All English courses emphasize improving student literacy and communication. The curriculum is divided into two parts: full-year courses for grades 9-12, and semester electives for grades 11 and 12. 

FULL YEAR COURSES:

Freshman and Sophomore English are both full-year courses that focus on improving students’ reading, writing, speaking, and research skills while they study the four main literary genres (fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry). 

Juniors and Seniors can elect to take the following full-year courses:

Junior Honors English offers a rigorous continuation of the reading, writing, speaking, and research skills that students developed during their Freshman and Sophomore years. 

Junior AP English and Senior AP English prepare students for the Advanced Placement exams in the spring through demanding college-level work. 

ELECTIVE COURSES:

The Junior and Senior elective courses offer further opportunities to improve basic communication skills, develop higher critical and analytical skills, and appeal to students’ specific interests. All classes that the English Department offers prepare students to read critically and communicate effectively in writing and speaking.

FULL-YEAR COURSES

FRESHMAN ENGLISH  

Grade 9,  5 Credits,  Honors – 110,  Level 1 – 111,  Level 2 – 112

This course offers a thematic study of literature from around the world. The classes focus on reading, writing, research, participation, formal presentations, vocabulary growth, and preparation for the MCAS exam administered during the sophomore year.

Texts may include:  Prentice Hall Literature (Gold), Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary (D and E), All Quiet on the Western Front, A Long Walk to Water, Animal Farm, Brian’s Song, Fahrenheit 451, Farewell to Manzanar, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Flowers for Algernon, The Good Earth, Great Expectations, I am Malala, Maximum Ride, Night, Refugee, Romeo and Juliet, Shane, A Tale of Two Cities, Things Fall Apart, Tunes for Bears to Dance To, Two Old Women, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

SOPHOMORE ENGLISH 

Grade 10,  5 Credits,  Honors – 120,  Level 1 – 121,  Level 2 – 122

This course offers a study of American Literature in all its forms. The classes continue to focus on reading, writing, research, participation, formal presentations, vocabulary growth, and continued preparation for MCAS.

Texts may include: Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary (F), American Short Stories, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Short Story and You, The Bean Trees, Black Boy, The Catcher in the Rye, Death of a Salesman, Ellen Foster, The Glass Menagerie, The Great Gatsby, The Help, Hiroshima, House on Mango Street, I Am the Cheese, Julius Caesar, Of Mice and Men, The Old Man and the Sea, A Raisin in the Sun, A Separate Peace, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Other Wes Moore, Their Eyes Were Watching God, To Kill a Mockingbird and various collections of American poetry.

JUNIOR ENGLISH (HONORS) 

Grade 11,  5 Credits,  Honors - 131

This course presents a selective survey of American Literature that emphasizes fiction, poetry, and drama. It continues to develop those critical and analytical skills expected in college and concentrates heavily on improving student writing.

Texts may include: Literature: Antigone, A Contemporary Introduction, Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary (G and H), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Dandelion Wine, Desire Under the Elms, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Mourning Becomes Electra, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Things They Carried, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?, The Women of Brewster Place, Zoo Story, Angela’s Ashes, Dandelion Wine, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, and Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Guidelines for electing honors section: 85 or better in Sophomore Honors English or recommendation of instructor or submission of a writing sample.

AP JUNIOR ENGLISH (ADVANCED PLACEMENT)

Grade 11,  5 Credits,  AP – 130

Junior AP English prepares students for the AP English Language and Composition exam. The course engages students in becoming skilled readers of literature written in a variety of rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes.  Through the writing and reading of a variety of genres, students will become aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects, as well as the way genre conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing.

Texts may include: the primary textbook, The Language of Composition, 2nd Edition, a variety of Non-Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, as well as Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Level G.

Guidelines for election:  85 or better in Sophomore Honors English or recommendation of instructor or submission of a writing sample.

AP SENIOR ENGLISH (ADVANCED PLACEMENT)

Grade 12,  5 Credits,  AP – 140

This course prepares students for the AP Literature and Composition exam. The content of this course focuses on major British, European, and American writers and literary movements. It continues to develop those critical and analytical skills developed throughout the Honors program. Many of its writing assignments focus on close textual reading and analysis.

Works studied may include: Early and Romantic British poetry, The Canterbury Tales, A Doll’s House, The Road, Ethan Frome, The Great Gatsby, Hamlet, The Joy Luck Club, Waiting for Godot, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Othello, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Gulliver’s Travels, and The Importance of Being Earnest.

Guidelines for election:  85 or better in Junior AP English or recommendation of instructor.

SEMESTER COURSES

The English Department has designed the Elective Program to offer students courses in particular areas of interest. Students should elect one semester-long course in literature and one in writing/speaking each year.

However, ALL COURSES INCLUDE BOTH READING AND WRITING.

LITERATURE COURSES

AMERICAN SPORTS LITERATURE 

Grades 10-12, 2.5 credits, Level 1–1601, Level 2 – 160

This course will employ a chronological approach to study how the values of American society are reflected in the sports of the time. Our study will incorporate the bare-knuckle boxing and baseball of the late nineteenth century up to the highly commercialized sports of the late twentieth century. Students will be expected to complete a number of individual projects in addition to regular reading and writing assignments.

Texts may include: The Best American Sports Writing (1992-2007), The Blind Side, Fall River Dreams, Friday Night Lights, Idols of the Game: A Sporting History of the American Century, Sport in Literature, The Natural and Shoeless Joe, Fists of Freedom, Soul of the Game and Ali-Frazier:  One Nation Divisible.

This course cannot replace Sophomore English.

FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION LITERATURE   

Grades 11-12,  2.5 Credits,  Level 1 – 1611, Level 2 – 161

This course examines the enduring power of fantasy and science fiction literature from traditional fairy tales to modern novels and short stories. The chosen character and the hero quest will be examined in depth. It will also include various critical approaches to theme.

Texts may include: Various Grimms brothers fairy tales, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

GOTHIC LITERATURE 

Grades 11-12,  2.5 Credits,  Level 1 – 162, Level 2 – 1622

This course studies short stories, novels and films of the Gothic genre. It illustrates society’s continuing interest in the nature of good and evil and in the supernatural as these motifs appear in historical as well as in contemporary literary works.  Students will write several analytical essays.

Texts may include: Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Crucible, Frankenstein, Turn of the Screw, and short stories from Hawthorne and Poe to Lovecraft, O’Connor and Oates.

HUMOR AND SATIRE 

Grades 11–12,  2.5 Credits,  Level 1 – 163, Level 2 – 1632

This course surveys humor and satire in American literature from Twain and Thurber to the present. It also studies the roots of American comedy from Vaudeville to current films and television shows. Students will write several analytical essays.

Texts may include: American Humor, Catch-22, Slaughterhouse-Five, The Zoo Story, A Modest Proposal, short stories by Twain, Thurber and Harris, columns and essays by Woody Allen, Dave Barry and Jerry Seinfeld, as well as classic films, such as Dr. Strangelove.

THE MYSTERY STORY 

Grades 11–12,  2.5 Credits,  Level 1 – 1641, Level 2 – 164

This course examines the evolution of the mystery story from Sherlock Holmes to the present. It explores the forms and techniques of the British “Whodunit,” the American Private Eye story, film noir, the Police Procedural, and the suspense story/thriller.

Texts may include: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, various short stories by Agatha Christie, Ten Little Indians, The Maltese Falcon, Red Wind, and various contemporary Private Eye and crime fiction. Films may include: Clue, C.S.I., The Big Sleep, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and L.A. Confidential (edited).

PROTEST LITERATURE 

Grades 11 – 12,  2.5 Credits,  Level 1 – 165, Level 2 – 1652

This course examines the ways that authors have described various problems of the post-World War II period through various media—including books, poetry, music, television and films. It focuses on the personal concerns and themes of the individual in the modern world.

Texts and films may include: A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, After the First Death, The Chocolate War, The House on Mango Street, In Country, Lord of the Flies, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ordinary People, - Whose Life Is It Anyway?, 12 Angry Men, God Bless the Children, Murder in Mississippi, The Broken Cord, John Q., Awakenings, Pursuit of Happyness and teacher based materials

SHAKESPEARE 

Grades 11–12,  2.5 Credits,  Honors – 166

This course studies Shakespeare’s comedies, histories and tragedies, drawing on background information about the cultural, political, and religious climates of Elizabethan England. Students will analyze Shakespeare’s work in a variety of media including text, film and live productions. In addition, the class will also discuss different critical approaches to theme and structure.  Good analytical and compositional skills are necessary.

Texts may include: Hamlet, Henry V, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, King Lear, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Tempest.

THE SHORT STORY 

Grades 11–12,  2.5 Credits, Level 1 – 1671, Level 2 – 167

This course involves reading and analyzing a wide variety of short stories from major writers. Stories are about families, coming-of-age, human nature, society, fantasy, and futuristic topics. The student examines the stories for setting, characters, plot, theme, structure, and style.

Texts may include: A Book of Short Stories 2, Contemporary Short Stories, and additional short stories.

UTOPIAS 

Grade 12,  2.5 Credits,  Honors – 168

This course considers imaginary as well as actual plans for the creation of ideal or dystopian societies. The course also examines the philosophical, psychological, and socio-political backgrounds of historical as well as contemporary societies.  Students will write several critical analysis essays.

Texts may include: Future Shock, Brave New World, Ishmael, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, 1984, The Road, and a variety of essays, short works, and films.

WRITING, SPEAKING COURSES

ANALYSIS OF VISUAL TEXTS 

Gr. 11-12,  2.5 credits,  Level 1 – 170, Level 2 – 1702

After a brief study of the basics of film (including vocabulary, genres and reviews), this semester course studies contemporary issues in America through an examination of a variety of visual texts--including Ted Talks, documentaries and films. To improve students’ 21st-century literacy skills, the course encourages active and critical viewing of multiple sources of information presented visually in order to enhance students’ ability to analyze and synthesize what they see, make informed decisions and solve problems,

evaluate the credibility and accuracy of each source, and note discrepancies among the data. Students will also evaluate the speaker’s point of view, reasoning, use of evidence and rhetoric, and tone used. The visual texts encourage class discussion and provide the forum for the in-depth study of important issues. In addition, students will read articles and select topics to research for a more thorough in-depth analysis, and create original visual texts

CREATIVE WRITING 

Grades 11–12,  2.5 Credits,  Level 1 – 171, Level 2 – 1712

This course allows students to express their ideas, opinions, perceptions, and imaginations in original short stories, poems, children’s literature, journals, and plays. Students are expected to perfect their techniques in each of these areas. They read, analyze, and critique their own work, the work of their peers, and published works of major writers.

Guidelines for election:  80 or above in previous English courses.

CRITICAL THINKING AND WRITING     

Grade 12,  2.5 Credits,  Honors – 172

This course offers additional practice in critical analysis. Through different media, advertising, news articles, editorials, television, painting, and photography, as well as through fiction and non-fiction, the student will examine the organization and logic of the ideas presented. The course offers experience in the kind and quality of writing encountered in college courses.

Guideline for election:  Successful completion of Level 1 or higher junior English course. 

JOURNALISM 

Grades 9–12,  2.5 Credits,  Level 1 – 173, Level 2 – 1732

This course offers practice in writing news stories, editorials and feature articles while building students’ media literacy. Students will also learn the basics  of layout and design.

Texts may include:  Journalism Matters, Journalism Today and Writing and Editing School News

This course cannot replace Freshman or Sophomore English.

WRITING FOR PUBLICATION

Grades 9–12,  2.5 Credits,  Level 1 – 174, Level 2 – 1742

This course offers students the opportunity to produce and manage content for the school website and yearbook.  It includes additional practice in journalistic writing, layout, and design.  Students who sign up for level 2 will serve as staff writers and contributors.  Students who sign up for level 1 will take a leadership role by not only writing, but editing and curating submitted content as well.  

Guideline for election: Successful completion of 80 or better in  Introduction to Journalism I or recommendation of teacher.

This course cannot replace Freshman or Sophomore English.

THE MEDIA AND SOCIETY 

Grades 11–12,  2.5 Credits, Level 1 – 1751, Level 2 – 175

This course studies the theory and history of the communication process. It studies various forms of communication from body language to film and television. It asks students to analyze how the media use persuasive techniques to shape information and manipulate audience response.

Texts may include:  Media and Communication and Understanding Mass Media.

MODERN COMMUNICATIONS 

Grades 11–12,  2.5 Credits,  Level 1 – 1761,  Level 2 – 176

This course offers students an opportunity to become a better writer, speaker and listener through writing and delivering presentations in the form of scripts, podcasts, debates, audio, and videos. Students can elect to earn Level 1 credit or Level 2 credit, and will be assigned projects depending on their selection. 

Topics also include: overcoming stage fright, developing charisma, use of voice and body language, use of visual aids, use of technology, script writing and creating podcasts. 

Texts may include:  Public Speaking

COLLEGE AND CAREER WRITING 

Grades 10-12,  2.5 credits, Level 1 – 1771, Level 2 – 177

This semester course prepares students for college and career writing by focusing on three types of writing:  argumentative, informative/explanatory and narrative. After a brief review of grammar and the principles of thesis-proof writing, students will write for a variety of audiences and purposes, use technology to engage in individual and collaborative research, and develop 21st-century literacy skills as applied to essays, research reports, cover letters, resumes, emails and blogs.  Students will establish an online portfolio and participate in classroom blogs. 

This course cannot replace Sophomore English.

ADVANCED CREATIVE WRITING 

Grade 12,  2.5 Credits,  Honors – 178

This course allows self-motivated students the opportunity to write extended works such as the short story, the screenplay, and extended poetic forms. Students will work with the teacher to choose topics of interest for both home assignments and class work. They will work independently and meet regularly for conferences with the instructor. Admission to this course requires the teacher’s approval and a student description of a major writing project.

Guideline for election:  Creative Writing, submission of a portfolio, and approval of the instructor.

DIGITAL STORYTELLING          

Grades 11-12, 2.5 Credits, Level 1 – 179, Level 2 – 1792

This writing elective will focus on reinforcing narrative techniques, and will allow students to explore filmmaking, animation, and/or podcast creation. Students will work on products throughout the semester that will ultimately be shared during the Fine Arts Festival. 

Guideline for election: Successful completion of at least one of the following: Introduction to Video, Creative Writing, Modern Communications, or Theater II. 

INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSES

STORIES OF THE '60S

Grade 11-12,  2.5 Credits English, Level 1 – 250A

This course will focus on a particular time period (the sixties) and study the history, literature, and culture of that time. The course will examine the decade as a whole and how the events of the time impacted on and were reflected in the literature. Students will also consider elements of the time such as entertainment, toys, fashion, etc. The goal of the course is to offer students a new perspective on a time period they have previously studied. The integrated approach should reinforce the concept that History and English are not separate entities that exist in a vacuum (or solely in a classroom). Students will receive instruction from both an English and History teacher in back-to-back periods. This structure allows for frequent combined classes with dual instructors. Also, although students will receive one grade for the course, they will receive 2 ½ credits for each discipline.

Texts may include:  In Cold Blood, In Country, The Sixties, “The Subject Was Roses,” and selected poetry and essays.

NOTE: This course must be taken at the same time as 250B.  Both courses will receive the same grade and each course will carry 2.5 credits.

STORIES OF WAR

Grade 11-12,  2.5 Credits English, Honors – 251A

This course will investigate the aspects of war from both a historical and literary perspective covering selected periods in world history. It will focus on the periods of the American Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the World wars, the Cold War Era focusing on Vietnam, and the modern era, including the Iraq War, Gulf War, and the War on Terror. It will incorporate many different genres, including nonfiction essays and speeches, journalism, primary source documents, and fictional short stories, novels, poetry, and films. The integrated approach should reinforce the concept that History and English are not separate entities that exist in a vacuum (or solely in a classroom). Students will receive instruction from both an English and History teacher in back-to-back periods. This structure allows for frequent combined classes with dual instructors. 

NOTE: This course must be taken at the same time as 251B.  Both courses will receive the same grade and each course will carry 2.5 credits.

ENRICHMENT COURSES

(These courses do not fulfill the English requirement for graduation.)

JOURNALISM LAB LEADER 

Grades 11–12,  Credits vary, Level 2 - 197

Students who have completed Journalism and are interested in writing, research, editing and newspaper publishing may serve as assistants in journalism.

Students must apply to the Journalism teacher. They may work up to three periods per week to assist in Journalism I classes.

TV STUDIO PRODUCER

Grades 10–12,  Credits vary, Level 2 - 198

Students who have completed Introduction to Video qualify. Students may elect to work from 1-6 periods within the 7-day cycle, and credits will vary accordingly. Responsibilities might include: assisting with the Introduction to Video class, independently producing and editing content for the school’s Morning Show, or otherwise assisting the video teacher. 

WRITING LAB LEADER 

Grades 11–12,  Credits vary, Level 2 - 199

Students who have an interest in both writing and in computers may elect to serve as assistants in the Writing Lab. They must apply to the teacher in charge of the Lab and, if chosen, will assist students and teachers with writing projects, Internet access and research, and other computer-based projects.