English Language Arts

English/Language Arts I courses build upon students’ prior knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, word usage, and the mechanics of writing and include the four aspects of language use: reading, writing, speaking, and listening from the ELA Common Core State Standards. This course will focus on using an effective writing process and strategies, and writing for a variety of purposes and audiences through an identity development and critical perspective (anti-racist, feminist, reader response) lens. This course will introduce and define various genres of literature highlighting multi-ethnic and cultural authors with writing in response to reading.

An Honors course focused on exploring identity development through reading and writing at an accelerated level analyzing multi-ethnic and cultural literature through various critical lenses including, but not limited to, Critical Race Theory. Students are expected to apply literary elements and devices, analyze literature and do extensive writing. Students develop independent reading habits and write in various modalities for various purposes and audiences.

English/Language Arts II courses offer a balanced focus on composition and literature. Students learn about the alternate aims and audiences of written compositions by writing persuasive, critical, and creative multi-paragraph essays and compositions. Through the study of various genres of world culture and literature, students will build their vocabulary, improve their reading rate and comprehension and develop the skills to determine the author’s intent and theme and to recognize the techniques used by the author to deliver his or her message. Students will work independently as well as in collaborative groups.

English/Language Arts II Honors course complete the same content and standards of English II courses at an accelerated rate, including substantial reading and writing assignments in preparation for Advanced Placement coursework and college.

Following the College Board’s suggested curriculum designed to parallel college-level English courses, AP English Language and Composition courses expose students to prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts. The central concept in this course is writer’s awareness – the idea that a writer must make a connection to his or her work, and to his or her audience. Students learn to develop stylistic flexibility as they write compositions covering a variety of subjects that are intended for various purposes. Students are expected to work at a college level analyzing and evaluating rhetoric. All students are expected to take the AP exam in May.

Following the College Board’s suggested curriculum designed to parallel college-level English courses, AP English Literature and Composition courses enable students to develop critical standards for evaluating literature. Students study a variety of texts from the 5^th century to current literature applying and exploring different critical lenses in their analyses. in written or verbal form. Students study the language, character, action, and theme in works of recognized literary merit; enrich their understanding of author's stylistic choices; and write compositions of their own (including literary analysis, exposition, argument, narrative, and creative). Students are expected to work at a college level and are expected to take the AP exam in May.

This course offers students the opportunity to develop and improve their technique and individual style in poetry, short story, drama, essays, and other forms of prose. The emphasis of the courses is on writing; however, students may study exemplary representations and authors to obtain a fuller appreciation of the form and craft. Students will gain experience writing in a variety of genres. This course is writing intensive and will focus on the writing process including prewriting, drafting and revisions.

The best writing that people do is, as writer Anne Lamott suggests, "about telling the truth." Good personal writing is about looking at your past and your person through the new, critical eye of a writer. In Personal Essay, students will focus on writing narratives and other creative pieces about themselves and their lives. This writing will be organized around major themes/topics in a person's life: identity, culture, community, loss, challenge, discovery, etc. Students will also explore autobiographies and personal essays of major writers in order to learn about the art of telling stories. Personal Essay is an English elective for students interested in discovering themselves, developing the art of telling their stories, and/or honing their basic writing skills in preparation for college admissions.

Literature courses offer the opportunity for students to study and reflect upon the themes presented in short stories in a variety of genres to include but not be limited to: fiction, drama, poetry, novellas and nonfiction. Students improve their critical-thinking skills as they determine the underlying assumptions and values within the reading selection and as they understand how the work reflects society’s problems and culture. Students will learn to refine their own outlining, drafting, writing and publishing skills. Oral discussion is an integral part of literature courses. Nightly reading and several major projects are required for credit.

Prerequisite(s): Must have already received credit for English 1

This is a journalism course with emphasis on writing style and techniques as well as production values and organization to produce a newspaper, literary magazine and/or yearbook. This course will introduce students to the concepts of newsworthiness and press responsibility; develop students’ skills in writing and editing stories, headlines, and captions; and teach students the principles of production design, layout, and printing. Photography, photojournalism, and digital technology skills may be included. Students will learn how professional journalists build and create stories and will study issues of ethics and bias in writing. Students will work together to design and publish the student newspaper within class.

This course is a public speaking course to teach students, through practice, to develop communication skills that can be used in a variety of speaking situations (such as small and large group discussions, delivery of lectures or speeches in front of audiences, and so on). In this course, students learn the art of argument; students begin with the study of logic, and then apply that logic to the world they live in. Through discussion and debate about specific topics, students gain a deeper understanding of important issues and how to make a powerful argument. Course topics may include (but are not limited to) research and organization, writing for verbal delivery, stylistic choices, visual and presentation skills, analysis and critique, and development of self-confidence. Students may participate on the speech and debate team.

The Bridge to College English Language Arts course is grounded in building critical reading, academic writing, speaking and listening, research and inquiry, and language use as defined by the new state English language arts (ELA) learning standards for high school (Common Core State Standards). Students will read complex nonfiction and fiction texts focusing on issues of both current and enduring importance; evaluate the credibility of information; critique others’ opinions; and construct their own opinions based on evidence. By the end of the course, students will use strategies for critical reading, argumentative writing, and independent thinking while reading unfamiliar texts and responding to them in discussion and writing. The course will also develop essential habits of mind necessary for student success in college, including independence, productive persistence, and metacognition. Students completing the course with a B grade or better will be considered college-ready by Washington Community and Technical colleges and permitted to enroll in entry-level college English Courses with no remediation or additional placement testing required.

Graduation Requirement: English; Career and Technical Education

This course focuses on the theories, methods and techniques used to plan, gather information, writing, and present information in print, audio, and video. The course will prepare individuals in the fields of reporting, writing, marketing, planning, distribution, and management. Includes instruction in media aesthetics; planning, writing styles, facilities management, marketing, distribution, media regulations, copyright law and policy.