The English 9 course is an overview of exemplar selections of literature in fiction and nonfiction genres. Students read short stories, poems, a full-length novel, and a full-length Shakespeare play, analyzing the use of elements of literature in developing character, plot, and theme. For example, in selected stories, students compare the effect of setting on tone and character development. Likewise, in the poetry unit, students analyze how artists and writers draw from and interpret source material.

Each unit includes informational texts inviting students to consider the historical, social, and literary context of the main texts they study. For example, in the first semester, a Nikolai Gogol story that is offered as an exemplar of magical realism is accompanied by instruction on that genre. Together, the lesson content and reading prompt students to demonstrate their understanding of magical realism by analyzing its qualities in a literary text.

Throughout the course, students respond to others’ claims and support their own claims in essays, discussions, and presentations, consistently using thorough textual evidence. The range of texts includes canonical authors such as William Shakespeare, Franz Kafka, and Elie Wiesel, as well as writers from diverse backgrounds, such as Alice Walker, Li-Young Lee, and Robert Lake-Thom (Medicine Grizzlybear).

The English 12 course asks students to closely analyze world literature and consider how we humans define and interact with the unknown, the monstrous, and the heroic. In the epic poems The Odyssey, Beowulf, and The Inferno, in Shakespeare’s Tempest, in the satire of Swift, and in the rhetoric of World War II, students examine how the ideas of “heroic” and “monstrous” have been defined across cultures and time periods and how the treatment of the “other” can make monsters or heroes of us all.

Reading Frankenstein and works from those who experienced the imperialism of the British Empire, students explore the notion of inner monstrosity and consider how the dominant culture can be seen as monstrous in its ostensibly heroic goal of enlightening the world.

Throughout this course, students analyze a wide range of literature, both fiction and nonfiction. They build writing skills by composing analytical essays, persuasive essays, personal narratives, and research papers. In order to develop speaking and listening skills, students participate in discussions and prepare speeches. Overall, students gain an understanding of the way world literature represents the array of voices that contribute to our global identity.

*2 semesters, 1 credit

Media Literacy teaches students how to build the critical thinking, writing, and reading skills required in a media-rich and increasingly techno-centric world. In a world saturated with media messages, digital environments, and social networking, concepts of literacy must expand to include all forms of media. Today’s students need to be able to read, comprehend, analyze, and respond to non-traditional media with the same skill level they engage with traditional print sources.

A major topic in Media Literacy is non-traditional media reading skills, including how to approach, analyze, and respond to advertisements, blogs, websites, social media, news media, and wikis. Students also engage in a variety of writing activities in non-traditional media genres, such as blogging and podcast scripting.

Students consider their own positions as consumers of media and explore ways to use non-traditional media to become more active and thoughtful citizens. Students learn how to ask critical questions about the intended audience and underlying purpose of media messages, and study factors which can contribute to bias and affect credibility.

This course is built to state standards and informed by The National Association for Media Literacy Education’s Core Principles of Media Literacy Education.

*1 semester, .5 credit

In English 11 Honors, students examine the belief systems, events, and literature that have shaped the United States. They begin by studying the language of independence and the system of government developed by Thomas Jefferson and other enlightened thinkers. Next, they explore how the Romantics and Transcendentalists emphasized the power and responsibility of the individual in both supporting and questioning the government. Students consider whether the American Dream is still achievable and examine the Modernists’ disillusionment with the idea that America is a “land of opportunity.”

Reading the words of Frederick Douglass and the text of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, students look carefully at the experience of African Americans and their struggle to achieve equal rights. In addition, students explore how an individual copes with the influence of war and cultural tension while trying to build and secure a personal identity. Finally, students examine how technology affects our contemporary experience of freedom: Will we eventually change our beliefs about what it means to be an independent human being?

In this course, students analyze a wide range of literature, both fiction and nonfiction. They build writing skills by preparing analytical and persuasive essays, personal narratives, and research papers. Opportunities for self-directed study, including outside readings, open-ended journal entries, and free-form projects, challenge Honors students to use their creativity and critical thinking skills to gain independent mastery of reading and writing. Finally, in order to develop speaking and listening skills, students participate in discussions and prepare speeches. Overall, students gain an understanding of the way American literature represents the array of voices contributing to our multicultural identity.

*2 semesters, 1 credit

English Foundations I supports adolescent literacy development at the critical stage between decoding and making meaning from text. Through intensive reading and writing skills instruction, deep practice sets, consistent formative feedback, graduated reading levels, and helpful strategy tips, the course leads students to improved comprehension and text handling.

Semester 1 provides instruction in basic reading skills and vocabulary building. The student learns what a successful reader does to attack words and sentences and make meaning from them. Semester 2 provides instruction in basic writing skills, introduces academic tools, and demonstrates effective study skills. The student learns step-by-step processes for building effective paragraphs and learns how to use academic tools such as reference books and outlines. To provide additional support, the course uses text features and visual clues to draw students’ attention to important information. The use of text features is also designed to help students internalize strategies for comprehending informational text.

Characters appear throughout the instruction to offer tips and fix-up strategies in an authentic, first-person, think-aloud format. Their inclusion makes transparent the reading processes that go on inside the mind of a successful reader. This extra metacognitive support serves to bolster student confidence and provide a model of process and perseverance.

Numerous practice opportunities are provided in the form of assessments that move from no stakes to low stakes to high stakes throughout a unit. This practice is centered on authentic and age-appropriate passages that are written in a topical framework and use controlled syntax and vocabulary. The difficulty of these passages gradually increases from a 3rd- to 5th grade reading level over the duration of the course. Additional support is offered through significant formative feedback in practice and assessment.

This course guides students through the reading, writing, and basic academic skills needed to prepare for success in academic coursework. At the end of the course, the student should be poised for continued success in the academic world. The content is based on extensive national and state standards research and consultation with reading specialists and classroom teachers. This course is built to state standards for reading and writing and informed by NCTE/IRA reading and writing standards.

*2 semesters, 1 credit

Creative Writing is an English elective course that focuses on the exploration of short fiction and poetry, culminating in a written portfolio that includes one revised short story and three to five polished poems. Students draft, revise, and polish fiction and poetry through writing exercises, developing familiarity with literary terms and facility with the writing process as they study elements of creative writing.

Elements of fiction writing explored in this course include attention to specific detail, observation, character development, setting, plot, and point of view. In the poetry units, students learn about the use of sensory details and imagery, figurative language, and sound devices including rhyme, rhythm and alliteration. They also explore poetic forms ranging from found poems and slam poetry to traditional sonnets and villanelles.

In addition to applying literary craft elements in guided creative writing exercises, students engage in critical reading activities designed to emphasize the writing craft of a diverse group of authors. Students study short stories by authors such as Bharati Mukherjee and Edgar Allan Poe, learning how to create believable characters and develop setting and plot. Likewise, students read poetry by canonical greats such as W. B. Yeats and Emily Dickinson as well as contemporary writers such as Pablo Neruda, Sherman Alexie, and Alice Notley. Studying the writing technique of a range of authors provides students with models and inspiration as they develop their own voices and refine their understanding of the literary craft.

By taking a Creative Writing course, students find new approaches to reading and writing that can affect them on a personal level, as the skills they gain in each lesson directly benefit their own creative goals. Students who are already actively engaged writers and readers learn additional tools and insight into the craft of writing to help them further hone their skills and encourage their creative as well as academic growth.

This course is built to state standards and informed by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) standards.

*1 semester, .5 credit