English at Royal

The English department offers a variety of classes that all meet the requirements for Royal High School graduation and the A-G college entrance requirements for four-year universities. Students have the option to enroll in on-level courses (College Prep / CP) or advanced courses (Honors, AP, or IB). Throughout their four years of English, students will encounter both fiction and nonfiction texts in a multitude of genres, such as novels, plays, poetry, graphic novels, and essays. Students will also practice their own writing skills, publishing narratives, arguments, research-based texts, and multimedia projects and presentations. Students will graduate having learned the reading, writing, and speaking skills required to be successful in a college English class or a career.

Department Chairperson: Mrs. Jennifer Letus

ELA POE Video 2021.mp4

What will be your path as an English student at Royal High School? Expand this map to explore.

Frequently Asked Questions - English Courses and Information

What is the difference between 9CP and 9 Honors English?

9CP and 9H cover the same Common Core State Standards and use the same textbook and major texts. However, the Honors class will emphasize a depth and pace of curriculum that will better prepare students for eventually taking college-level courses in high school through our AP and IB programs, while the CP class offers more scaffolding for students who need additional support meeting grade-level standards. Click the video to learn more about 9 Honors English course.

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What is the difference between AP and IB English Courses?


Both classes offer opportunities for college credit, allow for students to earn weighted grades, and provide college-level curriculum. However, the major differences between the two courses are the texts students read and how students are assessed for AP and IB exams.


The AP route offers students two entirely separate AP courses: AP Language (11th grade) and AP Literature (12th grade). Students can take one or both of these courses. AP Language is a nonfiction class where students study argument and rhetoric. AP Literature focuses on classical pieces of fiction and analyzing the author’s purpose and style. AP students may earn college credit for the class by passing a single exam given in May.


IB is a two-year literature course in which students study texts from global writers. Students are expected to stay in the course for both junior and senior year. IB has multiple assessments that are done over the course of the two years in the class, including oral presentations and written essays, as well as open-ended exams that take place at the end of senior year. IB students may earn college credit for the class by completing and passing the exam, which consists of the scores from all of the assessments completed over the two years.


Please see this document for more detailed information about each program, and click each video to learn more about AP and IB English.

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What is the ERWC class and who can take it?

The Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC) is a class offered to all seniors for their final year of English. The course was developed and is maintained by the California State University system to prepare students for college-level reading and related evidence-based writing. The ERWC is organized into adaptable modules that focus on current social issues. Students read and evaluate multiple genres of nonfiction texts offering varying perspectives, and then compose different types of writing (i.e., personal narratives, editorials, speeches, argumentative essays, etc.) at the conclusion of each module. Click this video to learn more about our ERWC course.

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Texts Studied in RHS English Courses

9th:

  • Of Mice and Men

  • To Kill a Mockingbird

  • Romeo and Juliet

  • Short pieces of fiction, including short stories and poetry


10th:

  • Night

  • Fahrenheit 451

  • Macbeth

  • Short pieces of both fiction and nonfiction, including stories, poetry, and essays

  • 10 Honors additionally includes: Animal Farm, Anthem, The Kite Runner, and Cyrano de Bergerac


11th:

  • The Crucible

  • Novels by American authors, such as The Great Gatsby or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

  • Short pieces of fiction from American authors

  • Introduction to rhetoric and argument in nonfiction texts from American authors


12th:

  • 1984

  • Hamlet

  • Short Story Unit

  • Poetry Unit

  • Reading Strategies

AP Language (11th):

  • Farewell to Manzanar

  • The Crucible

  • Excerpts from American nonfiction texts


ERWC (12th):

Students study nonfiction modules prepared by the California State University system. These modules address contemporary social issues by examining articles, essays, and other texts from a wide variety of authors.

  • Into the Wild

  • 1984

AP Language & Composition (11th):

  • Farewell to Manzanar

  • The Crucible

  • Excerpts from American nonfiction texts


AP Literature & Composition (12th):

  • Oedipus

  • Hamlet

  • Frankenstein

  • Pride and Prejudice

  • Life of Pi

  • Catch-22

  • Short pieces of fiction, including short stories and poetry


IB Literature HL1 (11th):

  • Hamlet

  • Chronicle of a Death Foretold

  • Persepolis

  • 1984

  • The Great Gatsby

  • Into the Wild


IB Literature HL2 (12th):

  • The Awakening

  • A Doll’s House

  • Oedipus the King

  • Death of a Salesman

  • Master Harold and the Boys

  • Importance of Being Earnest

  • Various poetry- including Robert Frost

Additional English Department Information

Introduction to 10 Honors English

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Overview of AP Language (11th)

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Questions about Royal English courses? Click the envelope to connect with this department.