English Language Arts

(ELA)

English Department Writing Sample Requirement
For Honors English 9 and Honors English 10

Each student wanting to enroll in an Honors English 9 or 10 will be required to produce a sample piece of writing. This sample will be based on a reading passage and the essay will be an analytical assessment of that piece.

The Process

For current Honors English students, this assessment will take place during their current English honors class

For students not currently in honors, there will be two days designated for students to be given the writing assessment. On these days, the assessments will be given after school. These dates will be made available ahead of time on the announcements and via email and will be the only dates where this assessment will be given. If a student does not complete this sample essay he/she will not be eligible for honors

Timeline for completing the writing assessment

Mid-January- Honors writing assessment will be given in class and after school.
Late January- Essays scored and returned before the February scheduling meetings.
Mid-April- Second chance writing
Late April- Second chance essays scored and returned with final recommendations to students and counselors.

Second Chance Writing

There will be an additional opportunity for students to pass the writing assessment in the spring before school year end and in advance of schedules being completed. Students will have an opportunity to show improvement and be eligible for Honors level courses.

English 9

Students will explore various genres of literature in this yearlong course through the use of supplemental novels and a textbook. The writing process will lead students as they practice various types of writing. Written and oral response to literature will be an important element of the course as students prepare for college. Students will also study test-related vocabulary words.

Prerequisite: None
Grade Level: 9
Full Year
Credit: 1.00 (English)

Honors English 9

Students will explore various genres of literature in this year-long course. Written and oral response to literature will be an important element of the course. Those taking this class should have mastered the fundamentals of writing and be willing to think critically about the literature they read. Expectations for this class will be higher with more reading and writing assigned at this level.

Summer Reading Required

Prerequisite: Administratively placed based on a passing score on the writing sample, AIR and MAP scores, and 8th-grade teacher recommendation
Grade Level: 9
Full Year
Credit: 1.00 (English)

English 10

This course will include a study of literature, grammar, vocabulary and writing skills. Various genres of literature will be read, including supplemental novels. Writing assignments will cover narration, description, comparison, literary analysis, and persuasion. Research skills and accurate source documentation (MLA Style) will also be emphasized.

Prerequisite: English 9
Grade Level: 10
Full Year
Credit: 1.00 (English)

Honors English 10

This course will include an in-depth study of literature, grammar, vocabulary and writing. It is designed for a student who wishes to accept an extra responsibility to study an advanced curriculum. Numerous novels will supplement the main text, along with independent reading assignments. Writing assignments will require skill and analysis. MLA (Modern Language Assoc.) style will be taught, and all work must follow MLA documentary standards. Summer Reading Required

Prerequisite: Passing score on writing sample, “A” in CP English 9 or an “A/B” in Honors English 9, & 9th grade teacher recommendation
Grade Level: 10
Full Year
Credit: 1.00 (English)

English 11

This course will focus on a survey of American Literature: major writers, themes, and styles of writing. Approximately six books supplement the main text. Compositions will focus on literary analysis, and projects will be a combination of oral and written assignments completed both individually and in group work. Vocabulary study and practice for the ACT English section round out the course.

Prerequisite: English 10
Grade Level: 11
Full Year
Credit: 1.00 (English)

AP English Language & Composition

This Advanced Placement course engages students in the practice of reading a variety of texts with the purpose of performing rhetorical and argumentative analysis. This course is composed of three distinct sections, each preparing the student to pass the College Board Advanced Placement Language and Composition test in the spring. The focus will be on the nuances of rhetorical analysis within themes of American Literature. Our larger goal is to develop analytical readers and cogent writers.

Summer Reading Required

Prerequisite: “A” in English 10 or an “A/B” in Honors English 10, & 10th-grade teacher recommendation
Grade Level: 11
Full Year
Credit: 1.00 (English)

AP English Literature & Composition

This is a course for the student who loves to read, loves to write and loves to analyze literature. This class is essentially a college-level freshman English course designed for the student who wishes to prepare for the Advanced Placement Examination in English Literature and Composition. As such, the focus is on examining the AP test itself and on literary analysis for the purpose of better understanding and explaining what techniques authors use to achieve their objectives. There is intensive class reading of a variety of literary classics and contemporary works as well as weekly writing assignments.

Summer Reading Required

Prerequisite: “A” in English 11 or “A/B” in AP English Lang. & 11th grade teacher recommendation
Grade Level: 12
Full Year
Credit: 1.00 (English)

Composition

Composition is a year-long course in which students will express their own ideas through the writing process. We will develop a daily writing practice and understand what it means to write in tune. The goal of this class is to help students believe that they have ideas worth expressing and to learn how writers make choices in order to convey meaning. Throughout the year, we will study mentor texts and learn how to track writing moves and implement strategies to imitate them in our own writing. We will learn how to take risks with our writing and dive into past, present, and new writing territories. We will build a classroom community of writers, where we will share, support, and celebrate our writing. Throughout the year, we will craft and revise our writing to create a writing portfolio. From narrative and analysis pieces to digital writing such as podcasts and film club documentaries, writers will learn, study, and practice various writing genres! Students can expect to complete their college essay and scholarship essays within this course.

Prerequisite: None
Grade Level: 12
Full Year
Credit: 1.00 (English)
Fee: This course has a fee (please see our Course Fees page for specifics)

Creative writing

This class is a semester course offered to college-bound sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Students will learn how to write short stories, creative nonfiction, plays and poetry using a portfolio approach to the writing process that includes peer work in the prewriting, revising, and editing stages. With the ease of computer technology, the pieces will go through many stages of revision, culminating in a final draft that will be shared aloud with the class. Students will produce a portfolio of their best work.

Prerequisite: None
Grade Level: 10, 11, 12
Semester
Credit: 0.5 (English)

Speech

This semester course focuses on the techniques of public speaking including listening, writing and delivery skills. Students will be taught how to outline and effectively deliver prepared speeches. Students will also be taught how to speak in impromptu situations. Listening skills will be emphasized. The course is based on the philosophy that practice is essential to the development of effective oral communication skills.
**Option for Honors Credit**

Prerequisite: None
Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12
Semester
Credit: 0.5 (English)

Mythology 1

This course studies myth and religion from two perspectives: the commonalities that exist between myths from different cultures and time periods, and an in-depth exploration of several of the cultures whose myths had a significant impact on Western civilization. Students will experience mythology’s connections to history, psychology, language and philosophy, and they will strive to make these ancient lessons relevant in the modern world.

Prerequisite: None
Grade Level: 10, 11, 12
Semester
Credit: 0.5 (English)

Mythology 2

This course will differ from Mythology I in the following ways: the myths of specific cultures will be considered through sociological and anthropological lenses; more extended reading assignments will be required; an emphasis will be placed, in the second quarter of the course, on relevance of ancient myth in the modern world, and on analysis of the “mythologies” that support modern world cultures.
**Option for Honors Credit**

Prerequisite: Grade of "C" or better in Mythology 1
Grade Level: 10, 11, 12
Semester
Credit: 0.5 (English)

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