English » English Curriculum

English Curriculum

9th Grade English

Ninth Grade English is a genre-based curriculum.  Throughout the year, we explore each literary genre to identify its unique characteristics.  While reading short stories, essays, poetry, novels and plays, students will analyze and recognize literary elements in the texts.  Our goal is for students to recognize connections between issues within literature and those within society and their own lives. Texts:  The Odyssey, The Lord of the Flies, Fahrenheit 451, The Kite Runner, The Book Thief, Catcher in the Rye, Romeo and Juliet .

10th Grade English

Enter your text here...The Tenth Grade English curriculum focuses on global literature and the cultural and historical events that shape it. Through the literature, students explore the idea of a journey, both literal and figurative, and follow characters as they undergo transformations. The course emphasizes relationships between the individual and society, and finds connections and influences in our world today. What is a hero? Who are our heroes today? What is a monster? How does society create monsters? How do we explain the idea of good vs. evil? Is there a common struggle that links the characters and fosters their need for connections with one another? Texts include The Remains of the Day, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, The Canterbury Tales, Macbeth, Purple Hibiscus, The Three Musketeers, Frankenstein, The Alchemist, Bel Canto and a selection of modern literature.

11th Grade English

The Eleventh Grade English curriculum focuses on American culture and provides insight into the American experience. Through the literature, students explore the characters’ struggles as they strive for freedom, friendship, independence and the attainment of their dreams. What do we have in common with those who lived in Puritan times? What is privacy? What is truth? How has America changed? Has America changed? How do we judge others and ourselves? What connections can be made between the ideas in literature and the issues in today’s society? Texts include: The Help, City of Thieves, The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, Streetcar Named Desire, Death of a Salesman, Grapes of Wrath, The Assistant, and a selection of modern literature.

12th Grade English

The 12th Grade English curriculum emphasizes the study of contemporary literature, as well as some classic works to encourage critical and analytical thinking. The 12th Grade Advanced Placement English Language and composition curriculum examines the interactions amongst writer’s purpose, audience, subject and genre. Students learn how to become critical readers of non-fiction as they explore the expository, argumentative, analytical writing of a variety of authors. Texts include: Metamorphosis, A Doll’s House, Nectar in a Sieve, Kaffir Boy, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hamlet, and a selection of modern literature.

English Electives

Journalism in the Digital Age
Life is an ever-changing collection of stories, and Journalism in the Digital Age helps students find and tell the stories that make up today’s world using technology that captivates audiences. Compelling topics, strong writing, engaging visual design, and multimedia all come to life as you write about anything from interesting people, to life in your community for an online magazine-format weblog. You will have opportunities to identify and produce your own stories, conduct interviews, and enhance your work through multimedia, including photography and short video.  You will also work collaboratively to provide feedback to classmates as well as analyze the productions of a number of today’s top news, sports, and feature journalists. In addition to sharing your perspective on the world through the course e-magazine, your work will form the basis of a digital portfolio of writing and multimedia.
Poetry Writing
This course allows students to create poems, short stories, and essays - all based on personal opinions, experiences, and viewpoints. Writing assignments will be inspired by selections from contemporary American authors such as Maya Angelou, O'Henry, Gary Soto, Sherman Alexie, Sandra Cisneros, Martin Luther King Jr., Barbara Kingsolver, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, as well as poetry written by other high school students.  To enhance and inspire the writing process, students will complete weekly journal writing, and participate in a readers' forum where we will share writing and opinions in a friendly atmosphere. Together we will build a reference section where students can develop skills in the mechanics, usage, and grammar of the English language. You will have the opportunity to seek publication for your work.