Language Arts

Foundations of Literature & COMPOSITION

grade: 9|prerequisite: none

credit earned: 1.0 credit course

Foundations of Literature and Composition offers core instructional materials in print and digital formats that are fully aligned to state standards, Advanced Placement (AP) coursework, and the SAT/ACT assessments. This course  helps students build extensive content knowledge with close reading and analysis of texts, critical viewing of select films, wide-ranging independent reading, and lively, engaging classroom discussion. Language skills and knowledge are incorporated as part of an integrated approach to reading, writing, speaking, and listening.  Theme: Coming of Age. 

Students will:

• Engage in curriculum supported and developed by the College Board. 

• Read works by Harper Lee, Edgar Allan Poe, William Wordsworth, Pablo Neruda, and Shakespeare, as well as informational and historical articles.

• Learn to gather evidence from texts and incorporate it in written and oral responses.

• Write in argumentative, informational, narrative, and other modes.

Sample Activity

ELA Activity: Grade 9 Unit 1, Activity 5—Defining Experiences

In this activity, students read the short story "Marigolds." They focus on details within the text that create imagery, voice, and other effects. Ultimately, they analyze and explain how the author uses diction, imagery, and other literary devices to create voice and present a particular point of view.

English 10

grade: 10 | prerequisite: Foundations of Literature & Composition (English 9)

credit earned: 1.0 credit course

English 10 is a one-semester, standards-based course designed to reinforce literature and composition-based skills. Emphasis on reading will help students in preparation for the district, state, and national assessments. Students will read, analyze, and interpret a wide range of reading selections including fiction and nonfiction short stories, argument writing, poetry, and novels with a focus on an exploration of justice and voice. Students will review and apply writing conventions and use the writing process to write for various purposes, including ACT preparations, argument, literary analysis, narrative, and a research paper. Students will use listening, observation, and speaking skills to communicate effectively. Informal and formal oral presentations will be required. 

AP Prep English 10

grade: 10 | prerequisite: Foundations of Literature & Composition (English 9)

credit earned: 1.0 credit course

This rigorous AP Prep English 10 course is designed to help students make meaning of complex texts and prepare them for the rigorous textual analysis expected of them in advanced English courses and college courses. The skills students acquire in this course allow them to think critically about and respond thoughtfully to important topics in all disciplines. 

Students in this course will:

• read challenging and engaging literary and informational texts, using film for comparison and analysis

• receive explicit instruction in reading and the opportunity to annotate within the student text to develop analysis skills

• engage in high level academic analysis supported by guiding discussion questions

• use a wide range of reading strategies that empower students and help them develop fluency

• grow academically and move toward independence through supported instruction and practice with complex texts

• receive explicit writing instruction in all the major modes of writing, emphasizing narrative, argumentative, and explanatory/expository. 

• write daily in order to develop skills in grammar, analysis, voice, style and taking a stand. 

• use listening, observation, and speaking skills to communicate effectively. Informal and formal oral presentations will be required. 

*** Summer reading is required

College & career prep english

grade: 12 | prerequisite: English 11 

credit earned: 1.0 credit course

This course is designed for students who want to build their skills for college-level English classes or prepare for professional reading and writing as they start their career immediately after high school. The year-long class will be divided into two distinct semesters. Semester 1 will focus on college writing and reading skills, ACT prep, and scholarship and admission essay writing, culminating in all students taking the December ACT. Semester 2 will shift to career prep as students explore business and applicable writing and reading skills including: resumes, cover letters, applications, proposals, reports, manuals, emails, presentations, news sources, etc. 

College English*

grade: 12 | prerequisite: English 11 or AP Lang & Comp AND an 18 on ACT English section

credit earned: 1.0 credit course

College English is designed to help students improve their ability to communicate in writing. A central objective of the course is to prepare students to successfully complete various writing assignments frequently required of college students. The course emphasizes clear well-ordered expository and argumentative writing, and variety in sentence structure, carefully developed paragraphs, smooth transition, and appropriate use of language. An 8-10 page research paper is a required component of the course. The second semester is a reading and writing course based on literary texts. Analysis of short stories, poems, and plays will be the focus of writing and discussion.

*** Summer reading is required

AP Literature & Composition 

grade: 11-12 | prerequisite: English 10 or English 10 AP Prep completed with a B or above or AP Lang and Comp, summer reading

credit earned: 1.0 credit course

AP English Literature and Composition is a specialized course for students who demonstrate an exceptional interest in and commitment to the study of literature. Students in this course will have already developed strong writing and analytical skills. In this course, students are engaged in the careful reading of literary works. Through such study, they sharpen their awareness of literature, language and their understanding of the writer's craft. They develop critical standards for the appreciation of any literary work. To achieve these goals, students consider and explore the structure, meaning, and value of each work and its relationship to contemporary experience as well as to the time in which it was written. This course follows the national AP curriculum.

*** Summer reading is required