English

The high school English curriculum is designed to help students develop the literacy skills needed for success in college and career.  Students are required to successfully complete four units of credit and pass the NYS English Regents exam to graduate with a Regents diploma.

Ninth Grade   

English 9 (NCAA Core)

1 Year/1 Unit

Course Description

The emphasis in this course is on the skills of reading, vocabulary development and writing. The literature is taught by genre: novel, short story, poetry and drama (Shakespeare). Because of the importance of writing, and the requirement that all ninth grade students pass the English Regents exam when they reach eleventh grade, the English 9 program places greater emphasis on the development of longer essays and the research process. 

Course Requirements

Students are required to complete the English 9 summative assessment in the spring.

English 9 – Honors (NCAA Core)

1 Year/1 Unit

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to offer the student gifted in English an opportunity for enriched work with short stories, novels, drama and poetry. The accent is on themes and relationships; the emphasis is on excellence of thought and expression. The genre of literary criticism will be introduced and explored.  Because of the importance of writing, and the requirement that all ninth grade students pass the English Regents exam when they reach eleventh grade, the English 9H program places greater emphasis on the development of longer essays, independent research and creative writing.  Students can expect to participate in class discussions and study vocabulary regularly. 

Course Requirements

Students complete the English 9H summative assessment in the spring

Tenth Grade

English 10 (NCAA Core)

1 Year/1 Unit

Course Description

This course, taken by most tenth grade students, includes a survey of the major literary genres (novel, essay, short story, drama, poetry), nonfiction and specific instruction in persuasive, expository, literary and narrative writing. In addition, instruction is provided in vocabulary, conventions of standard written English, oral expression, and research skills. 

Course Requirements

Students complete the English 10 summative assessment in the spring.

English 10 – Honors (NCAA Core)

1 Year/1 Unit

Course Description

As an honors-level course, the expectation for student leadership and participation in class discussion is high. Students study various works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and film to engage in close reading for deeper meaning and demonstrate the ability to analyze texts at a sophisticated level.  Students apply scholarly and analytical works to course texts, a new and challenging skill.  Students develop their writing skills through argument writing, research-based writing, and literary analysis.

Course Requirements

Students complete a quarterly project that focuses on specific writing, speaking and analytical skills. 

World Culture and Literature – Honors (NCAA Core)

1 Year/1 Unit

Course Description

World Literature-Honors is part of an interdisciplinary course with World Culture-Honors.  In these humanities courses, students learn about the connections between art and architecture, literature and historical events in global history.  The works of 18th-20th century writers, artists and architects are studied.  Students develop their analytic and communication skills in this course, through a variety of writing assignments, research-based activities, and a major oral presentation.

Course Requirement

Students complete a final project which is worth 10% of the final course grade.

Recommendation:  Positive recommendations from the English 9/9H and Global /9H teachers; a minimum of an 85% average in both English 9 and Global History and Geography 9 is highly recommended. 

Eleventh Grade

All eleventh-grade English courses seek to develop students who are critical thinkers, capable readers, confident writers and effective communicators. The curriculum supports college readiness with a focus on the language and behaviors of academic discourse.  All courses prepare students for the NYS English Regents exam in the spring of junior year.  

English 11 (NCAA Core)

1 Year/1 Unit

Course Description

English 11 encourages the rich learning that results in the college and career readiness envisioned by the Common Core. Throughout English 11, students will develop strong literacy skills in the areas of reading, writing, listening, speaking and thinking. Students read and analyze fiction and nonfiction texts that reflect essential themes in American literature. They write in a variety of genres: persuasive, expository, literary and narrative. Skill development is enhanced through a focus on such skills as reading closely, making evidence-based claims about an issue/topic, making evidence-based claims about literature and literary techniques, researching to deepen understanding and writing from sources. A rigorous instructional focus, and classwork aligned to grade-eleven ELA standards, will result in the analytical and inferential skills needed to achieve proficiency on the English Regents exam.

Course Requirements

Students are required to take the English Regents exam in June; it will count as 10%  of the final course grade.

English 11 Honors (NCAA Core)

1 Year/1 Unit

Course Description

Students examine a variety of texts through the lens of quarterly thematic units.  Each unit ends with a quarterly project.  Students read and analyze fiction, nonfiction and poetry in order to explore classic themes, structure, technique and language use.  Students write in various forms -- creative, analytical, research-based, and narrative. Students will engage in collaborative presentations, student-led discussions, and creative projects. As an honors-level course, the expectation for student leadership and participation in class discussion is high.

Course Requirements

Students are required to take the English Regents exam in June; it will count as 10% of the final course grade.

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition (NCAA Core)

1 Year/1 Unit

Course Description

AP Language and Composition engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Through writing and reading, students develop awareness of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations and subjects - as well as the way genre conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing.  As a college-level course, learning expectations are challenging, often involving long-term writing and reading assignments and opportunities for academic discussion.  

Course Requirements

All students enrolled in this course are expected to register for and complete the AP exam in May at a cost of approximately $100, which will be reduced or waived for students who qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program. 

Twelfth Grade - Full-Year Courses

Emphasis in the senior year is on student choice of courses which focus on reading, writing, listening, and speaking. All students in a senior English course will receive instruction in the college essay during the fall semester.

English 12 (NCAA Core)

1 year/1 unit

Course Description

English 12 is designed to prepare students to become capable and confident thinkers, readers and writers.  In English 12, students practice and enhance the literacy and communication skills developed during previous English courses.  Key topics of study revolve around relevant issues and contemporary literature.  Reading and writing assignments allow students to exercise choice through a variety of print and digital mediums, with a focus on real-life application.  Course goals include developing critical thinkers who are self-directed, motivated and mature learners.  Students will complete the year with the skills and abilities needed to navigate through the world as literate young adults.

Course Requirements

Students give frequent oral presentations (formal and informal) throughout the year and complete both a narrative essay (College Essay) and a research project.  Students also give a final presentation as a summative assessment in the spring.

21st Century World Literature (NCAA Core)

1 Year/1 Unit

Course Description

Students study various cultures through the works of contemporary world acclaimed writers. Students read and analyze works by Asian, African, South American, and Middle Eastern writers. Students can expect to participate in active discussion about the readings, which focus on universal topics such as dignity, love, values, beliefs, war, peace, youth, redemption, and forgiveness. Students will complete a research project in addition to writing analytical and creative compositions.  The course also includes an examination of recent documentaries and articles relating to major world issues. 

Course Requirements

Students complete the 21st Century World Literature summative assessment in the spring.

COLL Journalism (NCAA Core)

1 Year/1 Unit

Course Description

Journalism is updated annually to reflect changes in the profession and to integrate the use of technology currently used in the field. The class utilizes an experimental “newsroom” environment and students engage in hands-on, project-based learning, Skype interviewing, investigation and writing. Students earn press passes which allow them to use class time to interview, photograph and/or videotape in order to develop projects. Students study journalism as a form of written expression, a visual medium (through photography and videography) and as a unique literary genre. Units include: basics of news writing, news values, the news-gathering process, interviewing, First Amendment rights, student press rights, communication law, ethics, online publishing, convergence, broadcast and blogging. Students explore the differences between trained journalistic experiences and the emerging facets of citizen journalism. The literary component of the course covers the impact of journalism on our cultural and historical heritage.  Students in the course publish their work in the student newspaper and online.  *Three  college credits may be obtained through HVCC ENG 130 by successful completion of this course at a cost of approximately $210. Tuition may be further reduced for students who qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program. 

Course Requirements

Students complete a final project in the spring.

COLL Modernism  (NCAA Core)

1 Year/1 Unit

Course Description

Modernism focuses on the literary and cultural movements of modernism and postmodernism. To establish a context for these movements and demonstrate the literary and social conventions that the Moderns challenged, the year begins with an overview of Victorian history and literature. Students then read and study a wide variety of novels by authors such as Conrad, Joyce, Woolf, Hemingway, McCullers, Ellison, Kerouac, Morrison, and/or O’Brien as well as short stories and poems by a wide range of modernist and postmodernist authors. In addition to studying these primary texts, students will enhance their cultural literacy by reading supplementary texts, including historical documents, biographical essays, literary criticism, and other works to enrich their experience and understanding. Because of the nature of modern and postmodern literature, which often consciously pushes boundaries and questions the status quo, students should be prepared to read and respectfully investigate ideas that may expand and challenge perspectives.

This course encourages students to become self-sufficient learners as they prepare for college. There is a strong emphasis on recognizing, analyzing, and evaluating arguments—and the rhetorical strategies used to make them—in a wide variety of different texts, including novels, poems, essays, films, works of art, and even advertisements.  Students develop skills in crafting their own arguments in discussions, essays, and research projects in response to a diverse range of perspectives and materials.  In examining the analysis of published writers who write in a variety of styles for a range of purposes, students learn to break free from formulaic modes as they explore alternate possibilities for expressing their own complex interactions with texts.  This course encourages and rewards active participation in daily class discussions as well as seminar discussions which are the culmination of multi-week, student-driven research projects. Because of the interdisciplinary approach of Modernism, which situates literature in a historical and cultural context, this course serves as excellent preparation not only for college English, but for many courses in the humanities, social sciences, and beyond. Modernism H is a challenging—but highly rewarding—class.   *Three  college credits may be obtained through UAlbany AENG 106 by successful completion of this course at a cost of approximately $210. Tuition may be further reduced for students who qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program.

Course Requirements

Students complete the Modernism summative assessment in the spring.

Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition (NCAA Core)

1 Year/1 Unit

Course Description

What makes a work of literature great? In AP English Literature and Composition, students will examine how authors and poets create meaning through their rich, purposeful use of language. As they write and refine essays about literature, students will develop the skills of analysis and composition that will allow them to communicate their interpretation effectively. Students will assume much of the responsibility for their own learning, which includes demonstrating curiosity through participation in class discussions, seminars, presentations, and projects.  

Course Requirements

All students enrolled in this course are expected to register for and complete the AP exam in May at a cost of approximately $100, which will be reduced for students who qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program. 

Twelfth Grade - Half-Year Courses

COLL Writing (NCAA Core)

1 Semester/.5 Unit

Course Description

This course focuses on many of the genres of writing common in a college freshman writing course:  argument, informational, literary and narrative.  It includes inquiry, building independence as a writer (i.e., exploration, topic generation, writing routines/practices and following style guides), reading “as a writer,” work with mentor texts, study of author styles, self-reflection on process, setting personal writing goals and self-assessment of skills.  Students can expect to write up to eight pieces with emphasis on good sentence structure, cohesive organization, revision and editing.  A research paper develops skills of focus/topic selection, use of scholarly sources, clear argument development, style, paragraphing and paraphrasing/use of quotes to avoid plagiarism.  *Three  college credits may be obtained through HVCC ENG 101 by successful completion of this course at a cost of approximately $210. Tuition may be further reduced for students who qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program. 

Course Requirements

Students complete the Pre-College Writing summative assessment at the end of the semester.

Language of the Media (NCAA Core)

1 Semester/.5 Unit

Course Description

This course is designed for students to analyze and interpret the major forms of mass media: print, video, audio, and social media. Students will explore the philosophical, social, and psychological impacts of media consumption. 

Course Requirements

Students create a portfolio and comprehensive reflection as a summative assessment at the end of the semester.

COLL Public Speaking (NCAA Core)

1 Semester/.5 Unit

Course Description

This course is designed for students who have a sincere desire to improve basic speaking skills in both formal and informal situations. Students will develop poise and self-confidence by improving their ability to communicate effectively. Among the formal speeches are those of introduction, persuasion, information, personal experience, and demonstration. Although the emphasis is on speech, students are also expected to prepare written outlines, write critiques and use library research skills. Daily class participation is vital to success in this course.  *Three  college credits may be obtained through HVCC ENG 125 by successful completion of this course at a cost of approximately $210. Tuition may be further reduced for students who qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program. 

Course Requirements

Students give a final speech as a summative assessment at the end of the semester.

Literature of the Future – Science Fiction (NCAA Core)

1 Semester/.5 UNIT

Course Description

The course provides students with the opportunity to look at a brief history of the future as portrayed in science fiction literature, film and television.  Students will examine how science fiction has impacted popular culture and affected social change, and how major historical/cultural events of the past century have influenced science fiction (i.e. the Cold War, the advent of computers, the invention of the cell phone, etc.).  Students will also analyze how science fiction has influenced the technologies of today and tomorrow, and how these technologies have impacted our lives. 

Course Requirements

Students complete the Literature of the Future summative assessment at the end of the semester.