Embedded Files
Unlocking Your Creative Potential: The Artist's Way Workshop
EN92 - ½ English Credit - ½ Year (Offered in the spring semester only.)
In this inspiring and motivational workshop, you will embark on a journey to unlock your creativity through Julia Cameron’s renowned book, The Artist's Way. This course is designed for anyone seeking to deepen their creative process, regardless of their background—whether you're into math, science, technology, writing, business, or art. Together, we will explore unique methods to tap into your creativity, navigate around self-criticism and other barriers that stifle expression, and ultimately find your true voice. You will learn how to seize your creative life enthusiastically through various engaging exercises, including writing, drawing, photography, storytelling, and mindfulness practices. This workshop extends beyond creativity; it focuses on living a rich, meaningful, and fulfilling life, encouraging you to accept and express your unique identity fully.
COLLEGE WRITING 101: The Power of Ideas in Writing. Essential Question: How can researching, creating, and organizing the written word help us to articulate truths, questions, and opinions?
EN42 - ½ English Credit - ½ Year (Offered in the fall semester only.)
Using writing-centered activities and a workshop approach, this senior English elective teaches students writing techniques necessary for college success. The first term will be devoted to personal writing and the college application process. Literary selections will explore the theme of search for identity and voice. In this course, students will develop a portfolio of essays that includes different modes of writing: personal narrative (college essay), description, persuasive argument, comparison-contrast, and informative, Standards in research and integrating and citing sources will be applied. As well, students will study grammar as a means of improving rhetoric and style. The second term will be devoted to researching, writing, and orally defending a Senior Thesis, on a subject of personal interest within an academic field. This project is inquiry-inspired.
CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP: DISCOVERY OF VOICE Essential Question: How does writing creatively facilitate one’s need to express their sense of self and individuality?
EN49 - ½ English Credit - ½ Year
This class does not offer a designated fall unit on the College Essay.
Creative Writing Workshop is a serious writing class for students who enjoy writing (as well as reading) the kinds of pieces that are not commonly assigned in English classes. Creative Writing is a workshop format; you will be writing every day. (You will be sharing your drafts with other students in order to improve your pieces.) You may write 100-word stories, and you may write 1,000-word stories. You will write poems and more poems. Poems about objects (maybe a toaster), poems about lunch (the café haiku), goofy love poems and hate poems, poems about the past and future, poems about cartoons and fairy tales, poems about photographs. And maybe a poem about Uncle Louie. You may paint poems and “poem” paintings. (Did you catch that?) You might write a one-act play. You will read and respond to writing as well. It is also likely that you will write a personal essay about what you sincerely believe in—we call this the “This I Believe” essay. The hope is that you will find out that even those of us who have tiny voices have something very important to say. Requirements for course:
1) an understanding of this course description
2) a positive attitude and an open mind
3) a serious work ethic and
4) the belief that the process of writing can unlock great ideas that have been hiding within us
FILM AS LITERATURE: Becoming an Active Viewer. Essential Question: How do filmmakers use elements of cinematic language to convey meaning to audiences?
EN46 - ½ English Credit - ½ Year
This class does not offer a designated fall unit on the College Essay.
This half-year senior elective explores film as a visual text and attempts to transform students from passive audience members to active film analysts who are able to think and write critically about film. After studying the basic vocabulary and history of cinema, students will analyze the many ways in which films create meaning, including various editing techniques and key elements of mise-en-scène. A range of classic and modern films will be examined, such as the cinematic works of George Méliès, Buster Keaton, Alfred Hitchcock, Carol Reed, Milos Forman, and Christopher Nolan. Students in this course should expect regular assignments involving reading, writing, and oral presentation. Reading assignments will center on film history, film theory, and film criticism; and writing assignments will include film analysis essays, film reviews, short responses to film, and even dialogue and action for possible movie scenes. If you are interested in studying film as far more than mere entertainment, then Film as Literature is for you!.
SPORTS IN LITERATURE: Reading and Responding to sports in our world. Essential Question: How do sports reflect the challenges and triumphs of our world?
Grade 12
EN64 - ½ English Credit - ½ Year - Offered in the spring semester only.
For many of us, sports define us or shape us in some way, either positively or negatively. In this course, we will read and write about sports in an attempt to answer the following questions:
What is the role of sports in contemporary society?
What are some of the issues with sports?
How do sports shape the world around us and create cultural values?
Sports in Literature will examine the unique relationship between sports and society. We will be reading various works of fiction, non fiction, and watching films. Reading and writing are both integral to this class, as is participation through both attendance and discussion.
Course Objectives:
Develop an understanding of the impact of sports, as well as how the themes and parallels can be found throughout life.
Analyze the purpose of sports and determine its function in society through the evaluation of non-fiction, media, and personal observation
Become stronger readers, writers, speakers, thinkers
Proposed Texts:
This is dependent on availability and budget. We will be reading 1-2 texts and you will be reading one of your choosing outside of class.
Friday Night Lights, G.H. Bissinger Seabiscuit, Laura Hillebrand
The Boys of Winter, Wayne Coffey Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, Joan Ryan
Where Men Win Glory, Jon Krakauer Brian’s Song, William Blynn
Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, Michael Lewis
Pre: The Story of America’s Greatest Running Legend, Tom Jordan
Sports Illustrated
ESPN, the Magazine
Short stories
SCREENWRITING, PLAYWRITING, and CREATIVE WRITING
TH40 - ½ Elective (English) Credit - ½ Year
This is a half year course designed as a writing workshop where students will learn the basic principles of writing screenplays, stage plays and short stories. Then they will use those principles to write their own works. As they work on their writings, they will share them with their classmates and critique one another. Students will then use the critiques to edit their work. The goal will be to have one or two finished works depending on their length.
Page updated
Report abuse