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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT:
The English Department focuses instruction so students will:
• Demonstrate proficiency in literary history with an understanding of religious, moral, and social values relevant to a developing faith life.
• Communicate skillfully and effectively through print, visual, auditory, and technological media in the home, school, community, and workplace.
• Implement research strategies using a variety of media, both electronic and print.
• Utilize critical thinking in the interpretation of literature.
• Develop various reading strategies to facilitate individual reading level/style.
The school requires 4 credits of English for graduation.
1220 English I (Grade 9; 2 semesters; 1 credit)
This course combines the study of literature, grammar, and composition. The student will learn terms and literary techniques and backgrounds used in short stories, poetry, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Greek mythology, and several paperback novels from the freshman reading list. Composition skills will emphasize correct sentence structure and writing a unified, coherent essay. The class will have a library unit to develop competence in research using both print and online materials. The class also focuses on grammar skills, parts of speech, sentence structure, and usage.
1224 English II (Grade 10; 2 semesters; 1 credit)
Students will read short stories, poetry, drama, Arthurian legends, and novels. Course objectives include developing the student’s ability to identify, analyze, and interpret plot, setting, characterization, narration, diction, figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and theme. Students will be given the opportunity to identify and analyze different types of poetry such as sonnets, ballads, and dramatic monologues. In addition, students will identify and analyze major characteristics of drama and its particular forms. There will also be an opportunity for students to analyze and interpret selected elementary medieval romances. Students will learn writing techniques and demonstrate these skills in various writing assignments which will include essays of analysis, interpretation, and evaluation. There will also be the opportunity for the expansion of vocabulary.
Course Selection Recommendations for Juniors and Seniors
The English Department recommends that all students take Great Books I/Essay (one semester) during their Junior year and Great Books II/Term Paper (one semester) during their Senior Year or AP English (full year course) during their senior year.
1226 Great Books I/Essay (Grade 11-12; 1 semester; ½ credit)
This course concentrates on the reading of Classic modern works of American and world literature. Students will interpret and evaluate the novels to determine and support a thesis statement and essay for novels. Students will also write argumentative essays and work to improve writing skill, style, and essay structure.
Prerequisite: English teacher’s signature
1227 Great Books II/Research Paper (Grade 12; 1 semester; ½ credit)
This course concentrates on the reading of literary classics and on learning the necessary skills for constructing a documented research paper. Students will discuss the literary values and techniques of the work and will interpret and evaluate selected novels. Also, students will apply research skills and will emphasize self-discipline in following directions, meeting specific deadlines, and implementing documentation.
Prerequisite: English teacher’s signature
1228 American Literature (Grade 11-12; 1 semester; ½ credit)
This course is highly recommended for the college-bound student. It is a chronological study of some of the great works in American literature from its beginnings to the present. Authors include Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, and John Steinbeck. Students will be asked to respond to the literature in writing and will work to develop independent reading skills and maturity in analysis.
Prerequisite: English teacher’s signature
1229 English Literature (Grade 11-12; 1 semester; ½ credit)
This course is highly recommended for the college-bound student. It is a chronological study of some of the great works in English literature from its beginnings to the present. Works read include Arthurian legend, The Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, modern short stories and poems, and a wide range of genre and writers. Students will be asked to respond in writing to the literature and will work to develop independence in reading ability and maturity in analytical response to literature.
Prerequisite: English teacher’s signature
1230 World Classics (Grade 11-12; 1 semester; ½ credit0
This course is highly recommended for the college-bound student. It consists of a survey of important literary works from major authors of ancient Greece to the modern period. Selections from the cultures of Africa, Asia, and Europe are included. World literature is designed to give the student additional exposure to the various genres of literature, including the essay, short story, poetry, drama, and the novel. Students will be asked to respond to the literature in writing.
Prerequisite: English teacher’s signature
1231 Creative Writing (Grade 11-12; 1 semester; ½ credit)
This course combines reading with writing as a means of self-expression and self-discovery. Students will explore the genres of the short story, personal essay, poetry, and drama. Studying novels and other writing stimulates imagination and provokes consideration of moral and ethical values requiring the student to search within for expression. Students are encouraged to view language with an artistic eye and cultivate it as a form of creative expression.
Prerequisite: A working knowledge of grammatical structures and English teacher’s signature
1232 Writing for Publication (Grade 11-12; 1 semester; ½ credit)
In this course students broaden their knowledge of print, social and broadcast media. The history, ethics, and techniques of journalism will complement the major units of study: reporting, writing, editing, photography, video creation, social media communication, graphic design, management, advertising, and teamwork. In addition, students will learn computer publications tools like Adobe InDesign CS3, broadcast production applications like iMovie, and social media networks like Twitter and Facebook.
1233 Advanced Placement English (Grade 12; 2 semesters; 1 credit)
This course is designed as an intensive study of literature and composition to prepare the advanced senior student. The course will demand skills in reading, writing, and thinking, and will require independent work. Only students who want to work at a more intense pace and at a mature level of thought and performance should enroll in the course. It will include an intensive study of various types of literature: novels, drama, poetry, short stories, and expository writing covering themes common through literature and including writers who are considered foremost in literature (Shakespeare, both modern and classical poets, Charles Dickens, etc) to develop close reading skills and a broad frame of reference of ongoing literary themes. Students will be expected to write frequently and will practice analysis, exposition, and critical essay skills. Students will also be taught proper research methods and will be asked to write a research paper. They will be required to do summer reading before the course.
Prerequisite: Great Books I/Essay and English teacher’s signature.
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