12th Grade English

AP Literature & Composition

Placement in this course offers serious students who are passionate about literature the opportunity to survey literature of significant merit at the collegiate level. The College Board directs students to “consider a work’s structure, style, and themes as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone.” This analysis demands that students work to develop stylistic maturity in their writing so that they can explain “clearly, cogently, even elegantly” their understanding of literary works and reasons for interpreting works as they do. Students also cultivate effective methods for sharing their ideas, both orally and in writing. A formal speaking assignment will require evaluation and defense before an audience. Students will be expected to read extensively outside of class in preparation for the exam in May.

Works studied include

• • Alice Walker's The Color Purple (summer reading)

  • Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (summer reading)

  • James Joyce's Dubliners

  • William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying

  • Perrine's Sound & Sense: An Introduction to Poetry

  • William Shakespeare's King Lear

  • F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

  • A novella of student choice

English 12 Honors

This rigorous course includes an intense examination of various works of world literature. Students will examine archetypal patterns found in major literary forms from several cultures and eras to arrive at an understanding of what is constant and universal. To develop a broad vision and an independent appreciation of such a wide array of literary works, students should expect to maintain an intense reading and writing schedule. Students will also show evidence of a maturing grasp of rhetoric by writing a synthesis essay.

Works studied include

• • F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

  • Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment

  • A novel of student choice

English 12 Academic

This academic course is designed to acquaint students with various works of world literature, both classic and contemporary, that are models of artistic excellence. Students should expect frequent writing assignments that will help them explore the characteristics of literature that are constant and universal. In addition to the study of literature, students will research and present a Rogerian argument, fairly investigating two perspectives on topical issues and ultimately seeking the common ground necessary for compromise.

Works studied include

• • Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner

  • F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

  • Arthur Miller's The Crucible or Death of a Salesman

  • James McBride's The Color of Water or Ernest J. Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying