English Language Arts

General Information about costs incurred in Language Arts classes: One of the skills students learn is to actively engage in close reading of text (highlighting, underlining, annotating, etc.). Therefore, students will be asked to purchase paperback novels and nonfiction books so they can mark their texts. In addition, students may be asked to purchase composition books (journals or sketchbooks). If purchasing a text constitutes a hardship, a student will be provided a copy.

Writing Intervention Workshop

The Writing Intervention Workshop is designed to help improve the writing skill of all students in grades 9-12. Language Arts teachers work individually with students of writing assignments from any discipline, Students may be assigned to the WIW by a teacher, sign-up in advance, or walk-in if room is available.

Required Summer Reading

The Upper Arlington High School Language Arts Department advocates summer reading. In their Language Arts classes, students will receive information about summer reading requirements prior to summer break. Students in honors and AP classes may be asked to read additional texts.

Capstone

0.5 credit - Grade 12

Pass/Fail

Options:

• Summer (Pending final approval)
  • Approximate Dates 6/1/20-6/19/20
  • Students selecting summer option during registration must select an alternative choice for Capstone (semester 1 or semester 2).
  • If you choose summer Capstone there could be a fee.
• Semester 1 (1 period per day for the semester)
• Semester 2 (1 period per day for the semester)

The Senior Capstone Project provides an opportunity for students to invest purposefully in a research-driven experience centered on a self-selected interest, passion or curiosity. Each student will engage in formal research, applied research, and a public presentation and will document the learning experience through the development of a formal portfolio.

The Senior Capstone Project is the culmination of each student’s academic experience at Upper Arlington High School and is required for graduation.

English Learning (E.L.)

1 credit — Grades 9, 10, 11, 12

(1 period per day for each semester)

This course is designed for students for whom English is not their first language. The focus of instruction is to help students develop and improve skills in the four communication areas: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students receive intensive review of English grammar as well as instruction in vocabulary building, essay writing, multicultural literature, and oral presentations. Eligible students may elect this course for a maximum of two academic years.

9th GRADE: Freshman Literature and Composition (FLC)

1 credit —Grade 9

(1 period per day for each semester)

This course will incorporate major works from a variety of genres and styles. Students will read both fiction and nonfiction texts to develop critical thinking skills such as analysis, inference, and synthesis. They will learn research skills such as using search strategies, evaluating sources for credibility and reliability, and citing sources properly. Students will use purposeful language to organize, focus, and develop their oral and written expression. Throughout the year, students will collect writing for revision and reflection. At the end of the year, students will present the work in a cumulative collection.

9th GRADE: FLC Honors

1 credit —Grade 9

(1 period per day for each semester)

Similar to FLC, this course will incorporate major works from a variety of genres and styles, but FLC Honors will incorporate more sophisticated texts and more rigorous assignments. Honor students are expected to read both fiction and nonfiction texts independently to develop critical thinking skills such as analysis, inference, and synthesis. They will learn research skills such as using search strategies, evaluating sources for credibility and reliability, and citing sources properly. Students will use purposeful language to organize, focus, and develop their oral and written expression, and throughout the year, students will collect writing for revision and reflection.

The grade for FLC Honors is weighted and is ideally suited for self-motivated and intellectually curious students. These students should be willing and able to embrace rigorous work.

9th GRADE: FLC Honors, Star Wars Edition

1 credit —Grade 9

(1 period per day for each semester)

While first semester this course will teach the traditional core texts of the year-long FLC Honors curriculum, second semester this course will use George Lucas’ Star Wars saga as a backdrop for exploring epic mythology across time periods and cultures. Designed for students who have a love for science fiction, film and epic storytelling, this course will focus on a study of motifs, allusions and the archetypal Hero’s Journey to highlight the rich commonality of canonical works of literature.

As with FLC Honors, students in FLC Honors, Star Wars Edition, are expected to read both fiction and nonfiction texts independently in order to develop critical thinking skills such as analysis, inference, and synthesis. They will learn research skills such as using search strategies, evaluating sources for credibility and reliability, and citing sources properly. Students will use purposeful language to organize, focus, and develop their oral and written expression, and throughout the year, students will collect writing for revision and reflection.

The grade for FLC Honors, Star Wars Edition, is weighted and ideally suited for self-motivated and intellectually curious students. These students should be willing and able to embrace rigorous work.

10th GRADE: Sophomore Literature & Composition (SLC)

1 credit – Grade 10

(1 period per day for each semester)

Prerequisites: Freshman Literature and Composition

Sophomore Literature and Composition will expand on the personal analysis completed in Freshman Literature and Composition. Through analysis of literature, film, poetry, and a variety of non-fiction sources, students will gain a deeper understanding of the society in which they live. Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to refine and showcase their composition and research skills. Throughout the year, students will be expected to demonstrate mastery of all skills within the 9-10 grade-band of the Common Core State Standards.

10th GRADE: SLC Honors

1 credit – Grade 10

(1 period per day for each semester)

This course will expand beyond the SLC curriculum by incorporating more sophisticated texts and assignments.

The grade for SLC Honors is weighted, and while enrollment is open to all students, it is ideally suited for self-motivated and intellectually curious learners. These students should be willing and able to embrace highly rigorous work. It is strongly recommended that 9th-grade students consult their Language Arts teachers about the suitability of this course.

11th GRADE: Language, Literature, and Composition (LLC 11)

1 credit—Grade 11

(1 period per day for each semester)

Prerequisite: Sophomore Literature and Composition

LLC 11 is designed to develop students' critical awareness of perspective through texts that are read, viewed, or written. The recursive nature of this coursework reflects our belief that critical reading and composition skills cannot be internalized without practice involving a variety of text types and writing assignments. This course prepares all students for college-level reading and writing.

12th GRADE: Language, Literature, and Composition 12 (LLC 12)

1 credit —Grade 12

(1 period per day for each semester)

Prerequisite: Language, Literature, and Composition 11

The purpose of this college preparatory class is to develop critical reading and sophisticated written communication skills; to nurture awareness of writers' purposes and techniques; and to foster deep understanding and appreciation of the literary arts.

ENGLISH ELECTIVE - Etymology

0.5 Elective Credit — Grades 9-12

(1 period daily for one semester)

This course is designed to give students an opportunity to develop a stronger vocabulary and greater appreciation for words through an examination of the debt English owes to other languages. While the course will place primary emphasis on English words with Greek and Latin roots because of their prevalence in academic and professional lexicons, students will also learn common phrases from other languages that have found their way into English usage, as well as engage in independent study of words encountered in their own experience. Students who enroll in this elective should expect recurring weekly assignments, as well as weekly and cumulative assessments. Students who intend to enroll, or are concurrently enrolled, in higher-level courses would benefit from the enrichment the course provides.

ENGLISH ELECTIVE - Creative Writing I

0.5 Elective Credit — Grades 10-12

(1 period daily for one semester)

This course focuses on writing for publication in the following genres: poetry, fiction, drama, and creative nonfiction. The purpose of this class is to encourage students to cultivate the habits, attitudes, and flexibility of a professional writer in a professional writing community.

Students will practice writing like a reader and reading like a writer. Students will be expected to enter final products into professional and/or student contests, confer regularly with the instructor, participate in writer/reader-response workshop groups with classmates, read and interpret mentor texts written by classic and contemporary authors, keep and regularly write in a writer’s notebook, and experiment with and revise writing routinely. In place of a traditional semester exam, students will be required to create and present a multi-faceted portfolio of original writing.

ENGLISH ELECTIVE - Creative Writing II

0.5 elective credit — Grades 10-12

(1 period daily for one semester)

Prerequisites: Creative Writing I

This course is a continuation of Creative Writing I. Students will continue to develop their writing through independent genre study and will continue to seek publication of their work.

ENGLISH ELECTIVE - Film Analysis - Topics in Composition

1 Elective Credit —Grades 10-12

(1 period per day for 1 year)

This elective is a film studies course designed to help students acquire the critical tools necessary to analyze films through written and oral expression. As students develop these skills of media literacy, their appreciation, understanding, and critical sensibilities in connection with the cinema will be heightened. The course will include reading assignments, periodic quizzes, class discussions, presentations, projects, and essays for students to demonstrate their depth of understanding. Students will be required to submit parental permission to view “R” rated films that may be included in the curriculum.

Topics in Literature Seminar: 20th-Century Irish Literature

0.5 elective credit

Grades 11, 12

This one-semester course will provide an introduction to the rich variety of Irish literature of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with special emphasis on the historical circumstances out of which it grew. Coursework will consist of readings in the fiction, drama, and poetry of the period, as well as foundational Irish mythology. We will study works by key figures in the Irish Literary Renaissance of the early 20th century, including authors such as Yeats, Joyce, and Synge. We will also study works by more recent authors like Heaney, Muldoon, and Friel. Attention, inevitably, will fall on the traditional preoccupations of Irish literature: the strength of national or patriotic feeling, the place of the Church in Irish culture, the power of Irish family life, and the special quality of the English language in Ireland.

ENGL 1100 Composition I

1 credit - Grades 11, 12

(1 period per day for 1 semester)

Prerequisites: Placement into ENGL 1100 or 18 English ACT score SAT(Feb 2016 & Prior) 430 Writing SAT (March 2016 & Later) 490 Evidence-based Reading and Writing

English 1100 is a composition course which develops processes for critically reading, writing, and responding to a variety of texts in order to compose clear, concise, expository essays. With a focus on academic literacy the course facilitates an awareness of purpose, audience, content, structure and style, while also advancing research and documentation methods. Course reading and writing assignments may be thematically organized.

Students who take this course earn one year of high school English credit and three semester hours of college credit. Students should keep in mind that grades earned for this course will also appear on their college transcripts.

As a foundational course, ENGL 1100 serves as a prerequisite for many other college credit plus electives.

ENGL 2367 Composition II

1 credit - Grades 11, 12

(1 period per day for 1 semester)

Prerequisites: ENGL 1100 passed with a C or better

ENGL 2367 is an intermediate composition course that extends and refines skills in expository and argumentative writing, critical reading, and critical thinking. This course also refines skills in researching a topic, documenting sources, and working collaboratively. Course reading and writing assignments are organized around diversity and those who comprise various cultural identities.

Students who take this course earn one year of high school English credit and three semester hours of college credit. Students should keep in mind that grades earned for this course will also appear on their college transcripts.

COMM 2245 Introduction to Film

1 credit - Grades 11, 12

(1 period per day for 1 semester)

Prerequisites: ENGL 1100

COMM 2245 offers an introduction to film by analyzing elements of film technique: literature, story, drama, editing, movement, acting, sound, photography, staging and theory.

Students who take this course earn one year of high school English credit and three semester hours of college credit. Students should keep in mind that grades earned for this course will also appear on their college transcripts.