English Elective Courses

Creative Writing                                                                                       0.50 Credit                                                                                             1 SEMESTER

• Grade Level(s): 10, 11, 12

• PREREQUISITES: Word processing skills, a desire to write.

• MAJOR REQUIREMENTS OR PROJECTS: Original short story, original one act play.

• DESCRIPTION: Creative writing is a semester long elective course designed for individuals who enjoy writing Non-fiction, fiction and poetry. Students will develop confidence in their ability to express themselves through writing and adapt their writing style to different genres. The class will cover short stories, poetry, drama, and children’s literature. Students will be expected to complete online forums and write every day in class.

Journalism                                                                                                     1.00 Credit                                                                                          2 SEMESTERS

• Grade Level(s): 10, 11, 12

• PREREQUISITES: Teacher recommendation, permission of instructor, recommend B average in English. Those with previous publication experience will be considered first.

• MAJOR REQUIREMENTS OR PROJECTS:  Write and publish The Spirit, the SGHS newspaper; photography project; senior edition of The Spirit.

• DESCRIPTION: Students enrolled in journalism study the production of news stories with the emphasis on all aspects of the of the school newspaper.  Students are involved in all phases of production including interviewing, writing, photography, copy editing, and design (in print and online).  Basics of photojournalism, news literacy, the history of journalism, and laws related to journalism are also taught.

Public Speaking                                                                                         0.50 Credit                                                                                             1 SEMESTER

• Grade Level(s): 11 and 12

• PREREQUISITES: Recommend B average in previous semester’s English class.

• MAJOR REQUIREMENTS OR PROJECTS: Four major speeches will be given.

• DESCRIPTION: Students will learn about the fundamentals of public speaking and will put them into practice with several presentations given in class.  Students will be taught the communication process, including verbal and non-verbal language. Speeches to be prepared and written include, but are not limited to, an informative speech, persuasive speech, demonstrative speech, and current event speech.  Students will be presenting memorized speeches in front of the class after completing extensive research.  The course may be taken for college credit through MAC.

Mythology                                                                                                    0.50 Credit                                                                                             1 SEMESTER

• Grade Level(s): 10, 11, 12

• PREREQUISITES: recommend C average or above in previous English class

• MAJOR REQUIREMENTS OR PROJECTS: At least one word-processed paper

• DESCRIPTION: This semester course emphasizes reading and writing skills with some work on listening and speaking. The reading is, for the most part, a geographical survey of world myths and legends throughout the ages. The writing in this course is traditional expository writing with room for creative/technological projects. Throughout the course, much of the writing is literature based.

Film Composition and Literature                                                   0.50 Credit                                                                                             1 SEMESTER

• Grade Level(s): 10, 11, 12

• PREREQUISITES: None

• MAJOR REQUIREMENTS OR PROJECTS: None

• DESCRIPTION: During this semester class, students will view and discuss representative films from various eras. The course will emphasize the development of various screen adaptations. Reading, writing, and speaking will be emphasized.