English

Literature, reading and speaking are major components of this course. Students shall explore contemporary and relevant themes through short stories, poetry, drama and novels. Writing activities will be used to relate the literature to personal experiences. Students will perfect the paragraph form and write multi-paragraph essays. Writing will include informational and creative styles appropriate for varying audiences. Spelling, grammar, and vocabulary will be taught in conjunction with writing and literature. Students shall demonstrate the ability to construct and deliver speeches using English language conventions for a variety of purposes, situations, and audiences.

The focus of Honors/Pre-AP English courses is to provide advanced work in literature and writing that requires analysis and criticism of works, using close reading and knowledge of the five elements of a writer’s voice – diction, tone, imagery, syntax, and details.  Grammar, vocabulary, and speeches will also be a part of this course.  Analytical responses to literature, analysis of writing, and critical thinking skills will fine-tune skills and help students decide which “path” beyond ninth grade may be best for them – Pre AP or Honors.  Honors/Pre-AP courses are aimed at better preparing students for the rigors of college work.  For this reason, it is recommended that students have met or more likely exceeded standards on the MCA Reading Test taken in seventh grade.   Students shall explore contemporary and relevant themes through short stories, poetry, plays and novels.  

This course will include the study of composition, literature, speech (listening, presenting, and discussing), grammar usage and mechanics.  It will present to students the language arts skills needed to pursue other English courses.  Students are encouraged to apply their language arts skills in 21st century contexts as they will have the ability to utilize technology on a frequent basis. The play Julius Caesar and the novels The Alchemist and Lord of the Flies are several of the major units covered.

The focus of this honors English course is to provide advanced work in literature and writing that requires analysis and criticism of works, using close reading and knowledge of the five elements of a writer’s voice – diction, tone, imagery, syntax, and details.  Honors courses are aimed at better preparing students for the rigors of college work by requiring more analytical response to, and analysis of literature, writing, and critical thinking skills.  The play Julius Caesar, and the novels The Alchemist and The Lord of the Flies are several of the major works covered.   

English courses build awareness and understanding of our historical and contemporary societal context and engage students in thinking that empowers them to make informed decisions. English courses must build on and repair the foundational facilities of grammar, spelling, vocabulary, reading, and writing. Students with strong foundational skills can benefit from putting those skills to work in a more challenging and enriching way. The Pre-AP student will complete reading and composition assignments that foster complex thinking processes. Students read works of literary merit, variety, and complexity.

Pre-AP English students will focus on four main areas:

Reading – closely and deeply

Writing – academically, coherently, and complexly

Grammar – how and why authors use it properly 

Critical Thinking – finding meaning in literary art and discussing that meaning

Differences between Honors and Pre-AP

Pre-AP students will spend more time writing academically, analyzing purpose, analyzing literary/rhetorical techniques, and using in-depth discussion.   

General English 11 allows students to expand their skills in the areas of reading, writing, listening, and speaking through the study of various stories, poems, novels, and plays representing American Literature. Major writing assignments will focus on the skills of literary analysis and argumentation, with students typically writing on self-selected topics related to what we have studied. This includes a substantial argumentative research paper during the 3rd quarter. In addition, the class focuses on vocabulary, grammar, and practicing the application of traditional language arts skills to a 21st century context.

English 11 Honors follows a chronological structure of major American literary movements. This course includes both canonical and contemporary pieces with such forms as short stories, poems, speeches, articles, plays, and novels. Required writing is varied including literary, poetic, and rhetorical analysis, research and argumentation, and narrative. Assessments also include tests,  projects, speeches, Socratic Seminar, and mixed media presentations. Through this course, students will develop a critical understanding of the literary tradition as well as develop their own means of communication. 

Advanced Placement Language and Composition provides students a chance to challenge themselves through reading, analyzing, and writing various kinds of analytic and persuasive essays on non-literary and literary topics. The course is meant to prepare students for success on the AP Exam and for effective reading and writing in college courses. It is for students who want an academically rigorous experience in developing intellectual confidence and superior reading and writing skills. The course will focus on the study of American Literature as do all 11th grade English courses. 

CollegeBoard course description: “The AP English Language and Composition course focuses on the development and revision of evidence-based analytic and argumentative writing, the rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts, and the decisions writers make as they compose and revise. Students evaluate, synthesize, and cite research to support their arguments. Additionally, they read and analyze rhetorical elements and their effects in nonfiction texts—including images as forms of text— from a range of disciplines and historical periods. An AP English Language and Composition course cultivates the reading and writing skills that students need for college success and for intellectually responsible civic engagement. The course guides students in becoming curious, critical, and responsive readers of diverse texts and becoming flexible, reflective writers of texts addressed to diverse audiences for diverse purposes. The reading and writing students do in the course should deepen and expand their understanding of how written language functions rhetorically: to communicate writers’ intentions and elicit readers’ responses in particular situations.”

English 12, a two quarter class, will provide students with the opportunity to develop their real-world writing, reading, and speaking skills. This class aims to provide additional support for students preparing for pathways including careers, two-year post-secondary programs, military, workforce, and technical fields.  Students will work on specific, future-focused writing skills, including resume and cover letters, self-reflections, and focused analysis writing on both an individual and group basis.  Additionally, assignments will include short responses, class discussions, and group projects. By participating in a wide variety of units, students will improve collaboration, comprehension, communication, and self-awareness skills. Students who register for Advanced Placement or College Prep Composition should NOT register for this class too.

Students must also register for 2 English electives to meet the year-long English graduation requirement.

CPC, specifically designed for the college-bound student, offers a rigorous, concentrated experience with analytical writing.  The course intends to give students a glimpse of college-level rigor in a writing-intensive setting. The course stresses the importance of planning, revision, and a dedication to the writing process. Students will practice and master a commitment to high standards when using academic English, including sophisticated sentence structure, accurate grammar, proper MLA source documentation, and thoughtful peer revision and self-evaluation of writing. In addition to writing skills, students will build self-management, communication, and interpersonal skills through engaging in group work, presentations, and discussions both in and outside of class. Students are strongly suggested to enroll in this course ONLY IF they plan to attend a four-year college.  Students who register for Advanced Placement or English 12 should NOT register for this class too.

Students must also register for 2 English electives to meet the year-long English graduation requirement.

The AP English Literature and Composition course will engage you in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Close reading of selected texts will deepen understanding of the ways writers use language to create meaning. You will learn to consider a work's structure, style, and themes, as well as smaller-scale elements such as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone.

This course is intended to give you the experience of a typical introductory college literature course. You’ll learn to read deliberately and thoroughly, taking time to understand a work's complexity, to absorb its richness of meaning, and to analyze how that meaning is embodied in literary form. 

Writing is also an integral part of this course and of the AP Exam. Writing assignments will address the critical analysis of literature and will include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays. College credit can be earned in this class by successfully passing the AP Literature and Composition Exam in May.

This class will give students a chance to experience all aspects of theater - from beginning acting to technical theater.  Students will be performing individually and in groups. Both improvisational theater activities and “scripted” activities will be incorporated into the acting component of the class.  Students will also learn about technical areas of the theater, such as lighting, make-up, costuming and set construction. 

This course takes up where Introduction to Theater class ends.  The following components will be part of the class:  A. Theater warm-ups, games and additional theory (more study into theories of acting than are covered in the introductory class).  B.  Prepare and perform two contrasting monologues.  The performances will be memorized and suitable for college or other theater auditions.  C.  Fundamentals and theory behind effective blocking.  D.  Analyze a full-length play and how it could be staged and the group performance of a scene from it (including technical elements). 

Students will learn the basics of the pre-production, production, and post-production process while filming and editing a variety of different types of videos.  Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to plan productions; use cameras to create a variety of shots and effects; use editing software to construct and complete edited videos; and participate as on-screen talent in film projects.  Students will complete video projects both individually and in groups and must have strong independent work habits and technical problem-solving skills for successful completion of this course.

Students in this course will build on their knowledge gained in the first level course. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to fully understand the production process; plan a variety of in-depth productions; write treatments, storyboards, and scripts; participate on a production crew to produce professional level work. Students in this class will produce a variety of different productions to give them a thorough understanding of what a career in video production involves.

Contemporary Fiction is a highly individualized reading course that provides students with a general understanding of the elements of fiction and an opportunity to experience the unique characteristics of modern literature.  The primary course objective is to give students exposure to enjoyable contemporary fiction and to guide them in interpreting meaning and appreciating style. This class will help students become effective, independent readers prior to vocational school or college readers in the post-secondary classroom.

This introductory course will give students the opportunity to gain confidence, fluency, and skill in the preparation and presentation of speeches.   Students will develop an understanding of both basic communication principles and public speaking strategies through a variety of speaking assignments and delivery styles. The course stresses both verbal and nonverbal communication skills, research-based speech development, interpersonal communication skills, and active listening.

Speech 2 offers students the opportunity to continue developing their public speaking skills.  In addition, students will study and practice incorporating the principles involved in more complex communication styles such as debate, persuasion, motivation, small group communication, and organizational communication.

Journalistic writing is non-fiction writing meant for publication in newspapers, magazines, or online; the ultimate goal of this class is that students will write publishable articles for Prior Lake High School’s student-created digital newspaper called The Wave.  Students will develop skills of pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing as they write news stories, feature stories, sports/activity stories, editorials, reviews, captions, and headlines.  Other areas of emphasis include accuracy, objectivity, balance, unity, conciseness, and style.  Sentence structure, word use, grammar, and punctuation are studied as needed.  The ethical responsibilities of a journalist are also covered in class, as are interviewing and note-taking skills. 

In Mass Media, students study the impact and influence of various forms of media including newspapers, magazines, radio, television, film, and the Internet. It also includes the study of First Amendment issues in the media, media ethics, media literacy, media ownership, propaganda, and advertising. Much of the work is conducted through various articles and videos relating to the different areas of study. Classroom discussions about current issues in the media are a crucial part of this class, and each student is encouraged to contribute to these discussions, including their own current events presentation. This is a non-traditional English class without a heavy emphasis on reading or writing.  As a result, it is not meant to prepare students for the academic rigor of college. The class is designed for students who are interested in the media and its influence on society.

The humanities are creative expressions - literature, drama, art, music and film.  This course focuses on two themes:  people create to find their purpose and identity, and people create to establish their values.  These themes will be introduced through a variety of literature, films, music, and art. This course will focus on students' own “Search for Identity” at the beginning of the quarter, and conclude with an introduction to a variety of themes and short units on different creative works, including current trends. The students will further develop an awareness and enjoyment of the humanities by attending a play or concert, visiting museums virtually or in-person, viewing film, and listening to music. 

The humanities are creative expressions - literature, drama, art, music, and film. This course will be a continuation of Humanities I and go into further depth by examining and analyzing the purpose of artistic expression, the need for self-identity, and the establishment of values through the study of major works of film, music, literature, art, and photography. The course will conclude with a final, student presentation that demonstrates the two themes of humanities: people create to find their purpose and identity, and people create to establish their values. Students will further develop an awareness and enjoyment of the humanities by attending a play or concert, visiting museums virtually or in-person, viewing film, and listening to music.

CPG provides students with an in-depth opportunity to explore grammar and vocabulary. Students will gain skills to help them communicate more effectively and understand how grammar relates to their lives and to their writing. Students will study grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary by analyzing sentence structures, identifying commonly confused words, and understanding grammatical rules. Students will show proficiency through presentations, group work, quizzes, and tests. The skills students gain in CPG will aid them in finding success on standardized tests (ACT, SAT, etc.) and success in a post-secondary classroom.

This course provides students with creative writing experiences in different forms of expression.  Students will write narratives, short stories, drama, poetry and other types of communication.  Students will learn various writing techniques, forms and styles of creative expression.

This course will continue building on creative writing skills established in Creative Writing I.  Students will write narratives, short stories, drama, and poetry and will have the opportunity to individualize their coursework toward a specific area of interest if desired. 

CPL, specifically designed for the college-bound student, offers students study in literature and the connection of literature to their lives. Students spend time reading, analyzing, and discussing literature from noteworthy, award-winning authors. Exposure to varied literature allows students to understand terms and concepts which aid in the interpretation of literary works. In addition, students build self-management, communication, and interpersonal skills through engaging group work, presentations, and discussions.

Cannot be taken with English 12.