ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CORE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CORE
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GRADUATION REQUIREMENT: The New Jersey Department of Education requires all students to complete at least 20 credits in English language arts, aligned to grade 9 through 12 standards, which must include an ELA core course for each level of high school. All credits earned for ELA core courses will count toward graduation requirements.
NOTE: In accordance with students’ IEPs, all core academic courses required for graduation are offered in the Resource Room environment, and the curriculum is scaffolded to support students’ specific learning goals.
ENGLISH 9 COLLEGE PREP
ENGLISH 9 COLLEGE PREP
Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 9
Prerequisite(s): None
This course counts toward the English language arts requirement for graduation. The primary focus is on developing and solidifying foundational reading and writing skills as outlined in the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for ninth graders. Students will engage with a variety of complex literary and informational texts to build their comprehension and analytical abilities. Instruction will integrate vocabulary and grammar, speaking, listening, and viewing skills as tools for communication and understanding.
The curriculum requires students to produce various types of writing, including narratives, arguments, personal responses to texts, and research projects using multiple sources. This writing serves as both an instructional tool and a mode of assessment, emphasizing the writing process as a key skill. The course also utilizes literature circles and independent reading to foster a love of reading and promote student independence, laying the groundwork for more advanced English courses.
ENGLISH 9 HONORS
ENGLISH 9 HONORS
Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 9
Prerequisite(s): Teacher Recommendation based on honors criteria and multiple measures
This course counts toward the English language arts requirement for graduation. The English 9 Honors course significantly extends the foundational skills of the college prep curriculum by requiring a higher level of critical thinking and sophisticated analysis. The course moves at an accelerated pace, emphasizing a deeper exploration of complex literary and informational texts.
Students will consistently apply their knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, and syntax to master advanced reading and writing. The curriculum requires them to produce well-developed narratives, precise argumentative essays, and insightful literary analyses that go beyond surface-level comprehension. Students will engage in rigorous research projects that demand the integration of multiple and varied sources. The course's use of literature circles and independent reading is grounded in academic inquiry, challenging students to select and analyze texts that align with higher-level academic goals. This curriculum prepares students for the rigor of the Honors English sequence by fostering intellectual curiosity and a mastery of foundational ELA skills.
ENGLISH I0 COLLEGE PREP
ENGLISH I0 COLLEGE PREP
Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 10
Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of English 9 CP
This course counts toward the English language arts requirement for graduation. The purpose of this course is to extend student understanding of the reading and writing process from grade 9. The expectation for student independence increases at this level, as does the demand for insight and critical thinking. Students will engage with a variety of complex literary, informational, and other kinds of texts, using speaking, listening, and reading as tools for exploration and understanding, while also developing their command of language. They will examine the language and style of authors, research present day topics and analyze authors’ perspectives through the world of Shakespeare and modern adaptations.
As 21st-century citizens, students are expected to hone skills with mixed media, public speaking, and critical consumption to demonstrate proficiency in communication. The curriculum requires students to write for both process and product that focus on exposition, argumentation, personal response to text, and research, using both print and electronic sources. Students will demonstrate their understanding through performance assessments that will demonstrate their level of critical thinking and transfer of learning. Finally, students will engage in the analysis of writing style through author studies, visual and written representations of theme, and the critique of media messages.
ENGLISH 10 HONORS
ENGLISH 10 HONORS
Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 10
Prerequisite(s): Teacher Recommendation based on honors criteria and multiple measures
This course counts toward the English language arts requirement for graduation. This course is designed to significantly extend student understanding of the reading and writing process, with an accelerated pace and a greater depth of material. Honors-level expectations demand a high degree of student independence and critical thinking, requiring students to engage in sophisticated textual analysis and synthesis of ideas.
Students will develop a robust literary and informational toolkit through the intensive study of complex, canonical, and contemporary texts. Through close reading, students will learn to analyze authors’ choices, rhetorical strategies, and the relationship between form and meaning. The course will also emphasize the application of grammar and vocabulary as tools for both analysis and sophisticated writing. The curriculum addresses writing at an advanced level, with a focus on developing well-crafted narratives, well-researched argumentative and expository essays that demonstrate intellectual maturity and a command of academic style. Finally, students will engage in the sustained analysis of writing style, exploring thematic connections across multiple texts and critiquing the nuanced messages found in modern media.
ENGLISH 11 COLLEGE PREP
ENGLISH 11 COLLEGE PREP
Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 11
Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of English 10 College Prep
This course counts toward the English language arts requirement for graduation.This course is designed to prepare students for academic work beyond high school. Students will build on their Grade 10 skills, moving from scaffolded, yet rigorous instruction toward greater independence in reading and writing. The curriculum focuses on developing critical thinking and analytical skills through the overarching theme of "The Reader as Writer." This theme is explored as students engage with a variety of literary, informational, and media texts.
Students will actively develop their communication skills by using speaking, listening, and viewing as tools for exploration and understanding. The course requires students to produce writing for various purposes, including narratives that develop themes and perspectives, arguments that compare perspectives in literary analysis, and informational pieces that use multimedia to teach others. These tasks align with the NJSLS emphasis on producing writing for real-world purposes and integrating multiple modalities. Finally, students will learn strategies for success on high-stakes assessments, including the NJSLA, PSAT/SAT, and ACT, by applying their skills in reading for information across media and in formal writing.
ENGLISH 11 HONORS
ENGLISH 11 HONORS
Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 11
Prerequisite(s): Teacher Recommendation based on honors criteria and multiple measures
This course counts toward the English language arts requirement for graduation. This honors-level course significantly extends the skills of the college prep class, with an emphasis on advanced textual analysis and synthesis of ideas. Students will move quickly toward complete independence in reading and writing, consistently applying high-level critical thinking to complex and sophisticated texts.
Through the overarching theme of "The Reader as Writer," students will engage in a deep, sustained analysis of works through exposure of more complex and rigorous learning experiences—including those likely to appear on the AP English exam. The course's core units of study require students to craft a variety of advanced writing pieces. These include well-developed narratives that demonstrate a sophisticated command of theme and perspective, as well as rigorous argumentative essays that compare and synthesize perspectives in literary analysis and historical documents. Students will also be challenged to create innovative informational works, using multimedia to teach others and demonstrate a mastery of multimodal communication as outlined in the NJSLS. This course prepares students for the rigor of college-level work and high-stakes assessments by consistently requiring them to demonstrate deep, transferable knowledge. Finally, students will learn strategies for success on high-stakes assessments, including the NJSLA, PSAT/SAT, and ACT, by applying their skills in reading for information across media and in formal writing.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 11, 12
Prerequisite(s): Teacher Recommendation + AP readiness rubric in grades 10 and 11 + Structured summer reading assignment; Current English Honors: Grade of B or higher; Current English College Prep: Grade of A or higher; Requirement(s): Students are required to take the AP exam
This course counts toward the English language arts requirement for graduation. AP English Language and Composition is designed to help students become skilled readers of prose written in a variety of rhetorical contexts and to become skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Both their writing and their reading should make students aware of the interactions among a writer's purposes, audience expectations, and subjects as well as the way generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing. The goals of an AP English Language and Composition course are diverse because the college composition course is one of the most varied in the curriculum. But the overarching objective in most first-year writing courses is to enable students to write effectively and confidently in their college courses across the curriculum and in their professional and personal lives. Therefore, most composition courses emphasize the expository, analytical, and argumentative writing that forms the basis of academic and professional communication, as well as the personal and reflective writing that fosters the ability to write in any context. All reading in this course is college level, including the work of Pulitzer–Prize-winning master essayists, political leaders, scientists, and journalists from many different time periods.
Students will be asked to read several essays each marking period, and to respond to them in writing, through double-entry journals and other forms of written analysis. In addition, each marking period, students will be expected to write an original essay that is inspired by the writing techniques of one of the professional writers whose work they have studied. All students will be expected to complete several timed practice AP exam essays (analysis of a text in response to a prompt) and several objective sections each marking period. All students will read essays regularly at home, and record their reactions in two or three double-entry journals per marking period. Students are required to take the AP exam. Many colleges will grant credit and/or appropriate advanced placement to students who score well on the AP exam.
ENGLISH 12 COLLEGE PREP
ENGLISH 12 COLLEGE PREP
Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 12
Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of English 11 College Prep
This capstone course counts toward the English language arts requirement for graduation. It focuses on bridging the gap from high school to college-level reading and writing by developing critical thinking and communication skills through the overarching theme of "Global Perspectives." Students will use vocabulary, listening, speaking, and viewing skills to engage with a variety of texts, from literary works by Shakespeare to present-day authors. The curriculum guides students through an introductory study of literary criticism and contemporary issues, preparing them for the demands of college-level work.
The first semester focuses on full-class readings, while the second shifts to student-chosen fiction and nonfiction to research and write about self-selected problem-based issues. The course advances students' ability to write clearly and coherently, with a strong emphasis on the writing process. Key projects include narrative writing, argumentative writing (interpreting literary themes), and synthesizing research to speak about social issues. Students will also learn to analyze the author's purpose through satirical lenses, culminating in a final portfolio and presentation that synthesizes their learning. This course is designed to equip students with the skills and strategies for success in entry-level college English courses.
ENGLISH 12 HONORS
ENGLISH 12 HONORS
Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 12
Prerequisite(s): Teacher Recommendation based on honors criteria and multiple measures
This course counts toward the English language arts requirement for graduation. It expands a more rigorous and accelerated curriculum that builds upon the foundational skills of the College Prep course. The class moves at a much greater pace, with significantly higher expectations for student independence and sophisticated textual analysis. The curriculum explores the overarching theme of "Global Perspectives" through an intensive study of complex literary and informational texts, including works from Shakespeare to the present day, and their connection to universal themes. Students will apply an advanced understanding of literary criticism and contemporary theory to engage in self-selected, problem-based inquiry.
Through a series of advanced writing workshops, students will hone their ability to write with clarity, precision, and intellectual maturity. Required projects include an expertly crafted narrative, a sustained argumentative essay interpreting literary themes through a critical lens, and cross-genre research projects that challenge students to synthesize complex research to speak persuasively about social issues. Students will be expected to master multimodal communication and demonstrate an advanced ability to analyze satirical lenses to identify the author's purpose. The course culminates in a final portfolio and presentation that showcases a deep, sustained inquiry into a self-selected topic, preparing students for the rigors of competitive college English programs.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION
ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION
Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 12
Prerequisite(s): Teacher Recommendation + AP readiness rubric in grade 11 + Structured summer reading assignment; Current English Honors: Grade of B or higher; Current English College Prep: Grade of A or higher; Requirement(s): Students are required to take the AP exam
This course counts toward the English language arts requirement for graduation. AP English Literature and Composition is a college-level course for students who have demonstrated advanced proficiency in literary analysis and writing. Structure, meaning, and rhetoric are studied so that students may identify the values and assumptions that underlie an author’s use of language in many forms of discourse. Reading will include an intensive study of challenging and representative works from various genres and periods, concentrating on works of recognized literary merit. Students will read short stories, novels, plays, and complex poetry.
Students will be expected to complete frequent, short, timed writing assignments and literature logs, which require an in-depth, close-reading of the text, for all full-length texts. Short reading tests are also frequently given. Students will complete a literary research paper in the second semester of the course. Preparation for the AP English Literature exam is provided. Students are required to take the AP exam. Many colleges will grant credit and/or appropriate advanced placement to students who score well on the AP exam.
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