English

English 9, English 10, English 11, English 12,  Yearbook, Multicultural Literature, Contemporary Literature, Creative Writing, Mythology, Reflections on War, Senior Survey, AP Literature  

English 9 is the prerequisite for all other English courses. English 9 is a survey course that focuses on reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students will get the opportunity to choose texts to read and topics to write about. This is a requirement for all students unless you have tested out of it.  

ENGLISH 10 (REQUIRED) 1 CREDIT **Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 9** Students in this course will continue to refine and apply skills and strategies to an increasingly complex set of tasks. The recurring theme or focus of the 10 th grade English classes is the promotion of empathy, social action, and appropriate use of power. Students will read a comprehensive set of early American literature, mostly narrative texts, and will connect with and respond to these texts through critical response and stance. In the second semester, students will read American literature with a focus on informational texts. Students will analyze essay structures, develop research skills, and write multi-paragraph essays. 

ENGLISH 11 (REQUIRED) 1 CREDIT **Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 10** English 11 is designed to help students continue to build a solid foundation of knowledge and skills in the following areas: reading literary and informational texts; writing informative, analytical, and argumentative texts; researching; speaking; and language. Units will emphasize instruction and assessment of vocabulary and reasoning, organization and development of ideas and evidence, and production of culminating projects, including an annotated bibliography, research paper, literary analysis, and analysis of expository texts. Students will explore strategies to increase their comprehension of complex texts, development of analytical skills, and knowledge of language usage and conventions 

ENGLISH 12 (REQUIRED) GRADE 12 0.5 CREDIT **Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 11** This class is intended to develop career and academic communication skills, with an emphasis on organization, speaking, listening, and communication technology. Students will explore a variety of online resources and communication technologies as they produce resumes, formal research presentations, and personal/career-related presentations. Instructional topics include research skills, organizational patterns, and presentation techniques for career and academic pursuits.  

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION 1 CREDIT **Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 11** This is a rigorous college-level course based on the curriculum in the latest AP English Course Description. A variety of genres from different literary periods is read, analyzed, and discussed. The frequent critical and analytical writing will prepare students for the national AP Literature and Composition exam given in May for which students could earn college credit  

CREATIVE WRITING 0.5 CREDIT  In Creative Writing, students will explore the various types of writing and engage with multiple texts to better understand the written word and its complexities. Students will work creatively with different forms of writing, discovering new ways to express their ideas. In addition, students will learn how to write about experiences and events in well-structured ways, utilize sensory language, engage with technology and its uses in the writing world, and develop skills through planning, revising, editing, rewriting, and working with new narrative approaches. 

YEARBOOK 1 CREDIT **By application and instructor permission only** Students will become proficient in writing copy, proofreading, headlining, layouts, photography, advertising, interviewing, and critiquing others' work. Training will be incorporated into the publication of the yearbook. The class will include direct instruction and on-the-job training. It will function as an English and business experience, as students will assume staff positions for the publication of the Sturgensian. This class is for the highly motivated, and detail-oriented student who can keep to strict deadlines. Students must be willing and able to attend events and take photographs outside of school hours. Students will also go out into the community to sell business ads during the fall semester. 

MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE 0.5 CREDIT This course provides a study of universal and diverse themes and ideas expressed through multicultural literature and film. It will feature characters and authors from a variety of cultures, both in and outside the United States, including Hispanic, Asian, and African-American, and will also include women authors. It will emphasize the relationship between cultures and the lives of students. Students will be asked to journal, write reading responses, complete projects, and presentations, and participate in class discussions.  

MYTHOLOGY 0.5 CREDIT In this elective literature course, students will study the role of myths and legends in today’s society. Students will examine recurring patterns and human concern as revealed in mythic content, characters, and stories from ancient times and cultures to the present. Areas of investigation will include myths of the quest, power, origins, and love. Extensive reading, group discussions, and written responses to reading will be covered. The course will culminate in a written work that will be presented to the class.  

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE 0.5 CREDIT Contemporary Lit is a study of literature from World War II and after. Students who choose to take this course are expected to read six novels from six different contemporary umbrella genres. The course consists of novel reading, essay writing, and multiple projects to help students gain a deeper understanding of contemporary literature.  

REFLECTIONS ON WAR 0.5 CREDIT This course will focus on the central themes and issues of war presented in literature and other media using a multicultural framework. Students will develop skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening as they explore societal and individual experiences of war in a variety of diverse texts.