English
English I CP
Credits: 5
Course Length: Year
Grade Level: 9
Prerequisite: None
English I CP focuses on building students’ language literacy. The thematic approach of the program incorporates exercises in critical reading, writing, listening and speaking in a variety of contexts. Study units include analysis of novels and short stories, drama, poetry, non-fiction and mythology. Basics of the writing process are provided and the argumentative research process is taught. Assessment strategies are an integral part of the course. In addition, the course of study includes vocabulary development and grammar/usage instruction.
English II CP
Credits: 5
Course Length: Year
Grade Level: 10
Prerequisite: English I CP
English II CP focuses on the reflection of human nature in literature. The class incorporates level-appropriate exercises in critical reading, writing, speaking, and listening in a variety of contexts. Students will study literary genres including poetry, short fiction, the novel, drama, and informational text. Additionally, students will build knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical structures. Throughout the course, students will explore several writing discourses including argumentation, analysis, research writing, and literary nonfiction.
English III CP
Credits: 5
Course Length: Year
Grade Level: 11
Prerequisite: English II CP
English III CP focuses on the American tradition in literature from the early 1900s to present time. In addition to addressing issues of social conscience and personal responsibility, English III CP seeks to present an overview of literary movements. The writing units prompt students to express themselves narratively, persuasively, and reflectively in both timed and researched writings. Synthesis writing and theme statement writing are another main focus. Vocabulary development and grammar study are an integral part of the course, along with an overview of assessment strategies.
English IV CP
Credits: 5
Course Length: Year
Grade Level: 12
Prerequisite: English III CP
This course focuses on continuing to develop and expand students’ language literacy. Most specifically, it engages seniors to examine the circumstances, questions, problems and dilemmas they encounter in the literary world and face in the real world. Students will build upon skills and experiences in the literacy classroom to develop a mature system of analysis in both literary and psychological landscapes. Additionally, they will research, propose, and defend solutions to problems in society. Students will explore a variety of communication discourses, such as personal essay, literary analysis, proposal/research writing, and definitional persuasion. Students will be encouraged to develop personal connections and responses to classical drama, modern fiction, informational texts, poetry, music, and contemporary essays.
HONORS COURSES
English I H
Credits: 5
Course Length: Year
Grade Level: 9
Prerequisite: Department Approval. English I Honors is the initial course in an advanced reading, writing, vocabulary, and usage sequence.
English I Honors immerses students in the sophisticated elements of reading and writing and elicits their responses to the voices of model authors. The course also covers a basic chronology of literature, which offers students the opportunity to explore various stages in the evolution of the English language. Students experiment with personal responses that are expressive, persuasive, creative, and informative. They will work with a variety of themes that provide distinct perspectives toward the process.
English II H
Credits: 5
Course Length: Year
Grade Level: 10
Prerequisite: Department Approval. Those in English I H must receive a final grade of 85. Those in English I CP will have multiple points of data reviewed including grades, NJSLA scores, benchmark scores as well as common assessment scores.
This second year Honors English course introduces students to Puritan, Romantic, Transcendental, Realistic, Naturalistic, and Modernist literary schools of thought and seeks to develop in students an appreciation for the American Literary traditions. The reading selections of illustrative novels, short stories, poetry, essays, and drama prompt students to explore the following units: Authority vs. Individualism, Self-Reliance and Achievement, Society in Transition, and twentieth century Issues. This list is not exhaustive. Students are expected to view the works of these periods as reflective of the social, historical, and literary characteristics of the times. The writing component focuses on discourses of definition,cause/effect, compare/contrast, problem/solution, and persuasion with a disciplined approach to both the writing process and structured writing.
English III H
Credits: 5
Course Length: Year
Grade Level: 11
Prerequisite: Department Approval-Those in English II H must receive a final grade of 85. Those in English II CP will have multiple points of data reviewed including grades, NJSLA scores, benchmark scores as well as common assessment scores.
Through an intensive study of social, psychological, and cultural issues, students will deepen their ability to read critically and to refine expository writing skills. Required summer readings set the thematic foundation for the year’s work. Students read works from classic and contemporary American authors as an extension of their work during the sophomore year. Writing experiences range from composing a social research proposal to a reflective essay. Advanced vocabulary study requires students to expand their strategies through context, connotation, and degree of meaning. The English III Honors student is expected to demonstrate autonomy, initiative, and commitment to serious literary study and composition.
English IV H
Credits: 5
Course Length: Year
Grade Level: 12
Prerequisite: Department Approval -Those in English III H must receive a final grade of 85. Those in English IIII CP will have multiple points of data reviewed including grades, NJSLA scores, benchmark scores as well as common assessment scores.
This course offers students a challenging literary survey, examining the satirical to the serious from classical to post-modern works. The thematic focus, “Provocative Voices,” encourages students to explore issues confronting mankind through a variety of interesting, thought-provoking literary vehicles, including essays, plays, poems, novels, and criticism. The writing component provides students with a variety of experiences paralleling those they will encounter in college writing courses. Students will be expected to research a topic and write a position paper using research to support a thesis statement. Additionally, students will write shorter papers in various discourses and engage in a debate.
English IV Concurrent Enrollment
Credits: 5
Course Length: Full Year
Grade Level: 12
Prerequisites: English III CP or Honors & Department Approval- Final grade in Eng III CP of 90+; English III H of 85+; or AP Lang of 85+; SAT EBRW score of 450+, ACT Reading score 24+ or Accuplacer WritePlacer College Level English Placement. Candidates for this class must pass the NJGPA assessment in the Spring of their Junior Year.
Course Policy: Students in English IV must achieve a grade of 70 or better in the first semester of the course in order to continue in the second semester of the course. Students who do not achieve a grade of 70 or better will have their schedules changed to English IV CP, and the Spring semester course fee refunded. This course policy is required by RVCC.
This class provides the opportunity to earn six (6) college credits through Raritan Valley Community College while still in high school. Students in this course will follow the college-level curriculum of a first year writing course. This course will both satisfy the fourth year English requirement in high school and advance the student into a second year level of writing when entering college.
More specifically, this class requires students to develop critical reading and thinking skills and to write thesis-driven, text-based essays. In this course, students will read both non-fiction and fiction pieces of varying length. The course takes a process-oriented approach to writing that incorporates prewriting, drafting, reviewing, and revising. Students in English IV Concurrent learn research skills that will prepare them for college-level research and analysis.
AP Language and Composition
Credits: 5
Course Length: Year
Grade Level: 11
Prerequisite: Department Approval and a final grade of 90+ in English II H
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition offers students the opportunity to pursue college-level work in exposition and composition. Including considerable summer work, the course has an interdisciplinary focus, drawing on issues in literature, the arts, science, world cultures, government, and philosophy. Students learn from a variety of sources including novels, essays, stories, poems, magazines, newspapers, television programs, and films. Studying advanced writing skills, students will master writing techniques, develop their own style and voice, and prepare for the Advanced Placement Exam.
AP Literature
Credits: 5
Course Length: Year
Grade Level: 12
Prerequisite: Department Approval and a final grade of 90+ in English III H
Advanced Placement Literature offers students the opportunity to pursue college-level work in literature. Drawing from the curriculum authorized by the College Board, students work in an encompassing program, reading a wide variety of selections and responding in discussion and in written analysis. Students have the opportunity to earn college credit by taking the AP Examination near the conclusion of the course.
ENGLISH ELECTIVES
Baseball: The Soul of America
Credits: 2.5
Course Length: 1 Semester
Grade Level: 10-12
Prerequisite: None
Baseball has been and forever will be linked with America. From racial integration, to the development of its players’ union and the “colonization” of Asian and Latino markets, to the increasing reliance on statistical data in the workplace, the history of baseball is interwoven with the history of America itself. The course will utilize both literature and informational texts to open with an introductory unit on the origins of the sport. In this unit, students will learn of the many myths surrounding the development of the sport, why such myths are important, and what the myths add to the creation story behind the sport. Following the unit on the origins of the sport, students will learn how the game spread from America’s cities to the rural outposts of America thanks to the outbreak of the Civil War. It will lead up to the game’s first great stars, Babe Ruth, and what Ruth meant for America and the idea of American celebrity in the early years of the 20th Century.
Creative Writing I
Credits: 2.5
Course Length: 1 Semester
Grade Level: 9-12
Prerequisite: None
Through three major units on poetry, short story, and screenplay, students experiment with a variety of reading and writing activities designed to help them develop as imaginative writers. During the course, students develop a poetry portfolio, four types of short stories, and work both with a partner and independently developing a screenplay. Through these projects, students learn to analyze and critique their own writing styles and writing habits, as well as those of other authors.
Drama I
Credits 2.5
Course Length:1 Semester
Grade Level: 9-12
Prerequisite: None
In this course, students study the history of theatre, fundamentals of play production, basic acting principles, and theatre appreciation and assessment. Students will explore basic set, costume, and lighting design, while also experimenting with various acting techniques.
Exploring Journalism
Credits: 2.5
Length: 1 Semester
Grade Level: 9-12
Prerequisite: None
Exploring Journalism is an exciting opportunity to develop writing skills and experiment with forms of writing and technology. This class prepares students for work on the school newspaper, college level-writing and various careers. Topics include traditional areas of study such as news reporting, investigative journalism, feature writing, opinion writing, as well as arts and entertainment. Newer areas of study may include autobiographical writing, online magazine and blog writing. Students will maintain a writing portfolio and will have the opportunity to contribute writing to class and school publications.
Locating Gender in Literature
Credits: 2.5
Course Length: Semester
Grade Level: 10–12
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English I
This course will explore the pressures on both men and women to comply with traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity through both classic and adolescent literature. Students will examine what it means to “act like a girl/boy” or be labeled with a gender or identity. Applying masculinity theory, feminist theory, and lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, questioning theory to works of literature will facilitate open dialogues about gender identification in our society, thus encouraging greater tolerance of others.
Philosophy and Popular Culture
Credits: 2.5
Course Length: 1 Semester
Grade Level: 9-12
Prerequisite: None
For thousands of years, humans have been plagued by the same questions about reality and truth: Is there a god? Where do we come from? Do we have free will? Is morality objective or subjective? Is there a best way to live? Philosophy, the study of the natures and fundamental problems of existence and knowledge, fosters conversations about these questions in formal, academic settings and aims to come to understandings about the physical and metaphysical worlds. As part of units of study on god, morality, and free will, students will familiarize themselves with civilization’s foremost philosophical thinkers and academics; craft arguments as part of debates, short responses, and more formal papers; interrogate the extent to which popular culture takes part in and furthers philosophical thought; and most excitingly, engage in conversations that started thousands of years ago. The course should appeal to a variety of thinkers and linguistic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal learners and will consist of both fiction and nonfiction reading.
Publications
Credits: 5
Course Length: Year
Grade Level: 10-12
Prerequisite: Any student not currently a staff member of either publication may apply for admission to the course through the publication advisor. Click here to apply
Students in Publications: Yearbook and Literary Magazine learn the basic skills of journalism and demonstrate mastery and application of these through the production of these two publications. Members of the staff also extend computer expertise and graphic design skills through using state-of-the-art desktop publishing software. In addition, students become adept at small business operations through the sales and marketing of both productions.
Students in Publications: Journalism and School Newspaper course will receive intensive instruction covering essential journalism topics and skills in the process of producing monthly issues of the school newspaper in a workshop setting.
Public Speaking
Credits: 2.5
Course Length: 1 Semester
Grade Level: 9-12
Prerequisite: None
This introductory course is designed to develop students' presentation literacy. Heavy emphasis is placed on developing speeches with profound messages and delivering them with confidence and conviction. The course will provide instruction and practice in speech mechanics, topic selection, and oral interpretation. Students will engage in the following speaking activities: demonstration, informational speaking, declamation, "Talk like TED", and tribute speaking. Students will play an active role in evaluating peers through collaborative rehearsals and feedback sessions.