The curriculum for 9-12 English is designed to integrate our school mission with courses that both reinforce and challenge and are taught in a structured environment designed to encourage success. The scope and sequence of upper grades English emphasizes understanding and mastery of advanced skills in writing, and reading in order to prepare students for the smoothest possible transition to colleges and universities.
English I
Students in English I explore oral communication, written communication, and media and technology to determine how audience, purpose, and context shape them. Students engage in relevant communication for expository, argumentative, expressive, and literary purposes with a focus on communicating for purposes of personal expression. Students focus on analytical writing and discover all genres of literature including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama.
English II
Students in English II read, discuss, and write about both classical and contemporary world literature through which students identify cultural significance. They will examine world literature to determine how global ideas relate to their own experiences. Students will research material that will be used to clarify their responses to situations and literary issues. Students will use standard grammatical conventions of language appropriate to purpose, audience, and context of work. Students will increase their vocabulary through reading and completing a vocabulary program. Students will use appropriate grammar and knowledge of language to develop a writing portfolio that includes a variety of products.
English III
The focus of English III is critical analysis of texts through reading, writing, speaking, listening, and using media. Students analyze United States literature as it reflects social perspective and historical significance. Students will compare texts to determine similarities or differences in themes, characters, or ideas as they read a variety of literature from the Colonial, Romantic, Modern, and Contemporary eras. Students write a research paper on a major American author and an analytical term paper on a novel of their choice.
English III Advanced Placement – Language and Composition (AP)
English III AP is a college level course that travels through centuries of American Literature. Each section represents a different part of American history and how each author influenced the American way. From John Smith’s accounts of the founding of Jamestown to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s invention of Transcendentalism and a new way of thinking, each author influences or recounts major time periods in American history. Through these works of literature, the students are taught to read critically and interpret the meanings of each work. This thought process is illustrated through analytical essays. In these essays, each student interprets the work of literature in their own words and finds proof from the text to prove their theory. Also, the students are exposed to an expanse of new vocabulary, literary terms, different styles of prose and poetry, and also new ways of thinking.
English IV
Students focus of British literature as they continue to explore expressive, expository, argumentative, and literary context. The emphasis in English IV is argumentation by developing a position of advocacy through reading, writing, speaking, listening, and the use of media. Students develop and present arguments in oral and written form that addresses a variety of issues. Students will apply conventions of grammar and language usage to write a research paper related to British literature or authors.
English IV Advanced Placement – Literature (AP)
An Advanced Placement course in English Language Arts is intended to provide the equivalent in content and difficulty of a college-level introductory English course. Students in AP English become skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods. Students focus on British Literature as they develop an awareness of the writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and the variety of conventions used to produce effective writing. Students focus of the elements of fiction, poetry, and drama. They develop and refine writing skills to include essays, analytical writing, and other types of writing. Students increase their word base by studying Ivy League Vocabulary words and definitions. Students use appropriate grammar and language skills to write papers and prepare oral reports. Students will prepare and present a variety of products related to literature.