English Curriculum Guide
ENGLISH 9 ENHANCEMENT
E 00304 – E 00305 – E 00306 C 40
3 credits
3 terms
Grade 9
Prerequisite: Lack of success on 8th grade ISTEP+
This three-semester course includes a study of the fundamental foundations of the English language. An emphasis is placed on reading, spelling, and clear communication, including basic writing skills. [Back]
ENGLISH 9
E 00307 – E 00308 – E 00309 C 40
3 credits
3 terms
Grade 9
This is a three-term course that stresses the life-long skills of writing, reading, and vocabulary. Grammar, writing, reading, spelling and vocabulary, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills are included. There will be focus on ISTEP+ during the 3rd term. Students of this class often pursue a post-secondary education. [Back]
ENGLISH 9A
E 00313 – E 00314 – E 00315 AHD C 40
3 credits
3 terms
Grade 9
Prerequisite: Excellence in 8th grade English, high scores on 8th grade ISTEP+, teacher recommendation For the student who has previously earned high grades in English classes and scored well on standardized achievement measures of skills needed for success in English classes, this three semester course emphasizes literature, grammar, and composition. The ninth grade level also stresses speech-making as well as study skills and
vocabulary development. The class design includes preparation for college level work. [Back]
ENGLISH 9AH
E 00316 – E 00317 – E 00318 AHD C 40
3 credits
3 terms
Grade 9
Prerequisite: Must be accepted in the program
Recommendations: Test scores, a writing sample, recommendations from 8th grade English teacher and parent/guardian, and student application
This course for academically talented students focuses on classical literature. Students will read, respond to, and analyze the literature. Their class roles will include being readers as well as writers. Oral presentations are required. Vocabulary will be emphasized. The ninth grade English honors section serves as the foundation for a further understanding and appreciation of literature. Students qualify for the Honors program through test scores,
teacher and parent recommendation, and student application. [Back]
ENGLISH 10 ENHANCEMENT
E 00323 – E 00324 C 40
2 credits
2 terms
Grade 10
This course is designed for the student who needs to supplement or increase basic skills and proficiencies. Emphasis is on spelling, vocabulary, reading, and oral and written usage. [Back]
ENGLISH 10
E 00325 – E 00326 C 40
2 credits
2 terms
Grade 10
This two-term course is designed for most tenth grade students. The basic skills of reading, writing, grammar, listening, and speaking are stressed. World literature, critical thinking skills, test taking strategies, spelling, and vocabulary development are incorporated in the course. Many students in English 10 subsequently pursue postsecondary education. [Back]
ENGLISH 10A
E 00329 – E 00330 AHD C 40
2 credits
2 terms
Grade 10
Prerequisite: English 9A or teacher recommendation
Recommendation: For college bound This two-term course, designed for the student who has previously been academically successful in English classes, emphasizes literature, grammar, speech, composition, and vocabulary. Literary genres are reviewed and science fiction is introduced. A unit on study skills stressing listening and note-taking is included. Activities are designed to prepare students for college-level work. [Back]
ENGLISH 10AH
E 00331- E 00332 AHD C 40
2 credits
2 terms
Grade 10
Prerequisite: 9 AH or must be accepted in the program
This course for the academically talented student focuses on British literature. Students read, respond to, and analyze the literature, examining as both readers and writers its literary, historical, cultural, and philosophical impact. In addition to literary study and literature-based writing, students will also explore various types of composition, including expository, persuasive and researched writings. Students will sharpen their communication
skills verbally via group projects and individual presentations. Because words are the essential tool of the effective communicator, students will also work on increasing their vocabulary skills, along with developing style through the study of language and rhetoric. The class includes preparatory reading for the advanced placement exam. Students
qualify for the Honors Program through test scores, teacher and parent recommendation, and student application. [Back]
ENGLISH 11 ENHANCEMENT
E 00335 – E 00336 C 40
2 credits
2 terms
Grade 11
This course is for students who need additional reinforcement in mastering the basic English skills of reading, writing, oral interpretation, and emphasis on writing challenges in life/career. [Back]
ENGLISH 11
E 00337 – E 00338 C 40
2 credits
2 terms
Grade 11
This course for most eleventh grade students emphasizes American literature and practical writing. To improve students’ communication skills, units on grammar, listening, speaking, spelling, and vocabulary development are included. Many students in English 11 subsequently pursue post-secondary education. [Back]
ENGLISH 11A
E 00341 – E 00342 AHD C 40
2 credits
2 terms
Grade 11
This course consists of a well-balanced correlation of academic American literature and composition. It is designed for those students who have previously been academically successful in English classes. Critical thinking skills and test-taking strategies are included as well as units on vocabulary development, usage, agreement, listening, and oral communication. Class activities are designed to prepare students for college- level work. [Back]
ENGLISH 11AP
English Language and Composition
E 00343 – E 00344 – E 00345 AHD C 40
2 - 3 credits
2 - 3 terms
Grade 11
Prerequisite: 10 A or 10 AH
This course for academically talented students is a chronological survey of literature in the United States. The emphasis of the course is upon extensive sampling of traditionally accepted American classics. As both readers and writers, students read, analyze, and respond to literature from thematic, structural, philosophical, historical, and cultural points of view. Students will also be expected to give a variety of oral presentations and to participate in class discussions. Because clear use of language is necessary for a person to be an effective communicator, vocabulary study will also be incorporated in the program. This course will help prepare students for the advanced placement test in English Language and Composition which may be taken in the spring of the junior year. [Back]
ENGLISH 12 ENHANCEMENT
E 00351 – E 00352 C 40
1 credit
1 term
Grade 12
This course is designed to focus on reading, writing, and communication skills. The course incorporates high interest novels and short stories with various writing activities and speakers. This course should be chosen by the student who will not immediately be attending technical school or college. [Back]
ENGLISH 12AP
English Literature and Composition
E 00357 – E 00358 – E 00359 AHD C 40
2 - 3 credits
2 - 3 terms
Grade 12
This two or three-term course is designed for academically talented students. Throughout the course, students will experience a variety of literary masterpieces. Students will study the style and structure of specified works as well as focus on the lifestyle and society of the authors with an emphasis on the relevancy and application of themes. Composition is emphasized. Students also orally present individual and group projects as well as engage in class discussions. [Back]
ENGLISH 12A
Advanced seniors may take a combination of two one-term courses - Composition II CC, Literary Movements, World Literature, or Classical Literature for their year course. Most colleges recommend one literature and one composition course. Students on an academic path may choose from the following to fulfill their English requirement. [Back]
LITERARY MOVEMENTS
E 00375 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
Literary Movements is designed to expose academic students to the different literary eras,
from the classical to the modern. This will be achieved by reading a combination of novels and other shorter selections representative of each and by having class discussions of these selections in both a small group and a large group format. It also provides instruction in critical analysis and evaluation of literature and analytical essay writing. [Back]
CLASSICAL LITERATURE
E 00376 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
Classical Literature provides a survey of classical mythology and its influence upon
the literature of countries other than Greece and Rome. Students in this course write creatively and engage in literary analyses. Class discussions are critical and are emphasized throughout the course. An individual oral presentation is required. The course will include a variety of genres, such as drama, poetry, and prose. [Back]
COMPOSITION II CC
E 00387 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
Prerequisite: English 11A or Composition
A student may earn college credit for Composition II CC. This course is designed to teach
students to write research papers. The course begins by writing from a single source and
ends with the completion of a formal research paper. The course also includes verbal
presentations of papers and class discussions. [Back]
WORLD LITERATURE
E 00405 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
This class is designed to guide students in an exploration of their philosophy of life, their plans for the future, and their artistic nature through a study of selected world masterpieces of art, literature, and drama. Composition is an integral element of this course. Students discuss various selections in class as well as prepare and deliver oral presentations. [Back]
ENGLISH 12
Although other choices are available, students may choose to earn the two required English credits in twelfth grade by taking two one-term courses. Most colleges recommend one literature and one composition course. [Back]
ENGLISH LITERATURE
(British Literature)
E 00378 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
English Literature is a survey course which covers British Literature from Beowulf to the
20th century. Writing assignments relating to the material read will be a part of the course. [Back]
COMPOSITION I
E 00385 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
Composition is devoted to basic writing with special emphasis on sentence structure, paragraph development, and research skills. [Back]
SPEECH and COMMUNICATION
E 00391 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
Grades 9 - 12
The beginning speech course presents students with the fundamentals of effective speaking. Students will learn about listening skills and nonverbal communication. They will prepare and participate in a variety of speaking experiences including informative, persuasive, demonstration, oral interpretation, and impromptu. Outlining and organizational skills, delivery skills, and visual aids will be utilized in their presentations. [Back]
ADVANCED SPEECH & COMMUNCATION CC
E 00392 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
Grades 9 - 12
Prerequisite: Speech and Communication
Recommendations: Grade C or above in Speech and Communication and college-bound
This extension of Speech and Communication will emphasize specific types of speeches. It enables students to refine their skills and adapt to a variety of public speaking situations. [Back]
WORD POWER
E 00401
1 credit
1 term
Grades 9 – 12
Recommendation: English 9A / 10A
This class will focus on expanding vocabulary and its usage in composition and other communication skills. This will also be helpful in building more effective communication and strengthening skills useful in preparation for college entrance exams and application essays. [Back]
CREATIVE WRITING
E 00402 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
Grades 9 - 12
This course is for students with a serious desire to write original stories and/or poetry. Students will study techniques of writing fiction and poetry, will write their choice of a short story or set of poems (or both), and will revise their work to be submitted for publication. [Back]
SCIENCE FICTION - THEMES in LITERATURE
E 00406 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
Grades 9 - 12
The main goal of this course is to introduce students to the development of this genre and to expose them to a variety of writers and writings, mostly short stories. Short papers, research, and oral presentations are course expectations. [Back]
POETRY-GENRES of LITERATURE
E 00407 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
Grades 9 - 12
The main goal of this course is to expose students to the history of poetry writing in America and how each poet was influenced by the times and his or her background. Oral and written presentations and an understanding of the content and structure of the chosen poems will be part of the course. [Back]
SPORTS - THEMES in LITERATURE
E 00408 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
Grades 9 - 12
The subject of this course is the human side of sports, not the statistics. A relevance will be presented as the relation of sports to life as seen through the eyes of contemporary and basic writers. [Back]
FILM LITERATURE
E 00409 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
Grades 9 -12
This course will emphasize the impact of film on the way in which people perceive the human condition. The roles of men and women as well as various ethnic minorities will be studied. In addition, the visual interpretation of literary techniques and auditory language effects will be analyzed. The history of film will be covered. Students will also compare the work of literature with its film presentation. [Back]
WOMEN'S LITERATURE-THEMES in LITERATURE
E 00410 AHD C 40
1 credit
1 term
Grades 10-12
Themes in Literature is a study of common themes, such as the journey of the hero, the trials of youth, the search for identify, and other themes appropriate to the level and interests of students. This course includes an examination of the manner in which themes are treated by different writers in different literary genres. Frequent writing and oral exercises help students become sensitive to and articulate about thematic variations that occur because of genre or cultural context. Representative works by authors of diverse eras and nationalities are so that students may gain
knowledge of humanity’s struggle to understand the human condition. Specifically, this one term course will examine a variety of genres of women writers from the past to the present and their depiction of changing lifestyles and values with which women have experimented. [Back]
JOURNALISM I
E 00421
1 credit
1 term
Grades 9 - 12
This course teaches students about the various aspects of the media including newspaper, television, advertising, and public relations. Students have the opportunity to discover and explore the various forms of writing utilized in journalism. This course is a prerequisite for students interested in working on the school newspaper or yearbook. [Back]
JOURNALISM 2
E 00422
1 credit
1 term
Grades 9 - 12
Prerequisite: Journalism 1
This course is a continuation of Journalism 1. Students will learn more advanced journalism techniques including reporting and desktop publishing. They will learn photography and layout design, as well as specific reporting areas such as sports, entertainment, and advertising. [Back]
STUDENT PUBLICATIONS NEWSPAPER
E 00423 – E 00424 – E 00425
2 - 3 credits
2 - 3 terms
Grades 10 - 12
Prerequisite: Journalism 1
This course explores all areas of newspaper production, photography, advertising, marketing, writing, editing, and desktop publishing, Emphasis is placed on the operating procedures involved in the actual production of the school newspaper, The Continental Crier. Students must apply to be on staff. If a student does not take term 1, then he/she will need permission from the instructor to take terms 2 and 3. [Back]
STUDENT PUBLICATIONS YEARBOOK
E 00426 – E 00427 – E 00428
2 - 3 credits
2 - 3 terms
Grades 10 - 12
Prerequisite: Journalism 1 & 2
This course explores all areas of yearbook production, photography, business, marketing, writing, editing, and desktop publishing. Emphasis is placed on the operating procedures involved in the actual production of the annual school yearbook, Polaris. Students must apply to be on staff. If a student does not take term 1, then he/she will need permission from the instructor to take terms 2 and 3. [Back]