Course Descriptions English Department Mission Statement
The study of English seeks to create a dialogue between the student and language through literature, drama, poetry, and other media. As the act of storytelling is central to the human experience, this is a lifelong relationship. Students are encouraged to develop habits of thoughtful reflection, critical analysis, creativity, fearless imagination, rigor, and clear expression of their emerging voices. Above all, this course of study provides a space where students may examine their sense of conscience and compassion through their growing understanding of community, world, and self.
English 9
English 10
Freshman English introduces students to a variety of literary genres, including short stories, novels, and poetry. The class emphasizes personal writing and class discussion as strategies for exploring literature and its connections with life. The different units include relevant non-fiction for two reasons: to build needed background knowledge and to teach annotation and summary strategies. The course reviews grammar and usage, as well as sentence structure and paragraph development. It also includes practice in different types of writing, from responses relating personal experiences to fiction reading, to more academic prose and even student-authored short stories. Learning goals for this class include: Proficiency in Active Reading at the 9th-Grade level, including the ability to identify genre, narrative voice and point of view, and theme and message. Emerging proficiency in using annotation and summary as “reading to learn” strategies. Emerging mastery of the conventions of sentence structure, capitalization, and punctuation, and a growing ability to compose using a variety of sentence structures. Ability to compose well-structured paragraphs that include topic sentences and supporting examples. Ability to write five-paragraph essays using the MLA format.
This course focuses on advancing Tenth Grade students’ reading and writing skills and stresses the importance of considering a text within the background of the time and place of its writer and its setting. Units include works by major American and other English-language authors, and they also teach relevant non-fiction in order to build needed background knowledge and to teach annotation and summary strategies. The course deepens understanding of grammar and usage, especially in the understanding and composition of complex sentences, and includes focus on strategies for paragraph development.
Learning goals for the class include:
Proficiency in Active Reading at the 10th- Grade level, including the ability to draw valid inferences from readings about narrative voice, character, theme, and plot. Emerging proficiency in using annotation and summary as “reading to learn” strategies. Growing sensitivity to tone and voice in literary and non-fiction writing. Growing ability to compose complex sentences with correct punctuation and other mechanics. Ability to compose thoughtful paragraphs and analysis essays using a formal tone.
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