English

List of 13 items.

• English 9 AA

  English 9 serves as a genre studies course, exposing students to poetry, stories, plays, novels, epics, graphic novels, essays, and more, with the goal of approaching diverse texts by diverse authors with empathy and curiosity. Students will be equipped with the literary vocabulary specific to each genre. Students learn the defining characteristics of the three modes of prose-writing—argumentative, expository, and narrative—and practice writing in all three modes, with a particular emphasis on key components of argumentation, such as clear thesis statements, supportive evidence, and logical organization. Students also write, revise, and share original creative writing. Class discussion relies heavily on small and large group collaboration, with an emphasis on student-directed exploration of texts and debate of ideas.

• English 10 AA

  English 10 serves as a survey of World Literature. Students read classic and contemporary voices alike from around the globe, taking into consideration many of the political and cultural questions informing their creation. Students continue to develop their skills in analyzing authors’ craft and structure through increasingly complex and sophisticated assignments.

  Students practice independent thinking and clear communication by engaging meaningfully and respectfully in conversations about literature and language. Particular focus is given to the writing process in both analytical and personal writing. Interdisciplinary connections and comparisons abound, especially with the curriculum of World History II, which enrolls all the same students.

   

• English 9 AAG

  English 9 serves as a genre studies course, exposing students to poetry, stories, plays, novels, epics, graphic novels, essays, and more, with the goal of approaching diverse texts by diverse authors with empathy and curiosity. Students will be equipped with the literary vocabulary specific to each genre. Students learn the defining characteristics of the three modes of prose-writing—argumentative, expository, and narrative—and practice writing in all three modes, with a particular emphasis on key components of argumentation, such as clear thesis statements, supportive evidence, and logical organization. Students also write, revise, and share original creative writing. Class discussion relies heavily on small and large group collaboration, with an emphasis on student-directed exploration of texts and debate of ideas.

• English 10 AAG

  English 10 serves as a survey of World Literature. Students read classic and contemporary voices alike from around the globe, taking into consideration many of the political and cultural questions informing their creation. Students continue to develop their skills in analyzing authors’ craft and structure through increasingly complex and sophisticated assignments.

  Students practice independent thinking and clear communication by engaging meaningfully and respectfully in conversations about literature and language. Particular focus is given to the writing process in both analytical and personal writing. Interdisciplinary connections and comparisons abound, especially with the curriculum of World History II, which enrolls all the same students.

   

• English 11

  English 11 serves as a survey of American Literature, exposing students to diverse American voices from colonial to contemporary times. Texts studied may span the breadth of movements in American Literature, including Puritanism, Romanticism, Gothic, Realism, Naturalism, Modernism, and the Harlem Renaissance. and they consider how various texts reflect the social, political and moral issues of the nation. Students rely on skills and strategies like close reading, student-led discussions, and interdisciplinary lenses to explore the complex and ever-changing American Dream and American identity. Assignments may include research-based presentations, comparative analyses, and collaborative projects.

   

• H English 11

  Teacher Recommendation Required
  
  English 11 Honors is an advanced survey of American Literature. In addition to studying canonical and contemporary texts by American voices, the honors-level program focuses primarily on one single skill in many forms: how to take one text and apply it to another. This skill is the foundation of college and professional work: taking a political tract and applying it to a developing nation, taking a documented standard and applying it to practice, taking a psychological tendency and applying it to a business venture. Along the way, we explore, practice and refine what it means to read, write, think, and discuss at a higher level where students are not passively absorbing the world around them, but shaping it.

• Senior English I

  Senior English I: Making Literary Connections; and Public Speaking.

  The primary purpose of this course is to help students to acquire the skills – and the confidence – to express themselves well in writing. For the first two terms of this course, we read and write about a variety of literary works (short stories, poetry, a couple of plays, and a couple of short novels). In the early fall we write a college application essay. The ultimate goal is to prepare students for the rigors of college writing and thinking. In the spring this course shifts to Public Speaking, which should be a useful course for any students who anticipate making presentations in college and in the real world afterwards.

   

• Senior English II

  Making Literary Connections; and Evil vs. Higher Powers
  
  

  The primary purpose of this course is to help students to acquire the skills needed to handle the rigors of college writing. For the first two terms of this course, we read and write about a variety of literary works (short stories, poetry, a couple of plays, and a couple of short novels) that are grouped thematically. In the early fall, we write a college application essay. The readings in the spring, which focus on the theme of evil vs. a higher power, include a couple of longer novels, as well as stories and poems.

   

• Senior English III

  Deconstructing Language, Literature, and Laughter

  
  This course has three movements. First, we learn about and implement a series of college-level rhetorical modes and strategies with the goal of becoming more persuasive writers and speakers. Second, we explore literary studies through the lens of examining heroes and villains with the goal of cultivating a practical approach to academic writing as well as reading, discussing, and thinking critically. Finally, we study the modes and methods of American humor with the goal of being able to “read” the world around us, analyze meaning and impact, and finally write and perform our own responses to that world.

• Senior English IV

  Introduction to Communications
  
  

  The course covers three units. In Journalism & Media, students read and write across various media (print, radio, television, and Internet), conduct research, and learn interviewing strategies. Assignments may include news reports, reviews, profiles, and source evaluations. In Marketing & Advertising, students learn and apply the principles of persuasion, with a focus on audience awareness and rhetorical appeals. Assignments may include advertising campaigns, press releases, market research proposals, and brand manifestos. In Professional Writing, students combine critical thinking with concise writing to compose practical compositions modeled on real-life exemplars. Assignments may include resumes and cover letters, technical writing, professional bios, business/grant proposals, and persuasive memos.

   

• Senior English V

  Race and Gender in Literature and Music

  
  Readings will include novels, essays, poetry, and song lyrics that explore the role of race and gender in an increasingly diverse world. This reading list serves as a lens to navigate the various communities in which students live. Close reading and structured writing hone foundational skills. Students engage with peers in meaningful dialogue and study contemporary writers who give voice to their generation by building on the work of literary greats. Particular attention is paid to racial and gender identities, as well as how writers inform, inspire, and reflect one another’s work.

   

• Senior English VI

  Creative Writing

  
  This course covers four major units: 1.) creative nonfiction; 2.) fiction; 3.) poetry, and 4.) drama. (Students will also be exposed to sub-genres of creative writing, such as graphic narratives, children’s literature, and songwriting.) In each unit, students first read exemplary texts by contemporary voices to analyze their craft, and then apply that knowledge by composing original creative works. The course values process— brainstorming, drafting, workshopping, and revising—as well as product, with the goal of producing submission-ready work in each genre. Particular attention is paid to conflict, theme, voice, structure, point-of-view, characterization, imagery, form, figurative language, sound devices, dialogue, mood, and plot.

   

• AP English

  This course is designed to entice and challenge seniors with a special interest in and talent for English. The readings in this course, which include classics like Macbeth and Medea and more modern works like Beloved and The Handmaid’s Tale, as well as a generous variety of poems, are selected to invite discussion of character and of the world in which we live. Besides writing a college essay in the early fall, students write a number of essays entailing analysis of a variety of works of literature, including pieces from past AP English Literature and Composition exams in preparation for the AP exam in May.