Students in English will acquire the skills to use, appreciate, and analyze the English language as a creative, informative and persuasive tool in order to become effective communicators.
The English Department seeks to develop student’s reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills through a variety of required and elective courses. All English classes emphasize critical thinking, close reading, the writing process, vocabulary development, and communication.
Required Courses: All students are required to pass 4.0 credits of English in order to graduate from Milford Public Schools. Students are required as part of their sequence to take English 1, English 2, and either English 3 or AP Language and Composition.
Grade 9 (1.0 Credits)
Levels: 1-201100 , 2-202100, 3-203102*
This course focuses on the fundamentals of writing integrated with the study of the novel, drama, poetry, short story and nonfiction. Throughout the course, students will develop core literacy skills in reading, writing and communication.
*At Jonathan Law, students who enroll in the Level 3 course earn 1.5 credits as it includes additional periods – 1.0 of these credits count towards the English requirement. Placement in Level 3 must be approved through building administration.
Grade 10 (1.0 Credits)
Levels: 1-201200 , 2-202200, 3-203202*
This course builds on the reading and writing skills developed in English 1. Students will continue to develop their core literacy skills in reading, writing, and communication through the study of novels, plays, short stories, poems and nonfiction by representative American authors.
*At Jonathan Law, students who enroll in the Level 3 course earn 1.5 credits as it includes additional periods – 1.0 of these credits count towards the English requirement. Placement in Level 3 must be approved through building administration.
Grade 11 (1.0 Credits)
Levels: 1-201300, 2-202300, 3-203300*
This course builds on the skills developed in English 2 and focuses on the close reading and analysis of substantial texts, including novels, plays, nonfiction, and short stories and on responding to these texts. Students will continue to develop strong composition skills with a focus on post-secondary personal and professional writing.
Note: Students who have taken AP Language and Composition are not eligible to take this course for credit.
*At Jonathan Law, students who enroll in the Level 3 course earn 1.5 credits as it includes additional periods – 1.0 of these credits count towards the English requirement. Placement in Level 3 must be approved through building administration.
Grade 11,12 (1.0 Credits)
Level: AP-200340
The AP English Language and Composition course focuses on the development and revision of evidence-based analytic and argumentative writing, the rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts, and the decisions writers make as they compose and revise. Students evaluate, synthesize, and cite research to support their arguments. Additionally, they read and analyze rhetorical elements and their effects in nonfiction texts—including images as forms of text— from a range of disciplines and historical periods.
The AP English Language and Composition course cultivates the reading and writing skills that students need for college success and for intellectually responsible civic engagement. The course guides students in becoming curious, critical, and responsive readers of diverse texts and becoming flexible, reflective writers of texts addressed to diverse audiences for diverse purposes. The reading and writing students do in the course should deepen and expand their understanding of how written language functions rhetorically: to communicate writers’ intentions and elicit readers’ responses in particular situations.
This course prepares students for the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition exam. Students taking this course are required to take the AP exam given in the spring.
Grade 12 (1.0 Credits)
Level: AP-200440
AP English Literature and Composition is a college-level course offering students an opportunity to become skilled and mature critical readers through close textual analytical reading. Students will read and demonstrate comprehension of the following types of literature: drama, novels, short stories, poetry, essays, and nonfiction. Writing is also an integral part of the AP English Literature and Composition course. Writing assignments focus on the critical analysis of literature and include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays. Although critical analysis makes up the bulk of student writing for the course, well-constructed creative writing assignments will help students see from the inside how literature is written. Such experiences sharpen students’ understanding of what writers have accomplished and deepen their appreciation of literary artistry. The goal of both types of writing assignments is to increase students’ ability to explain clearly, cogently, even elegantly, what they understand about literary works and why they interpret them as they do. To that end, writing instruction includes attention to developing and organizing ideas in clear, coherent, and persuasive language. It includes study of the elements of style, and it attends to matters of precision and correctness as necessary. Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on helping students develop stylistic maturity. Students taking this course are required to take the AP exam given in the spring.
Grade 12 (1.0 Credits)
Level: 1-201420
This Level 1 course for Gr. 12 students is an exploration of the past 100 years of Western culture through the examination of seminal texts and art from the 1920s to present. In student-led discussion, guided inquiry and student investigations, the course evaluates the art, history, myths, culture, music, poetry, and drama that have helped shape the past 100 years. Other units of study will include critical theory, cultural analysis, research, and documentary evaluation and creation. Students will demonstrate their understanding and mastery through graded written response and frequent collaborative creative projects. Summer reading with a written assignment is required to prepare for the course, and must be completed for entrance to the course in the fall. This course must be paired with the corresponding Social Studies Course. Successful completion of both courses will result in two credits.
Grade 11E,12 (0.5 Credits)
Levels: 2-202335, 3-203325
The emphasis of this course will be the continuous development of the skills necessary to craft structured, well organized writing. Students will study and compose varied writing types with an emphasis on real-world writing applications. Major units of study include the college essay, formal letter writing, persuasive speech writing, and process writing. This course takes students through the stages of the writing process including planning, drafting, revising, and editing. Students grow in their ability to write clearly and to gain a deeper understanding of how writers create text.
Grade 11E,12 (0.5 Credits)
Level: 2-202345
Students will engage in a comparative study of novel to film as they continue the development of their core literacy skills. Students will read a variety of texts – from complete novels to short stories – and engage in critical analysis of development of theme while exploring how directors make choices based within and outside of text. Specific analysis will also include literary elements that lead to a text’s mood, style, and structure as well as characterization and dialogue. Throughout the course, students are expected to continue the development of their composition and presentation skills.
Grade 10E,11E,12 (0.5 Credits)
Level: 2-202325
This course focuses on creative writing and the process of drafting and revising original pieces of fiction. Students will be introduced to various techniques used in the creation of several genres including the short story, the play, and the poem. Students will engage in peer editing as well as in critiquing the work of established writers.
Grade 12 (1.0 Credits)
Level: 1- 201325 (max 1 credit)
Focusing on the writer's technique through the writer's workshop, students will work on transforming imaginative ideas into writing. The first half of the course focuses on various techniques authors use, spanning different genres of authorship. The second half of this course focuses on the author’s role in publishing including, various drafts before publication, editing processes, publication processes, and modern-day writer’s practices in an effort to create a final manuscript. Creative Writing is NOT a prerequisite requirement for this course.
Grade 11E,12 (0.5 Credits)
Level: 2-202350
This course is designed to develop an appreciation of the power of mass communication. Students will become familiar with and develop an understanding of the operation, purpose, and influence of various media. The course takes the students through multiple forms of communication including social media, advertising, online news organizations, and televised media. Students will learn how the audience, writer’s purpose, and media platform affects the writing style and language that the writer uses. Students will analyze how to navigate living in the digital age and the effects of various media on society.
Grade 9E,10E,11E,12E (1.0 Credits)
Level: ES-20E210
This course focuses on the skills necessary for newspaper and desktop publishing. Students in the course are staff reporters for the school newspaper and will become familiar with the elements of writing effective news stories, editorials, and features. Additional topics will include the study of layout, photojournalism, the First Amendment and media ethics, while developing research and interviewing skills.
Please note: This course does not count toward the four-year English credit requirement.
Grade 10E, 11E,12 (1.0 Credits)
Level: ES- 20E310
The skills mastered in Journalism 1 are applied to the laboratory work of publishing the school newspaper and running the newspaper’s social media accounts . Students will regularly use desktop publishing, digital cameras, and other technology for layout and design. Students also function as an editorial board for the newspaper as well as copywriters. Prerequisite: Journalism 1. In the senior year this course counts toward the four year English credit requirement.
Grade 11E, 12 (1.0 Credits)
Level: ES-20E410
Students use their skills mastered in the previous two years of journalism to design and produce the school newspaper and run the newspaper’s social media accounts. They are the editors and have the responsibilities of organizing reporters, running ad campaigns, and making final decisions about layout and format. Prerequisite: Journalism 2. In the senior year, this course counts toward the four year English credit requirement.
Grade 12E (0.5 Credits)
Level: 2- 202400
This course will explore the various aspects of broadcast journalism. Based upon previously learned concepts, students will already have a foundation in the technical aspects of broadcast production and will be able to experience a hands-on course including: field production, journalism and broadcasting. Students will write, produce, and report newscasts as well as report news segments from the TV Studio. Does not count toward the four year English credit requirement. Prerequisite: Journalism 1
Grade 9,10,11,12 (0.5 Credits)
Level: 205100 Semester 1, 205105 Semester 2
The English Language Learning program is intended for students who are non-native speakers of English whose knowledge of English is limited. The program provides direct instruction in English to develop the necessary vocabulary and oral language skills for communication and comprehension in social and academic settings.
Through Genre Study, students will analyze a variety of narrative and informational texts for structure, language and style. Students will engage in collaborative discussions focused on literary analysis and critique. Through oral and written responses, students will challenge both individual and cultural perceptions to build new understandings. Additionally, students will use model texts to create original work which reflects the genre style and unique literary elements.
Grade 10E,11E,12 (0.5 Credits)
Level: 2-202340
Students in this course will study the literary form, the value and the psychological uses of fairy and folk tales and other examples of folk literature from around the world. They will compare multiple versions of classic tales in order to explore how variations in plot, setting and characterization shape meaning. They will also examine the fairy tale’s adaptation in children’s literature and film.
Grade 11E,12 (1.0 Credits)
Level: 2-202305
This course will be organized as a seminar in which students will discuss different philosophers’ viewpoints about such topics as art, the nature of good and evil, and the role of government. The course will include a history of philosophical thought from the early Greeks to the postmodern.
Students in Milford Public Schools can elect to pursue the Connecticut Certificate of Global Engagement. The Certificate of Global Engagement is bestowed by the Connecticut State Department of Education upon students who meet district-selected requirements that will demonstrate their critical thinking and real-world problem solving skills. Additionally, this sequence of requirements will give students the opportunity to demonstrate their preparedness for college, career, and civic life and serve as a validation of their deliberate pursuit of global education and awareness.
Successful completion of the Certificate of Global Engagement through the Milford Public Schools requires a minimum of 7.0 credits in globally-focused coursework including:
3.0 credits of high school World Language,
4.0 credits in English, Science, and Social Studies courses with a global focus.
In addition, students are required to:
Actively participate in at least one school-sponsored or endorsed globally-focused extra-curricular activity,
Complete a district-approved Global Service Learning Project.
Commencing with the graduating class of 2018, and for each graduating class thereafter, the Board, utilizing criteria established by the State Board of Education, may/shall affix the "Connecticut State Seal of Biliteracy" to a diploma awarded to a student who has achieved a high level of proficiency in English and one or more foreign languages.
"Foreign language" means a world language other than English and includes American Sign Language and any other language spoken by a federally recognized Native American tribe. The Board shall include on such student's transcript a designation that the student received the "Connecticut Seal of Biliteracy."
ALL Connecticut students are eligible to earn the Seal of Biliteracy; students must be in grades 10, 11, or 12 to qualify. Both native and non-native speakers of English need to provide comparable evidence of English language proficiency. The language performance should be demonstrated in both social and academic use of the language, in all modes of communication.
The two academic requirements below must be met.
Students must complete all English language arts requirements for graduation.
Students must demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English at a level comparable to Intermediate Mid on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines in Grade 10 or later.
Please see your school counselor for more information.