites: Students should be proficient writers and have an interest in writing/journalism/news media.

Sequential: Students can take up to four years of journalism as a sequential elective. In the second year and beyond, students can take on leadership roles and earn Honors credit.

Photojournalism - College Prep in the first year, Honors beyond that: 

Photojournalism, also known as Yearbook, is a student-centered class. The goal of the class is to produce a yearbook for the school community that can be cherished for years to come. As staff members, you are tasked with documenting the school year. In this class, you will work in a collaborative and social environment as you work towards that common goal. You will do a little bit of everything-- writing, interviewing, photography, and layout and design. This course is eligible for Honors level credit senior year with at least 1 prior year on staff.  

• We work within real-world publishing deadlines, so we use those to guide the pacing of the course. The adviser is there to facilitate that goal.

• Project-heavy

Pre-requisites: None, but there is an application.

Sequential: Students can take multiple years of photojournalism as a sequential elective. In the second year and beyond, students can take on leadership roles and earn Honors credit.

AP Seminar - AP: 

This is an elective course offered to Sophomores. Students will develop and practice the skills in research, collaboration, and communication that they will need in any academic discipline.  They will investigate topics in a variety of subject areas, write research-based essays, and design and give presentations both individually and as part of a team. The AP Seminar assessment has three parts: two performance tasks—which students will complete over the course of the year and submit through the AP Digital Portfolio—and the end-of-course AP Exam.   

• Mixture of self-paced and instructor-led

• Paper-heavy, project-heavy

Pre-requisites: English 9 Honors

Sequential: AP Research (Year 2 of the AP Capstone program)

AP Research - AP: 

AP Research allows students to deeply explore an academic topic, problem, or issue of individual interest. Through this exploration, students design, plan, and conduct a year-long research-based investigation to address a research question. The course culminates in an academic paper of 4000-5000 words and a presentation with an oral defense.

• While the teacher will instruct at each stage of the research process, the work completed by students is completely self-paced.

• Paper-heavy

Pre-requisites: AP Seminar and it's helpful if students are enrolled in AP English Language at the same time.

Introduction to Humanities - Honors: 

English elective for 11th and 12th graders examining topics like happiness, identity, and the meaning of life - through the lenses of history, music, art, and literature. The course is discussion-based and focuses on personal development. The ideal student is one who likes self-reflection and considering one's place in the world. Personal journal writing occurs weekly during class. 

• Instructor-led

• Discussion-based course with an emphasis on personal writing

Composition Theory - Honors: 

This elective is an honors-level, service-learning, application-based course for rising 11th and 12th grade students. Students in this course will learn how to be an effective peer writing tutor and use this skill as they serve as a peer writing tutor in the Deep Run Writing Center.  Students will also explore advertising and business skills as those pertain to the Deep Run Writing Center and engage in scholarly writing center research. Attend the required course interest meeting on Wed., Jan. 7th during A lunch in room 212, and submit the application by 4pm on Wed., Jan. 14th.  See Mrs. Cho (rm. 212) or Mrs. Tambellini for additional information. We are unsure if we will have the interest and teaching capacity for this course in the 2026-2027 school year. Students who select this course should have another elective in mind in case this course does not “make it".

• Instructor led

• Project-heavy

Pre-requisite: Students must submit an application and be accepted as a Writing Center consultant to take this course.

Sequential: Students can take the Composition Theory course both 11th and 12th grade if they would like.