English Electives

Course Fee: Approximately $50

Prerequisite: Students must be concurrently enrolled in at least one other IB course to enroll. It is the first course in the Theory of Knowledge sequence.

*Theory of Knowledge is required for all IB Diploma Candidates.

All students enrolled in IB Theory of Knowledge must complete an internal assessment (oral presentation) and write an essay based on prescribed titles elected by IB in spring of the senior year. Students who qualify for free/reduced lunch may apply for scholarships to cover the IB exam fees.

The TOK course provides students with an opportunity to explore and reflect on the nature of knowledge and the knower and the process of knowing. It is a core element of the IB program and fosters the IB Learner Profile. In TOK, students reflect on the knowledge, perspectives and opinions that they have built up from their years of academic studies and their lives outside the classroom. The course is intended to be challenging and thought-provoking—as well as empowering—for students.

TOK does not have a seated exam, but students are required to engage in an internally moderated exhibition and an externally moderated essay.

*DP Candidate Requirement - does not count toward SL or HL classes.

Prerequisite: Application to Advisor

Applications are taken in the spring of the previous year. Announcements will be made regarding application process. Criteria for students considering this course are: recommendation from previous year’s English teacher or other academic class teacher, C average or above in English, willing to work after school for even coverage and ad sales, good work ethic with strong people skills, and a good attendance record.

The objective of the yearbook journalism class is to produce the Cavalier yearbook. Students are responsible for planning, developing, producing, and distributing the book. The course content involves the study of page design, copy writing, usage of graphics, basic photography, digital photography, desktop publishing, and type styles. Staff members must be willing to assume full responsibility for a three-day summer workshop and after-school meetings.

A maximum of 4 credits may be earned in this course.

Prerequisite: Applications and writing samples are submitted and interviews are conducted in the Spring.

Members are chosen by the Advisor based on recommendations by academic teachers from previous year. Announcements will be made in the Spring regarding application process and criteria. Only students who complete an application and meet certain criteria will be allowed to register for the course.

The objective of this course is to publish the school newspaper. As newspaper reporters, students learn the fundamentals of writing different types of stories, conducting interviews, organizing a story, and doing page layout and design. Students learn the importance of working as a team as publication deadlines approach. In this activity-oriented class, maturity, responsibility, creativity and writing ability are characteristics that must be exhibited by staff members. Extra time after school is required from staff members to meet deadlines.

A maximum of 4 credits may be earned in this course.

English as a Second Language follows the State of Tennessee Curriculum Framework adopted by the State Board of Education on July 18, 1997. Instruction starts where the student needs to begin, perhaps with basic survival skills. Instruction in standard English continues in the areas of speaking, reading, writing, and understanding spoken English. American cultural practices, customs and more are discussed. Non-English speakers may get 2 credits in English.

A maximum of 2 credits may be earned in this course.

Speech and Communication is aimed at introducing students to the basic concepts of communication. It aims to make students not only better communicators, but better rhetoricians; people capable of using sound and ethical rhetoric and of analyzing other forms of communication for subtle usage of logos, ethos and pathos.

Students will have the opportunity to comprehend complex classical, contemporary, conflict, and thriller literature. Students will be given the opportunity to develop deeper critical reading skills through additional reading experiences. The class will be focused on reading and synthesis of different texts that a regular ELA class would not have the scope to integrate.