Classes labeled DUAL are Dual Credit classes, meaning you can earn college credit for them. Classes labeled AP are Advanced Placement classes.
The English Language Arts programs emphasize the development of communication skills. All classes provide opportunities for students in reading, composition, speaking, language development, and critical thinking. Courses meet state, district, and school criteria and assessments are CCSS and PPS Guaranteed Viable Curriculum (GVC) aligned. Ida B. Wells English courses are designed in progression in order to prepare students for college and careers and to expose students to a rich variety of texts including fiction and nonfiction as well as nonlinguistic texts.
Graduation Requirements: Students are required to pass four (4) years (units/credits) of English for a regular diploma. Advanced Placement: AP English is an option beginning junior year. Both AP English Language and AP English Literature require summer work which will be available on the school website for the upcoming school year in June. AP English classes are intellectually rewarding, but academically rigorous.
Year 1 and 2 English classes prepare students for advancement to upper-level courses at Ida B. Wells as well as post–secondary study. In the 9th grade year, students explore texts that help them develop a sense of self and a relationship to the world around them. In 10th grade, students study American voices from multiple perspectives. 9th and 10th grade English courses meet state, district, and school criteria for standards in reading, writing, speaking and listening as well as language and are CCSS and GVC aligned.
As students enter their junior year, and begin thinking about next steps beyond the world of Ida B. Wells, we want them to deepen their understanding of the world around them. This will be the central focus of our 11th grade course offerings. Junior-year language arts students can choose from three options, all of which offer rich studies that deepen their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills: Dystopian Literature, Multiple Perspectives in Literature, or AP English Language and Composition. All junior-level English classes prepare students for both senior English classes as well as post–secondary study. Students explore what reading, writing and speaking means in the context of a multicultural society, studying canonical pieces as well as new and rediscovered voices. Students read (e.g., dramas, essays, novels, poetry, nonfiction, and short stories) and produce writing as vehicles to explore social, historical, economic, political, and artistic issues. All junior-level courses meet state, district, and school criteria for standards in reading, writing, speaking and listening as well as language and are CCSS and GVC aligned. Junior level English courses will provide opportunities for students to meet Essential Skills and complete a resume; both are graduation requirements. Students should select their first and second priorities when forecasting. We will make the best attempt possible to give students their first or second choice for their 11th grade English credit.
All senior-level English classes prepare students for post–secondary study. Students explore what reading, writing and speaking means in the context of a multicultural society, studying canonical pieces as well as new and rediscovered voices. Students read (e.g., dramas, essays, novels, poetry, nonfiction, and short stories) and produce writing as vehicles to explore social, historical, economic, political, and artistic issues. All senior-level courses meet state, district, and school criteria for standards in reading, writing, speaking and listening as well as language and are CCSS and GVC aligned. Senior level English courses will provide opportunities for students to complete their My Plan essay, a graduation requirement. Students should select their first and second priorities when forecasting. We will make the best attempt possible to give students their first or second choice for their 12th grade English credit.
English as a Second Language (ESL) is comprised of a series of courses ranging from beginning through advanced. Each course is designed to teach the emerging and progressing bi-lingual students the oral, written, and reading skills necessary to function in a mainstream class. Progress toward mastery is the goal of each course. Curriculum is selected and designed to prepare students for eventual mastery of the state and district benchmarks.
English Language Development (ELD) is required for all students in the ESL program and is to be taken in conjunction with a mainstream English class depending upon the student’s English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) level.
Grade: 9 Prerequisite: None
Ninth-grade language arts students in English 1-2 examine the major genres through four themes related to personal identity and heroism making meaningful connections within and beyond texts. They read a balance of contemporary and classic works—short stories, essays, novels, poetry, dramas, and nonfiction—that encourages them to make inferences and to look at the world through archetypal patterns while building writing, reading, speaking, listening, viewing, and study skills.
Grade: 10 Prerequisite: English 1-2
This course is designed to further student development in reading, writing, speaking and language conventions while building on skills and themes from English 1-2. Fiction texts which speak to democracy, oppression, equality, injustice, civil rights, poverty and prosperity will be read side by side with selected nonfiction speaking to topics and texts from US History. The English department in collaboration with the Social Studies department will utilize an interdisciplinary approach where historical chronology and thematic essential questions inform selections of American literature, seminal U.S. history documents, film and art. An emphasis will be placed on honing skills in the areas of argument, using evidence, rhetorical analysis, inquiry, discussion, written composition and close reading.
Grade: 11 Prerequisite: English 3-4
Dystopian fiction often imagines bleak, post-apocalyptic futures that are controlled by totalitarian regimes, influenced by technology, and characterized by environmental disaster. By focusing on and exaggerating contemporary problems, dystopian fiction has the potential to serve as a lens to better understand the world in which we live. Students will complete reflective, analytical, and creative writing assignments linked with a wide array of readings. Based on class discussion, critical reading, and examination of historical and social context, students will demonstrate their understanding of timeless themes and current lessons in this long-standing and popular genre through a variety of writing and speaking opportunities.
Grade: 11 Prerequisite: English 3-4
Students will examine how writing is used in the service of activism and how authors write to understand and respond to social issues. Through examination and analysis of articles, podcasts, poetry, and film, students will replicate specific writing styles and formats for social issues that interest them. The first three quarters will include focused writing: scripts, articles, and creative writing. The fourth quarter will be spent working on an independent study where students can go more in depth and create a larger final piece concerning the topic of their choice.
Grade: 11-12 Prerequisite: English 3-4
AP English Language and Composition prepares students for college-level reading and writing as well as the Advanced Placement exam. Students will become skilled readers of prose written in a variety of rhetorical contexts and become skilled writers who can compose in a variety of practical and relevant written forms including rhetorical analysis, argument and synthesis (research-based argument). Through critical reading and discussion, students will be able to recognize and analyze interactions between purpose, audience and subject while developing a keen awareness of the way the modes of discourse and the resources of language contribute to effective communication.
Grade: 12 Prerequisite: A junior English class
Have you ever wished that you could just WRITE stories, poems, magazine articles, short films, and micro-plays for English class? This course offers an opportunity to deepen your expressive writing skills through reading current writers as models and exploring a variety of forms and techniques---in a supportive, inclusive collaborative environment. It also offers the opportunity to earn college credit as a PCC WR 121 dual credit course through creating a nonfiction portfolio of work from our class, including a personal or college essay, an annotated bibliography exploring a line of inquiry of your choice, and a long-form creative nonfiction piece based on that inquiry. This is a workshop for students interested in developing their own writing practice, and even (optionally) submitting a piece to writing contests and magazines. In fact, four students have published pieces in literary magazines in the last five years! All levels of writing skill and creative backgrounds are welcome.
Grade: 12 Prerequisite: A junior English class
This class is for the student who would like a solid grounding in college writing in a supportive, collaborative environment that offers multiple chances to revise and resubmit a portfolio for WR 121 Dual Credit. Major projects will include a college essay aimed at today's college admissions environment, an annotated bibliography exploring a line of inquiry of your choice, and subsequently an extended research paper based on that inquiry using MLA format. If you choose to register for PCC credit, you will then collect this work into a portfolio to be submitted to PCC, working closely with a PCC professor who will be available for individual conferences during class time. WR 121 credit will be automatically transferable to any two- or four- year college in Oregon, and typically to other universities around the country.
Grade: 12 Prerequisite: English 3-4
AP English Literature prepares students for the Advanced Placement Exam and college–level reading and writing. Students study both classic and contemporary World, British and American literature. Students engage in close, detailed and critical examination of written text through discussions and critical analysis and on–demand essays. Themes include a study of the story patterns of tragedy, satire/irony, comedy and romance. Students learn to approach texts from a variety of critical perspectives. There is a focus is on developing personal and academic communication skills in formal, informal and creative writing dimensions.
Grade: 9-12 Prerequisite: ELPA scores level 1 or 2; concurrent enrollment in an English class Notes: EL (elective) credit
This course focuses on emerging bi-lingual students. We will use adopted textbooks, short stories and selected novels to begin preparing students for high school course work. The use of current events, maps, graphs, charts, a learning log, and various pieces of literature reinforce listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Cooperative learning gives chances for social interaction and oral language development. This course must be taken in conjunction with a mainstream English class.
Grade: 9-12 Prerequisite: ELPA score level 3 or 4; concurrent enrollment in a English course Notes: EL (elective) credit
No description provided.
GR: 10-12 Prerequisite: 9th Grade English Note: Elective Credit
This class is meant for the author-in-training who would like to work on their own writing projects within the supportive structure of a class that is set up much like a real-world writing group. Students will select semester-long projects, draft and workshop together, and learn how to (optionally) submit their pieces for publication to magazines and contests. We'll also keep a writer's notebook with regular prompts to help find new ideas and material, and explore the literature scene together through guest speakers and field trips (possibly virtual, TBD).
GR 11-12 Prerequisite: None Note: Elective Credit
Learning about the power and influence of the media on our lives is incredibly important. Recognizing why we’re so addicted to and impacted by media videos not only helps us break the cycle of mindless watching, but also how to better create meaningful videos for ourselves. In film and literature, we will learn the true power of narrative storytelling through a combination of the fundamentals of film, analyzing film and literature through a critical lens, and creating our own content to share with each other and the world. We will use technology to share our creations with the school and beyond as we go from students to aspiring filmmakers and writers to create our own digital portfolios.