ENGLISH I
English I serves as an introduction to essential literary genres: short story, poetry, drama, essay, and novel. Students become more critical readers and better writers as they improve their vocabulary, practice and utilize grammatical lessons and stylistic guidelines, and develop strong oral skills during class discussions and a final unit on rhetoric. Writing assignments, which stem from the literature, give students the opportunity to craft analytical essays, as well as to discover their own styles and approaches through personal responses and creative essays. In addition, English I will also provide general study skills and habits conducive to academic success in high school and beyond.
Texts: include, but are not limited to, a variety of short stories, poems, essays and speeches; A Separate Peace by John Knowles; A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah; and Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.
Videos: Alfred Hitchcock's "Lamb to the Slaughter" and Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing. Fictional and historic speeches include orations from Henry V, Braveheart, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speech, "I Have a Dream."
Level: English I is a course for freshmen
Prerequisite: None
ENGLISH II
Throughout this year-long course, students will learn to be effective writers and readers of the English language through the study of literature and the practice of its skills. Students will look at literature and its writing through the eyes of the people that write it and those that it affects. Students will develop a vocabulary of terms pertaining to each literary form they study and use these terms in order to discuss and analyze the works of noted literary figures, as well as to produce creative works of their own. In addition to the study of literature, students will learn proper writing mechanics and elements of essay and research writing. As with all English courses, students are required to participate during daily classroom discussion and practice the skill of verbal articulation and productive questioning. Mastering the use of the English language is a valuable asset and powerful tool, and throughout this course students hone those techniques and create valuable and lasting skills for the future. This course fulfills one year of English credit and culminates with participation in the school-wide Humanities Fair.
Texts include, but are not limited to, a variety of short stories, J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, a variety of poetry, Shakespeare's Macbeth, Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse- Five, and Art Spieglman's Maus: A Survivor's Tale.
Level: English II is a course for sophomores.
Prerequisite: English I or an equivalent freshman year of English.
ENGLISH III HONORS
Through the study of literature, students will develop and practice critical thinking skills as they become more effective listeners, speakers, readers, and writers of the English language. They will explore the joys of close reading, literary analysis, and clear, concise, and compelling written response. Students will study writing mechanics and elements of essay and research writing, focusing on grammar, vocabulary, structure, voice, textual analysis and evidence, and revision. Mastering the use of the English language is an invaluable asset, powerful tool, and lifelong gift, and throughout this course we will hone essential language and communication skills. As an Honors course, students are expected to push and stretch themselves, arriving at each class prepared and ready to learn, participate, and actively support the learning and intellectual pursuit of their classmates. They will be preparing themselves for the opportunity to take AP English their senior year as they become more accustomed to meeting the expectations of an advanced level literature course. Thematically, the class will explore the idea of sustainable happiness as an alternative to American and Western historical notions of happiness. Each of the course’s six units focuses on a specific part of the twentieth century, and as we explore the literature of the different decades, we will also investigate themes in music, art, and popular culture. In the first semester, we will look at our own and universal definitions of happiness and then investigate the concepts of happiness as seen in novels and short stories from the different time periods. In the second semester, we will look at definitions of sustainability in literature, how these definitions shift and change with time, and how we as individuals can make efforts to create a world of sustainable happiness for all beings.
Texts: Ismael (Daniel Quinn), Cannery Row ( John Steinbeck), Franny and Zooey (J.D. Salinger), Buried Child (Sam Shepherd), The Tempest (William Shakespeare), Island (Aldous Huxley), and When the Killing’s Done (T.C.Boyle). Short stories will come from The Best American Short Stories of the Century (1999, John Updike and Katrina Kenison, eds.). Essays and poems will come from several sources and are conscientiously chosen to connect with course themes.
Level: English III Honors is a course for juniors.
Prerequisite: The prerequisite consists of a letter of intent, as well as an expository writing sample.
ENGLISH III-IV SUSTAINABLE HAPPINESS
Through the study of literature, students will develop and practice critical thinking skills as they become more effective listeners, speakers, readers, and writers of the English language. They will learn the joys of close reading, literary analysis, and clear, concise, and compelling written response. Students will study writing mechanics and elements of essay and research writing, focusing on grammar, vocabulary, structure, voice, textual analysis and evidence, and revision. Mastering the use of the English language is an invaluable asset, powerful tool, and lifelong gift, and throughout this course we will hone essential language and communication skills. Thematically, the class will explore human happiness and sustainability and their interconnection, particularly in terms of American literature and the evolution of the human race. Each of the course’s six units focuses on a specific part of the twentieth century, and as we explore the literature of the different decades, we will also investigate themes in music, art, and popular culture. In the first semester, we will look at our own and universal definitions of happiness and then investigate the concepts of happiness as seen in novels and short stories from the different time periods. In the second semester, we will look at definitions of sustainability in literature, how these definitions shift and change with time, and how we as individuals can make efforts to create a world of sustainable happiness for all beings.
Texts: Ismael (Daniel Quinn), Cannery Row ( John Steinbeck), Franny and Zooey (J.D. Salinger), Buried Child (Sam Shepherd), The Tempest (William Shakespeare), Island (Aldous Huxley), and When the Killing’s Done (T.C.Boyle). Short stories will come from The Best American Short Stories of the Century (1999, John Updike and Katrina Kenison, eds.). Essays and poems will come from several sources and are conscientiously chosen to connect with course themes.
Level: English III-IV is a course for juniors and seniors.
Prerequisite: None
ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH: LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION
In this year-long course, students will engage in an intensive study of literature and writing, which agrees with the standards expected from a college-level English course. The curriculum requirements in this class will follow those specified in the AP Literature and Composition Course Description. Due to these considerations, students should expect to read and analyze challenging, dense and thought-provoking material, and be prepared when they come to class with questions and other points for an engaging discussion of the material.
Students will be expected to read a wide variety of texts and to look at them with a perceptive, critical eye, examining the elements that are required for close analysis. Students will employ their vocabulary of literary terms and use these terms in order to discuss and analyze the works of noted literary figures from a variety of time periods, locations and genres. Writing assignments in this course will consist of in-class timed writing and out-of-class formal process essays, and both will be provided with opportunities for revision.
The goal of this course is to prepare students for the AP Literature and Composition Exam, and, therefore, it is a requirement of the course that all students take the exam in May. This course provides students with a year's credit of English.
Level: AP English is a course for juniors and seniors
Prerequisite: Letter of intent and approval from instructor and Dean of Academics.
CREATIVE WRITING
In this course, students will write. A lot. We will explore a myriad of genres, including essays, memoirs, spoken word, poetry, short fiction, and playwriting. The class will work on the following skills: character development, editing/re-drafting, peer feedback, narrative structure, imagery, subtext, voice, point of view and description. Each class will include a free write, reading, feedback, writing exercises, discussion, and the essential, laborious, and time-consuming tasks of re-writing and editing. The course will culminate in a public reading of selected works.
Texts: Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within (Natalie Goldberg), Inside Story (Dara Marx), and various examples of fiction, poetry, spoken word, and memoir.
Level: Creative Writing is a trimester-long course open to all students.
Prerequisite: Desire to write and share one’s writing, ability to dedicate oneself to the creativity and productivity of the writing group, and strong work ethic.