English Language Arts Courses

The English 1 curriculum aligns to the NJSLS, incorporating personalized learning, student choice, and opportunities for students to engage in core novel studies, book clubs and independent reading. The students will grow their capacity as writers by engaging with a range of tasks including narrative, literary analysis, argumentative, research, and explanatory/informational writing.

The English 2 curriculum aligns to the NJSLS, incorporating personalized learning, student choice, and opportunities for students to engage in core novel studies, book clubs and independent reading. The students will continue to grow their capacity as researchers and writers of narrative, literary analysis, rhetoric/argument, and poetry.

English III focuses on the study of American literature, starting with the early 1900s and continuing through contemporary works. The course integrates the study of language and literature to enhance literacy capacities and higher-order critical thinking skills essential for 21st-century success. Emphasis is placed on developing the literacy skills necessary for college and career readiness.

Students will engage with both canonical and contemporary American works, including complementary nonfiction, to explore how cultural experiences have shaped evolving identities across decades. Through the juxtaposition of historical and modern perspectives, the course invites students to critically examine enduring sociocultural concepts and ongoing issues in American society. This approach deepens their understanding of foundational American texts while also exposing them to modern voices that reflect the complexities of today’s world.

This English IV curriculum framework is designed to prepare students for the transition from high school to post secondary education. In a writing workshop student centered environment, students will practice and polish a variety of writing tasks, including personal narrative and technical writing. Throughout thematic units students are permitted to choose the novels that they read, encouraging autonomy and engagement. Close reading and literary analysis of fiction and non-fiction, through careful observation of style and structure, rhetorical strategies, diction, figurative language, imagery, selection of detail, language and syntax prepares students for the rigor of the college level writing class. Time dedicated to professional correspondence and a portfolio including resume, cover letter, and correspondence builds confidence and preparedness for college, vocational training or workplace. Student centered classrooms that spark debate, encourage expression and explore the world through a literary lens, and contributes to a community of confident students who have the tools they need to succeed beyond the high school classroom. 

These courses offer college-level  curricula  and  texts while requiring commensurate achievement of students. As required by the College Board, students read and write extensively in preparation for the spring Advanced Placement exam. Please note, students can choose either course in 11th and 12th grade for AP English. The College Boards does not have a required sequence.

AP Seminar is a foundational course that engages students in cross-curricular conversations that explore the complexities of academic and real-world topics and issues by analyzing divergent perspectives. Using an inquiry framework, students practice reading and analyzing articles, research studies, and foundational, literary, and philosophical texts; listening to and viewing speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances. Students learn to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual presentations, both individually and as part of a team. Ultimately, the course aims to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments.

In conjunction with Brookdale Community College, interested seniors can earn Middletown credits and three transferable college credits by taking the Writing Process course in which students work on developing writing skills.  Students compose, workshop, and revise a series  of  essays  in  various  styles.    In  addition,  they  respond to an assortment of texts and learn to process, rework, and communicate their ideas effectively.  Students who wish to earn college credit must take a qualifying test and pay a reduced tuition fee to Brookdale Community College.  This honors weighted class must be taken with the Short Story course to fulfill the senior English requirement.

This course   is   designed   to   develop   students’ appreciation of film technique through the analysis of a selection of “classic” films. Using this popular  medium of our  culture today as a primary resource, students view, discuss, and develop an awareness of the elements of narrative and theme in film and the impact film artists have on the culture in which they live.

Creative  Writing  encourages  students to  overcome  writer’s block and tap into their creative resources. Students sharpen their craft by using methods and techniques designed to help organize, clarify, and strengthen creative efforts. They learn to establish plot, characterization, setting, and evocative descriptions in their original  short stories. In addition, each student experiments with daily journal techniques, the format of the autobiography, and the discovery of the individual poetic voice.  Finally, students study short story techniques from the best of books for young readers and write a children’s story of their own.

The structure of the Graphic Novel curriculum presents opportunities for students to read and write about graphic novels as a form of literature.

The focus of this elective aligns with the New Jersey Student Learning standards. The first unit, “The Language of Comics” is designed to

introduce students to graphic novels, their history, form, and style. The second unit, “Gods and Mortals: The Superhero” is designed to introduce

students to the history and mythology of superheroes, while increasing their ability to analyze the genre and evaluate authors’ choices. The third

and final unit, “The Graphic Memoir: Coming of Age” is designed to introduce students to this subgenre while allowing them to make connections

to their own lives. This curriculum guide begins with a calendar outlining the suggested focus and time for each unit.

This course equips students with an understanding of the principles and practice of journalism: how to recognize good stories, gather facts through skillful interviewing and research, develop sources, craft welcoming leads and satisfying endings, and create articles that inform and engage readers. Students will become intelligent consumers of the mass media and learn legal, moral, and ethical responsibilities inherent in the free press.

This course will be taught utilizing the Workshop Model of Instruction. The workshop model is an instructional practice that often consists of three

parts: a mini-lesson, a workshop, and a debrief. This model is commonly used in Lucy Calkins' Reading and Writing Workshop, and the goal of the

model is to support learners in reading and writing independently. For this advanced class, the model will be modified to mimic the structure of a

newsroom, where students are engaged in independent and collaborative writing, conferencing with instructors and each other as writers and

editors to prepare their work for publication. All work in this class will be produced with the intention to publish on the school’s newspaper

website and/or print issues. In addition, and to provide a well-rounded, advanced journalism education, the course will cover other elements of

media and communication, including editing, design and layout, and public relations.

For this course, students will need to be actively involved in keeping up with current events within the school community. This class is strongly

recommended for those who are planning to pursue a career in Journalism. Students must have successfully completed Journalism I or obtain an

instructor recommendation to enroll in this course. This full-year course may be taken more than once.

On a long enough timeline, all stories transition into myth. This class will focus on stories already in the canon of mythology, highlighting the nature of myth-making and the function of storytelling for individuals and societies, as well as the role of mythology in cultural creation and curation. There will be a focus on Classical Hellenism with explorations of Norse, Indian, Japanese, and Oceanian mythologies, as well as an investigation of how mythology continues into our current time. Throughout the course, students will be in direct conversation with an inquiry-based approach to student-centered study. Having a firm grounding in not just the ability to understand mythological stories and cycles but in storytelling as a whole, students will blossom into active, engaged participants in their own learning and lives through understanding their own mythology. Students are expected to develop a recognition of patterns among myths across differing cultures, time periods, and geographical locations to bolster their understanding of the importance of mythology as a whole.

In conjunction with Brookdale Community College, interested seniors can earn Middletown credits and three transferable college-level credits by reading, analyzing, discussing, and writing about a variety  of  short  stories.   Students develop  an understanding of the history, structure, and conventions of the short story by analyzing literary works that adhere to and/or challenge this tradition.  This course emphasizes close reading skills and contextualizing works within their historical period and as a reflection of various cultures.  The relevance of these short stories for the modern reader is examined. Students who wish to earn college credit must take a qualifying test and pay a reduced tuition fee to Brookdale Community College.  This honors weighted class must be taken with the English Composition course to fulfill the senior English requirement.