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About the English Course:
About the English Course:
English is a required course for all four years of high school. Central High School embodies rigor through accelerated college-preparatory courses. English courses follow a literature-based program that includes the study of core disciplines such as the novel, short story, poetry, drama, essay, public/nonfiction documents, and other literary forms. Students engage literature through close-reading, writing, researching, and discussion. Grammar and vocabulary present structure, word study, and independent linguistic skill. All courses, including Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, cover the local and national core curricula for the Humanities in Language Arts and Central’s canon of literary works.
To prepare students for college and career, the English Department integrates its offerings with a complementary perspective to STEAM. As part of the process, students learn to apply reading, writing, listening, speaking, note-taking, and study skills in all of their studies. Through Google and other technology platforms, faculty and students share resources and skills through a variety of projects, presentations, and writings. Students leave Central with advanced skills ready to enter the college classroom.
For any questions regarding English courses, please contact Mrs. Peeples in room 110 or at ksylvester2@philasd.org.
English 9th to 12th (2026-2027)
English 9th to 12th (2026-2027)
All AP and Honors English classes replace your English credit: they are not electives. After locking in your choice in Infinite Campus, it is not guaranteed that you can drop down or go up to a higher level, so do not count on it.
9th Grade
9th Grade
Courses/Course Content:
Courses/Course Content:
English 1 – (9th grade: Search for Self)
In the ninth grade, students use fiction and non-fiction to review English grammar, mechanics, and usage. They study vocabulary and etymology. Students also write short and extended, timed, untimed, creative and academic paragraphs as well as essays that follow the writing process. Students begin to learn the elements of research as well as participate in class discussions. They will complete projects to further express their critical thinking skills. Key texts read here are The Odyssey and Romeo and Juliet. Other readings include full-text fiction and non-fiction, as well as short stories and poetry. It is a true survey course with high expectations for growth and development. Rubrics, course instruction, teacher feedback and group work are expected to be used for study and applied to future assignments to show growth with a goal of proficiency, then mastery. At the conclusion of the academic year, students have the knowledge and skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening to pursue advanced classes, electives, and extracurricular activities such as English 2 Honors, Creative Writing, and Central’s publications: Mirror, Mosaic, Yearbook, and Centralizer.
Curriculum:
Curriculum:
Required Texts and Skills/Units:
Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare - Tragedy, Prose, Poetry
The Odyssey - Homer - Epic Poetry
The House on Mango Street - Sandra Cisneros - Vignette; Poetic Prose and Rhythm
Short Stories and Poetry - Various Authors
Bildungsroman - Various Authors - Elements of the Novel
Nonfiction - Various Authors, sources, formats & modes - Speeches, articles, literary criticism, journalism
Additional Potential Texts:
Lord of the Flies - Farewell to Manzanar - Fahrenheit 451 - A Raisin in the Sun - Ender's Game - The Poet X - Of Mice and Men - Sing, Unburied, Sing - American Born Chinese - Purple Hibiscus
10th Grade
10th Grade
Courses/Course Content:
Courses/Course Content:
English 2 - (10th grade: Social Justice)
In the tenth grade, students continue with a study of English grammar, mechanics, usage, and vocabulary/etymology, often through mini-lessons and teacher review/feedback. Students write longer essays in response to literature using a more sophisticated writing process. This may be different from the writing process in 9th grade as we introduce students to varying writing structures and styles. Voice also becomes more important in writing this year. An ultimate aim is to continue the growth of mature readers and writers. Students also continue to advance their skills in oral communication and public speaking through formal reports, literary discussion/Socratic seminars, and debate.
English 2 Honors - (10th grade: Social Justice)
This class is designed for students who have excelled in our already accelerated English program and who are eager to maybe study Advanced Placement English courses in Grade 11 or 12 or get their International Baccalaureate Diploma. This class covers the same baseline content/skills in the aforementioned English 2 class, but with additional, more-difficult texts, essays, and research, requiring more independence in prospective students. Students in this class will engage in writing and discussion with an emphasis on synthesis. The course requires independence and skill as we cover additional material in the traditional school year schedule. Prerequisites: B or better in prior English classes and desire to be highly challenged.
English 2 Honors with AP European History - (10th grade: Social Justice)
This course is designed for 10th graders who are excited about literature and history and are interested in entering the AP or IB program in 11th grade. Students will take English 2 Honors and AP European History with the same students in both sections, creating a unique and supportive learning community similar to that of the IB program. Readings in English will mirror the historical eras covered in AP European History (1450-2000), allowing students to explore connections between the two subjects in a manner typical of IB classes. Finally, students will develop skills necessary for success in AP and IB classes by analyzing historical and literary texts, expressing that analysis through writing, and collaborating with peers. Prerequisite: B or better in previous year’s History course AND English course.
Curriculum:
Curriculum:
Required Texts and Skills/Units:
Sula - Toni Morrison - Narrative Foils and Archetypes
Animal Farm - George Orwell - Satire
Julius Caesar - William Shakespeare - Tragedy, Prose
Night - Elie Wiesel - Memoir
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley - Gothic Romanticism
Poetry and Drama - Various Authors
Nonfiction - Various Authors, sources, formats & modes - Speeches, articles, literary criticism, journalism
Additional Potential Texts:
The Iliad - Parable of the Sower - Wuthering Heights - A Tale of Two Cities -
12 Angry Men - Black Boy - Passing - The Bluest Eye - Diary of Anne Frank - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass - The Piano Lesson - Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Great Expectations - The Joy Luck Club - Silas Marner - Old Man and the Sea - All Quiet on the Western Front - The Things They Carried - Maus - Journey of Ibn Fatouma - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - A Small Place - War Dances - The Importance of Being Earnest
11th Grade
11th Grade
Courses/Course Content:
Courses/Course Content:
English 3 - (11th grade: American Literature)
In the eleventh grade, students use grammar, mechanics, usage, and vocabulary to develop writing style as well as to better analyze the rhetorical choices of authors. They continue to expand their vocabulary in preparation for the PSAT and SAT. Students write longer, more analytical, academic essays and a fully developed research paper designed by their individual teacher. Additionally, students continue to practice techniques of oral communication and public speaking through formal reports, literary discussions/Socratic Seminars, dramatic readings, and debates.
English 3 Honors - (11th grade: American Literature)
This advanced seminar sharpens your analytical skills through intensive study of the American literary canon. You will master close reading and learn to build precise, evidence-based interpretations of complex texts.The course emphasizes critical reading and writing. You will develop speed and clarity through frequent in-class essays, translating analysis into structured arguments under time constraints. Core readings anchor our exploration of American identity and conflict. These include major works like The Crucible, Native Son, and East of Eden, alongside foundational writing from the Transcendentalists and contemporary fiction. You will also study rhetorical and argumentative strategies central to literary criticism.This is a demanding course for serious students ready to engage deeply with text and refine their persuasive writing. Prerequisites: B or better in prior English classes and desire to be highly challenged.
AP English Language and Composition - (11th grade)
The eleventh grade Advanced Placement Program is a sophisticated course designed to help students to read, analyze and write with the level of skill needed in a first-year college composition course. Students are held to high standards of performance in a rapidly-paced program based around study of fiction, non-fiction and visuals. Students will complete numerous readings in American Literature. Students who enter this program are expected to have already mastered the fundamentals of writing and speaking. Students will explore a diverse collection of college-level readings and techniques that focus on rhetoric, reading and writing. This intense examination of rhetorical devices will lead them to more effective communication, including rational exchange of opposing points of view. Emphasis will be given to analysis, argumentation, synthesis, and visual analysis skills. Students will explore the complexities of issues and learn to integrate the different viewpoints represented. Timed-writing practice will be given in the classroom, resulting in fully processed formal essays. Students will be expected to be genuinely committed to the Advanced Placement Program, including the Advanced Placement Examination in May. Practice of multiple choice sections as well as practice of the expected writing syles will be practiced in class and at home. Prerequisites: B or better in prior English classes and desire to be highly challenged.
Curriculum:
Curriculum:
Required Texts and Skills/Units:
Macbeth - William Shakespeare - Analysis of character; Rhetoric; tragic flaws
The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne - Writing style; archaic language; symbolism
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald - Observational narration
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston - Irony; symbolism; folklore
The Crucible - Arthur Miller - Allegory
Nonfiction - Various Authors, sources, formats & modes - Speeches, articles, literary criticism, journalism
Additional Potential Texts:
Fences - The Glass Menagerie - The Catcher in the Rye - Song of Solomon - Slaughterhouse Five - A Separate Peace - Little Fires Everywhere - The Woman Warrior - The Fire Next Time - Giovanni's Room - The Buddha in the Attic - A Modest Proposal - The Red Badge of Courage - Souls of Black Folks - Sound and the Fury - Catch-22 - The Sun Also Rises - The Namesake - Kafka on the Shore - Persepolis - Salvage the Bones - Our Town - Interior Chinatown - Born a Crime
12th Grade
12th Grade
Courses/Course Content:
Courses/Course Content:
English 4 - (12th grade: Individual in Society)
In the twelfth grade, students continue to review elements of style and rhetoric across all genres, as they study, primarily, World Literature, and relate those skills to understanding the individual’s role in a global society. In-depth, close reading of details, main ideas, themes, and authorial devices are expected by all students. Students will write college essays, personal essays, and extended essays that analyze, compare, and synthesize works of literature and non-fiction. They will have exposure to group writing, other writing formats (ie APA) as well as group discussions and Socratic Seminars. Students will deliver multi-point, multi-discipline, oral presentations.
AP English Literature and Composition - (12th grade)
The Advanced Placement Program is designed to evoke the atmosphere of a university course in the introduction to literature. Students will be held to high standards of performance and make progress at a very rapid pace. Students who enter this program will be expected to have already mastered the fundamentals of writing and speaking. Hence, drill and mere skill development will not be part of this program. Instead, the course will center on the study of literature, and students will be required to respond to that study with intelligence and clarity of expression. However, verbal and written expressions will be emphasized. Students will produce extemporaneous responses under timed conditions but will also compose fully processed formal essays. Students will be expected to be genuinely committed to the Advanced Placement Program, including the Advanced Placement Examination in May. Prerequisites: B or better in prior English classes and desire to be highly challenged.
Curriculum:
Curriculum:
Required Texts and Skills/Units
Hamlet - William Shakespeare - Soliloquy; Dramatic irony; Iambic pentameter and Verse
The Canterbury Tales - Chaucer - Characterization; Satire and Irony
Beowulf - Anonymous - Epic form; Oral tradition
Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe - Tragic structure; Proverbs and Foil
1984 - George Orwell - Dystopia; Paradox; Rhetoric and Propaganda
Nonfiction - Various Authors, sources, formats & modes - Speeches, articles, literary criticism, journalism
Additional Potential Texts:
Grendel - Heart of Darkness - The Handmaid's Tale - Invisible Man - The Metamorphosis - Beloved - The Stranger - Jane Eyre - The Awakening - The House of the Spirits - Pride and Prejudice - Hard Times - Crime and Punishment - The Brothers Karamazov - Madame Bovary - Homegoing - Enemy of the People - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - The Death of a Salesman - The Watchmen - There, There - The God of Small Things - Dubliners - Portrait of an Artist - Siddhartha - Sense and Sensibility - The Testaments - Tale of Two Planets - Under the Udala Trees - The Epic of Gilgamesh
Central's English Electives
Central's English Electives
Creative Writing - (10th-12th grades)
This is a writing intensive course for those who want to learn advanced techniques for writing poetry, short stories, screenplays and/or stage plays. Students will create numerous projects, large and small, engage in critical peer review, and share their work. Class participation is required. Topics include writing theory, formal and free verse poetry, literary devices, grammar and punctuation, creative inspiration, plot structure, character development, dialogue, writing and formatting scripts, and more. Students will write often, learn how professional writers achieve their effects, and engage in thoughtful and respectful discussion of each other’s work and progress.
Public Speaking and Oratory - (10th-12th)
This course will help students determine their audience and prepare material to be effective communicators in varied circumstances. Students will also learn how even conversation can be an informal type of public speaking. All units emphasize a new component of public speaking while building on the unit before. Some components include delivery, memorization, scripting, outlining, as well as using props and manipulatives. Students will also review resumes, cover letters/emails, applying to online job postings as well as individual and group interviewing. This course will also go over how to use dress, body language, data, and technology when preparing material and then speaking about it. Students will work independently and in groups, and will learn some traditional speech formats (report, pitch, drama, how-to). Students will present in groups, as individuals and will use video for some assignments. Finally, students will use improvisation, playing games and group discussion to build their social experiences and learn to be more vulnerable.
Introduction to Film - (10th-12th)
This course encourages students to tell their own stories and view films with a more critical eye. In addition to analyzing the fundamental elements of storytelling-- plot, character, dialogue, setting, and conflict-- students in this course study popular film genres, cinematic techniques, and film criticism. Films are chosen and organized through thematic units like Psychology, Relationships, Culture, and Society. Discussion-based and collaborative, the course offers chances for group projects, creative writing, and filmmaking. By the end of the course, students will have produced several original films by applying the skills and concepts learned throughout the year.
Women's and Gender Studies - (10th-12th)
Women and Gender Studies actually is the largest interdisciplinary program at the university level in our nation. Courses in Women and Gender Studies are particularly captivating for a number of reasons. First, they return to history the many, many women-- and their very powerful impacts-- that have been omitted from the historical record. Second, we get to revise-- to take a powerful ‘new’ look at the history we already have been taught-- and correct the distortions that exist because the impacts of gender and at least half of the historical actors have been left out “in the play” of the past. Third, the analytical lenses we learn in Women and Gender Studies allow us to gain powerful new insights into the puzzles, challenges, and joys of our own lives and experiences, and those of our families, our ethnic and racial groups, and our communities. In addition, these lenses also can help us gain insight into the multiple and deep-rooted challenges that plague our nation and our planet. Finally, It is very important to note that the content in Women and Gender Studies courses focuses not only on how the lives of women and girls are constrained by social restrictions, but also those of men and boys. This means that as our society tends to treat its two primary genders as mirror opposites, men and boys experience societal restraints and harm based on their gender, too.
Contemporary Issues: Foundations of Teaching & Social Change - (10th-12th grades)
Select “Contemporary Issues” in MYAP. “Foundations of Teaching and Social Change” is a year-long elective designed to introduce high school students to the art, impact, and social mission of teaching. This course invites students to explore education as both a profession and a vehicle for community and individual empowerment. Through critical study, communal learning, and hands-on experiences, students will be exposed to all sides of the teaching profession. Students will learn about the impact of teachers that manifest through uplifting and empowering individual students, while learning about the larger systems that teachers can impact through community advocacy and legislative reform. Finally, the course seeks to build a sustainable pipeline of future educators, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, while deepening all students’ understanding of the role teachers play in creating equitable, inclusive learning spaces.
Information About the IB Program
Information About the IB Program
IB English Higher Level - (11th-12th grades)
This is a two-year, intensive study of literature. Students engage in various approaches to textual criticism to explore three key areas: 1) the relationships between readers, writers and texts, 2) the range and functions of texts across geographical space and historical time, and 3) aspects of intertextuality. Over the course of the program, students study a wide range of genres and forms, including novels such as Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Handmaid’s Tale, Devil on the Cross, Transcendent Kingdom, and Metamorphosis; drama such as The Tempest, The Crucible, and Fences; graphic and visual texts such as Persepolis and The Arrival; and poetry by writers such as Wisława Szymborska. Students complete several major IB assessments, including a 1,200–1,500 word Higher Level Essay based on a focused line of literary analysis and inquiry, an Individual Oral exploring how a global issue is presented in two works, a guided literary analysis of unseen passages, and a comparative essay on works studied in the course. Through sustained discussion, analytical writing, and formal assessment, students develop advanced critical thinking, interpretive, and communication skills in preparation for the IB examinations and university-level study. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the IB Diploma Program.
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