ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

English Language Arts 20 deepens students’ engagement with genre, language, and composition creation by encouraging more nuanced exploration of self, society, and the world. Students demonstrate more nuanced interpretations of texts and compose original compositions with growing awareness of how voice, purpose, and audience shape meaning. This course encourages students to refine their craft across forms and modalities, extending their ability to navigate ambiguity, consider multiple perspectives, and make deliberate stylistic choices. Through processes of drafting, feedback, and revision, students strengthen their ability to use language to explore their place in the world and contribute to it with clarity and intention.

Enriched English Language Arts 20 builds on the growth of students in developing critical thinking, taking ownership of their learning, and reflecting on their progress. Through exploration of the course themes, “the search for self” and “equity and ethics” students are encouraged to become active, thoughtful citizens and lifelong learners, both in school and beyond. They will build essential skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and representing. The enriched course will support preparation for AP English courses in the future.

Creative Writing 20 fosters the excitement of writing in a cooperative atmosphere. Students will not only have opportunities to write from their own experiences and about what interests them, but will also be asked to complete writings on themes provided by the teacher. Students will learn to generate ideas, develop language precision, revise with understanding, proofread, and deliver a polished work to an audience. Important life skills such as communication, time management, self-expression, and critical and creative thinking are developed to be successful in this course. In addition to being fun, creative writing is an excellent preparation for the senior English Language Arts courses!  

Students will watch and analyze movies to learn how to “read” and understand a variety of mass media, advertisements, social media, videogames, and much more.

Journalism Studies 20 invites students to examine the powerful role journalism plays in our society. Students explore journalistic ethics, rights, and responsibilities while learning how journalists inform, investigate, and tell stories that matter. Through hands-on practice, students develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to critically analyze and create print, broadcast, and photojournalism texts. Emphasis is placed on accuracy, fairness, and voice as students learn to research, interview, write, edit, and publish for real audiences. This course encourages curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, and responsible media participation, and offers opportunities for student work to be featured in school  publications.

AP English Literature and Composition endows students with the ability to read, think, analyze, discuss, and write with heightened insight and stronger control of language. The pursuit of these skills will help ensure student success in other AP and academic courses and facilitates their transition into higher education. Moreover, this class will expose students to the breadth of human experience as it is captured in literature from the 16th to the 21st century. This study ultimately leads students to recognize the bond between all people that is the foundation of the human experience. 

This course is an in depth study of literature that will be taught over the course of two semesters. In conjunction with the study of literature, students will also focus on the art of literary criticism and writing to expand their knowledge of literature. The AP Literature and Composition course will allow the student to complete their required ELA30 and ELB30 credits for graduation. In conjunction with the completion of required credit hours the AP Literature and Composition Exam will conclude the Advanced Placement experience for students. 

This is a two credit course that will be held in the first and second semester of a student's senior year. Students should be in Grade 12 when taking this course. 

Please see Ms. Grier for more information.