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The Language Arts program at Esperanza High School develops students’ reading, writing, speaking, and critical thinking skills. Students progress through a structured sequence of courses beginning with Language Arts 1 in 9th grade and advancing to more rigorous options such as AP Language and AP Literature.
The course descriptions below outline the focus of each class and include information about course expectations, placement, graduation requirements, and UC/CSU college eligibility.
*Students enrolling in higher-level courses should make sure they have completed any required prerequisites or courses.
Any required prerequisites or courses will be listed in the course description.
9th Grade Courses
Language Arts 1
Language Arts 1
College Prep
UC approved List B
10 credits
This is a required course that provides an in-depth study of language skills, sentence development, paragraph development and essay writing. It includes instruction in listening, speaking, writing and reading skills. Experiences in literature are provided in the genres of short story, mythology, epic, drama, poetry and novels.
Language Arts 1 Honors
Language Arts 1 Honors
College Prep - Weighted
UC approved List B
Recommended Prerequisite: 8th-grade LA Honors or "A" in 8th-grade LA
10 credits
This course provides an in-depth study of language skills, sentence development, paragraph development and essay writing. It includes instruction in listening, speaking, writing and reading skills. Experiences in literature are provided in the genres of short story, mythology, epic, drama, poetry and novels. As an Honors course, the pacing is faster, the writing is more complex, and there is an expectation that students are able to handle more reading on their own.
AP Seminar (10th - 12th Grade)
AP Seminar (10th - 12th Grade)
College Prep - Weighted
UC approved List B
Meets course requirements for NCAA
10 credits
AP Seminar is an interdisciplinary course that engages students in cross-curricular conversations exploring complex academic and real-world topics through multiple perspectives. Students develop critical thinking, research, collaboration, and communication skills as they investigate issues, evaluate sources, analyze arguments, and synthesize information to develop evidence-based arguments. Through collaborative team projects, independent research, academic writing, multimedia presentations, and oral defenses, students learn to communicate and defend their ideas effectively. The course emphasizes inquiry, intellectual curiosity, and the development of transferable skills that prepare students for college-level work and future academic pursuits.
10th Grade Courses
Language Arts 2
Language Arts 2
College Prep
UC approved List B
10 credits
This is a required course which provides an in-depth study of language skills, sentence development, paragraph development, research writing and essay writing. It includes instruction in listening, speaking, writing and reading skills as prescribed. Experiences in literature are provided in the genres of short stories, novels, non-fiction, poetry, and drama.
Language Arts 2 Honors
Language Arts 2 Honors
College Prep - Weighted
UC approved List B
Recommended Prerequisite: LAI Honors or "A" in LAI
10 credits
This course provides an in-depth study of language skills, sentence development, paragraph development, research writing, and essay writing. It includes instruction in listening, speaking, writing and reading skills as prescribed. Experiences in literature are provided in the genres of short stories, novels, non-fiction, poetry, and drama. As an Honors course, the pacing is faster, the writing is more complex, and there is an expectation that students are able to handle more reading on their own.
11th Grade Courses
Language Arts 3
Language Arts 3
College Prep
UC approved List B
Meets course requirements for NCAA
10 credits
This is a required course that provides an in-depth study of language skills, sentence development, paragraph development, research writing, and essay writing. It includes instruction in listening, speaking, writing and reading skills. Most novels are American Literature, and supplemental readings include short stories, novels, modern dramas, and poetry.
AP Language
AP Language
College Prep - Weighted
UC approved List B
Meets course requirements for NCAA
Recommended Prerequisite: LAII Honors, AP Seminar, or "A" in LAII
10 credits
This one-year advanced, non-fiction 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. A variety of texts will be utilized to accomplish this, including current events, speeches, articles, essays, political satires, and visual texts. Through this course, students will enhance their skills as discerning readers, critical thinkers, and writers, thus becoming more informed citizens. Upon completion of this course, students will be prepared to take the College Board AP Exam in English Language and Composition.
12th Grade Courses
ERWC (LA 4)
ERWC (LA 4)
College Prep
UC-approved List B
Meets course requirements for NCAA
10 credits
ERWC (Expository Reading and Writing Curriculum) is a college-preparatory English course developed by the California State University (CSU) to strengthen students’ academic literacy and prepare them for college-level coursework. Through an inquiry-based, rhetorical approach, students engage with compelling issues and diverse texts while developing critical reading, analytical reasoning, evidence-based argumentation, and expository writing skills. Students participate in collaborative discussions, conduct research, evaluate sources, and communicate their ideas through written and oral presentations. The course emphasizes critical thinking, academic independence, and effective communication while preparing students for the reading, writing, and analytical demands of college and future careers. ERWC is offered as our only non-AP senior ELA class and is approved for California A–G college-preparatory English credit when properly adopted by the school.
AP Literature
AP Literature
College Prep - Weighted
UC approved List B
Meets course requirements for NCAA
Recommended Prerequisite: AP Lang or "A" in LAIII
10 credits
This is a required one-year course that will give the senior student a college-level experience of English. This will be accomplished through reading poetry, prose, fiction, and drama as well as through class discussion and analytical and expository writing. You will be exposed to a variety of time periods, opinions, purposes, and styles. Additionally, as stated by the College Board, students should 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. In addition to considering a work's literary artistry, students should consider the social and historical values it reflects and embodies. Students will carefully consider the enduring understandings of character, setting, narration, structure, figurative language, and literary argumentation. This is a rigorous course where all can share their thoughts and interpretations so as to enhance the class and each student’s learning.
Additional Courses (ELD: 9th-12th Grade)
New Emerging ELD
New Emerging ELD
10 credits
Emerging ELD for Newcomers is a protected time during the regular school day in which teachers use the California English Language Development Standards as the focal standards in ways that build into and from content instruction in order to develop critical language English Learners need for content learning in English. Placement based on ELPAC Summative Assessment results.
Emerging ELD
Emerging ELD
10 credits
Emerging ELD is a protected time during the regular school day in which teachers use the California English Language Development Standards as the focal standards in ways that build into and from content instruction in order to develop critical language English Learners need for content learning in English. Placement based on ELPAC Summative Assessment results.
Expanding ELD
Expanding ELD
UC approved List G
10 credits
Expanding ELD is a protected time during the regular school day in which teachers use the California English Language Development Standards as the focal standards in ways that build into and from content instruction in order to develop critical language English Learners need for content learning in English. Placement based on ELPAC Summative Assessment results.
Bridging ELD
Bridging ELD
UC approved List B
10 credits
Bridging ELD is a protected time during the regular school day in which teachers use the California English Language Development Standards as the focal standards in ways that build into and from content instruction in order to develop critical language English Learners need for content learning in English. Placement based on ELPAC Summative Assessment results.
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