English

Grade 9
Required
Full Year
Prerequisites: none

English I is a course designed to acquaint freshmen with major literary genres: short story, poetry, essay, drama, ​memoir, and the novel. As students read literature, the three major goals of the course are 1) to cultivate an appreciation for the various literary forms by helping students perceive meaningful connections between literature and life, 2) to foster an understanding of literature through examination of the ways in which formal elements of a text—especially literary device—contribute to the beauty and integrity of a work, and 3) to develop students’ ability to think critically as demonstrated through analytical writing and oral participation. Students will learn to develop an argument and substantiate it using textual evidence and demonstrating logical thinking. Students are also given opportunities to explore their own experiences creatively by composing reflective essays and short stories. Studies of grammar and vocabulary are integrated into the learning experience, and emphasis is placed on proper usage, punctuation, and sentence construction and variety.

Grade 9
Elective to English I
Full Year
Prerequisites: Department approval (Placement determined by 8th Grade English teacher or admissions recommendations)

English I Plus is a course designed to deepen students’ appreciation and mastery of five major literary genres: short story, poetry, essay, drama, and novel.  As an accelerated class, sophisticated levels of reading comprehension and interpretation drive student-led discussion to articulate implicit themes, analyze effectiveness of particular rhetorical strategies, and explore philosophical ideas suggested by the various texts. Instructors expect students to manage lengthy reading assignments with relative ease and to sustain attention in the face of challenging material. Course goals center on developing critical-thinking skills, reading with empathy, and writing in various modes from analytical to creative.  

Grade 10
Required
Full year
Prerequisites: English I or I Plus. Student's performance in previous English class AND teacher recommendation determines placement. If students do not maintain a B average over three quarters in English I+, they will be required to move into English 2 for their sophomore year.

English II highlights historical context and chronological patterns in American literature such that classic and contemporary texts are analyzed through a thematic approach. This course engages students by examining ethical dilemmas and cultural topics from diverse perspectives. Students read a variety of genres from each of the major literary periods beginning with the Colonial Period and closing with the Postmodern Era. The course explores narratives, like the American Dream, and how they pertain to a citizen's complex sense of self, including gender, race, class, education, and regional cultures. In addition, students probe American literature through writing explications and by conducting prepared and impromptu discussions. Furthermore, students learn to understand and discuss literary devices, style, and structure with greater sophistication through analytical, expository, creative, and reader response writings. Students research and write documented essays employing MLA style.

Grade 10
Elective to English II
Full year
Prerequisites: Department approval. Students currently enrolled in English I+ must maintain a B average or higher in the course; students currently in English I may request to take English II+ if they earn an A or A- average in their freshman year.

English II+ aims to challenge more advanced, highly motivated English students. The course highlights historical context and chronological patterns in American literature such that classic and contemporary texts are analyzed through a thematic approach. This course engages students by examining ethical dilemmas and cultural topics from diverse perspectives. Students read a variety of genres from each of the major literary periods beginning with the Colonial Period and closing with the Postmodern Era. The course explores narratives, like the American Dream, and how they pertain to a citizen's complex sense of self, including gender, race, class, education, and regional cultures. In addition, students probe American literature through writing explications and by conducting prepared and impromptu discussions. Furthermore, students learn to understand and discuss literary devices, style, and structure with greater sophistication through analytical, expository, creative, and reader response writings. Students research and write documented essays employing MLA style while studying grammar and the roots of language.

Grade 11
Required
Full Year
Prerequisites: English II or II+. Student's performance in previous English class and teacher recommendation determines placement. If students do not maintain a B average over three quarters in English II+, they will be required to move into English III for their junior year.

English III is a writing intensive course that prompts students to use their critical thinking skills to connect their thinking, reading, and writing. As such, this course of study is comprised of a variety of perspectives, genres, and literary styles. Thematically, the study of language in literature gives students the opportunity to discuss the meta-narrative of power in both fiction and non-fiction texts. For each writing assignment, students are expected to develop an original insightful thesis, along with paragraphs that display clarity, coherence, good organization, and correct grammar and punctuation.

Understanding a writer’s style is a main focus of writing during the junior year. Analytical writing gives students the opportunity to showcase their mastery of the stylistic techniques used to develop larger ideas, such as theme and characterization. In addition, students are assessed on their ability to sustain a class discussion that reflects careful listening and insightful responses with the goal of moving a discussion forward.

Grade 11
Elective to English III
Full Year
Prerequisites: Department approval. Students currently enrolled in English II+ must maintain a B average or higher in the course; students currently in English II may request to take English III AP if they earn an A or A- average in their sophomore year.

Students in this college-level course will have previously demonstrated strong writing and analytical skills. Students read and carefully analyze a broad and challenging range of prose selections and develop their awareness of how language works. Through close reading and frequent writing, students develop their ability to work with language and text with a greater awareness of purpose and strategy, while strengthening their own composing abilities. The primary goal is to move students toward thinking about what they are reading in a more reflective, disciplined, logical and alert way. The class considers many prose texts from a variety of modes of literature, speculating about the writers' use of language and other choices authors make in their writing. The main focus for including texts is to facilitate the scrutiny of linguistic and rhetorical choices, rather than to study the subtleties of literary analysis. Language study is at the center of the course and is, therefore, the focus of papers written in response to texts read.

Grade 12
Required
Full Year
Prerequisites: English III or III AP. Student's performance in previous English class AND teacher recommendation determines placement. If students do not maintain a B average over three quarters in English III AP, they will be required to move into English IV for their senior year.

Students continue building on the skills in the language arts that were introduced throughout grades 9-11: close reading of a text; discussion of the course theme, "the search for meaning"; analysis of the literary and rhetorical features of individual works; practice in research, including both print and electronic resources; and writing in a variety of modes typical of required college courses—narration, description, exposition, persuasion, etc. Students explore texts from different genres, such as fiction, non-fiction, drama, poetry, and film. Through such activities, students gain a clearer perspective on their readiness for reading and writing at the collegiate level as well as greater insight into their own opinions and the informed opinions of others.

Grade 12
Elective to English IV
Full Year
Prerequisites: Department approval. Students currently enrolled in English III AP must maintain a B average or higher in the course; students currently in English III may request to take English IV AP if they earn an A or A- average in their junior year.

English IV AP is intended to strengthen the skills of analytical reading and writing, which are tested by the Advanced Placement Test in English Literature and Composition. That test asks students to do two fundamental tasks: 1) read literary excerpts with comprehension and analytical skill and 2) write critical essays based on a prose passage, a poem, and a longer literary work. The works studied in the class are typical of the works that students will encounter on the exam.

The course requires students to improve their ability to think perceptively and lucidly, their ability to be flexible in solving the problems presented by texts, and their ability to write effectively. Students also conduct research and synthesize it in a writing exercise using MLA style in order to prepare for success in college courses. Furthermore, students employ technology to support their learning and to further their ability to gather, organize, understand, and present information. Finally, students must become expert analyzers of their own strengths and weaknesses in order to develop strategies for improvement in reading, writing, and thinking.

Grades 9-12
Fall Semester
Prerequisites: None

Students will enjoy, in the words of the poet Billy Collins, “waterski[ing] across the surface” of some of old poems and new poems, while pursuing the development of their own poetic voice and style in a collaborative and supportive community of writers. Experimentation and play are encouraged in this full-credit English elective.  Students will benefit from the workshop approach as they hone their craft and produce a number of quality poems by the end of the semester.  In addition to writing and contributing to the writers' community in the classroom, students will also experience the thrill of sharing their work with readers outside the class by submitting their work to writing contests and the school's literary and arts magazine.

Grades 9-12
Spring Semester
Prerequisites: None

Students will enjoy creating stories in this class while pursuing the development of their own voice and style in a collaborative and supportive community of writers. Students will explore how the elements—namely, characterization, point of view, narrative structure, dialogue, detail, and setting--advance and recede in different genres of storytelling.  Students are encouraged to try out several genres of stories, such as screenplay writing, flash fiction, performative storytelling, short fiction, and personal memoir. Experimentation and play are encouraged in this full-credit English elective.  Students will benefit from the workshop approach as they hone their craft and produce a few quality stories by the end of the semester.  In addition to writing and contributing to the writers' community in the classroom, students will also experience the thrill of sharing their work with readers outside the class by submitting their work to writing contests and the school's literary and arts magazine.