English

This course aims to prepare students for AP English Language and Composition and AP English Literature and Composition by developing their ability to analyze, synthesize, and criticize complex literary themes rhetorical devices and to communicate them in various writing assignments. Examples of the literature read may include Grapes of Wrath, Macbeth, Oedipus Rex, Scarlet Letter, Bless Me, Ultima, and more. Students will be expected to demonstrate a high level of critical thinking through the writing of literary essays, oral presentations, group projects, class discussions, etc. The reading and writing requirements are more strenuous than the College Prep English 10 and demand more precision from the students.

This intensive reading and writing course focuses on the American literary experience. It explores the development of American thought as evidenced through the works of Whitman, Emerson, and Thoreau. Morrison, Sinclair, Fitzgerald, Williams and more. Students are expected to read independently and participate in class discussions. Various modes of expository and creative writing are explored, with an emphasis on clarity of syntax in expression. Refined technique in critical essays is a fundamental part of this course as are oral presentations and the continued study of vocabulary. Students are expected to attend a related cultural event outside the classroom.

This course covers a combination of thematic international literary selections of various genres and a corresponding writing process, both directed at exploring values, ideas, and ideals similar to and different from our own.  Consideration is also given to the literary quality of the works discussed.  The course focuses on both similarities and differences between English and other literature.  Composition consists of formal thematic writing in response to the literature as well as personal exploration through writing.  Students will read selections from Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Hugo, Shakespeare, Austen and more.

As described by the College Board, this college level course focuses on critical reading and skilled writing to prepare students for all areas of college course work and in their professional lives. Students will become aware of author’s purpose, audience, and conventions of language that contribute to effective writing and communication. This is achieved through examination of and response to non-fiction and fiction works in the American literary canon.  Students will prepare throughout the year for the AP exam in May. Works include but are not limited to:  How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas Foster; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain; The Awakening, by Kate Chopin; The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald; and Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison.

AP English provides an opportunity for highly motivated students with exceptional ability in English to fulfill requirements for their senior year while completing college-level work.  The class emphasizes critical reading and analysis of literature, including:  two summer reading selections, Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Illych, The Book of Job, Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Wolff’s Mrs. Dalloway, a poetry unit that includes ancient through contemporary poems, and a pre-approved free reading book of appropriate literary merit.  Composition includes in-depth literary analysis, guided reading responses, critical theory projects, timed writings taken from past AP tests, and essay tests. Students are required to attend at least one cultural event during the school year.