JUNIOR COURSE OFFERINGS 2014 2015 All junior level

JUNIOR COURSE OFFERINGS 2014 -2015

All junior level English classes include: Weekly vocabulary study A focus on grammar, punctuation, and mechanics College preparatory standards and materials Regular reading homework Extensive writing

20 TH CENTURY AMERICAN LITERATURE & COMPOSITION This college preparatory course provides an extensive study of literature, composition, grammar, and research techniques. Literary study will focus on influential modern American literature supplemented with relevant texts from the 19 th through the 21 st Centuries. Representative works may include Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, Morrison’s Song of Solomon, Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, and selected non-fiction. The course stresses composition as a process of critical analysis. Throughout the year, students will write multiple essays based on literature, exposition and argumentation, and research. Critical reading skills, ACT preparation techniques, and vocabulary development are emphasized throughout the year.

20 TH CENTURY AMERICAN LITERATURE & COMPOSITION If you like to… read a variety of texts. explore ideas through writing. participate thoughtfully in class discussion. explore the foundations of 20 th century American literature and culture. discover patterns and connections among literary genres and What you can expect… an average of 15 pages of reading a night a balance of fiction and non-fiction works six essays per semester thematic survey of 20 th century American literature

HONORS U. S. STUDIES Credit: 2 Units (1 unit English and 1 unit Social Studies) Prerequisites: A in World Lit & Comp both semesters and instructor approval Honors U. S. Studies, a rigorous, wide-ranging investigation into U. S. history and culture, stresses those skills requisite for the college-bound student. A two-period block of time is provided for it (though students receive separate grades in each half of the course). This course’s crossdisciplinary approach offers the students an opportunity to take a philosophical look into U. S. history, literature, and culture in unison. An English teacher and a social studies instructor teach full-time in the program. The social studies component of the course is a chronological study of American history beginning with the Age of Exploration and concluding with modern America. The literature in this course is also presented chronologically, and may include such works as Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Crane’s Red Badge of Courage, Sinclair’s The Jungle, Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Morrison’s Sula, and Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, as well as numerous shorter works from various eras, including 19 th century slave narratives. Students should expect to write multiple papers per semester in a variety of modes. Vocabulary study, critical reading skills, and grammar/editing issues are stressed throughout the year. This class helps students prepare to take the Advanced Placement Test in American History and satisfies the American History requirement for graduation.

HONORS U. S. STUDIES If you like to… read a variety of texts on your own. write essays fluently and confidently. participate thoughtfully in class discussion. explore the foundations and currents of American culture. analyze what you read. examine literature through historical context. What you can expect… an average of 30 pages of reading a night predominately fiction works a chronological survey of American Literature 7 or more essays of various types per semester a 2 -hour blocked class, with an hour of American history followed by an hour of American literature a literary, historical, and philosophical synthesis of

AP LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION Credit: 1 unit Prerequisites: A in World Lit & Comp both semesters and instructor approval AP Language and Composition is a college level course designed to prepare students to write effectively and confidently in their future courses and in their professional and personal lives. Students will read a wide variety of predominantly non-fiction texts with an emphasis on American authors and essayists. The primary goal of these readings will be to analyze good writing by identifying and explaining the author’s techniques. Students should expect to write extensively and for a variety of purposes in order to develop their own stylistic maturity in the use of rhetorical strategies. Assignments will include creating expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex central idea and develop it with appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or secondary sources, cogent explanations, and clear transitions; research requiring the understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary sources with careful attention to inquiry and research, drafting, revising, and review; a thoughtful reflection about their own process of composition; a work revised to make it suitable for a different audience; and an analysis of image as text. Students may also expect extensive work in grammar and vocabulary. Texts studied in whole or part include Nickel and Dimed, Fast Food Nation, Freakonomics, The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Gatsby, as well as extensive essays. In May, students are required to sit for the

AP LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION If you like and are able to… attentively read a variety of challenging texts on your own. fluently and confidently organize and compose argument and analysis essays. thoughtfully prepare and participate in class discussion. enthusiastically embrace and explore contemporary topics in American society. critically examine the art of persuasion. closely analyze what you read and observe, including advertisements, speeches, novels, essays, and other contemporary media. What you can expect… An average of 6 -8 hours of homework a week. Predominately non-fiction texts and essays focused on 20 th and 21 st Century topics. No poetry, no plays, two novels. 7 or more argument, expository and analysis essays per semester, many of them composed in class. A dramatically different approach to English with a focus on argument and rhetorical analysis (how writers craft their texts). No literary analysis. Required AP exam in May, with extensive exam preparation.

English Electives Sports Reading and Writing: This offering is open to grades 10 -12. It is an excellent elective for students with a background in sports or those who are interested in learning more about how sports influence society through literature. (½ semester - ½ credit) Memoir Reading and Writing: This offering is open to grades to 10 -12. It is an excellent elective for students who enjoy reading memoirs, developing their writing skills about personal life experiences, and book circles. (½ semester - ½ credit)

English Electives Public Speaking: Open to all grade levels. Learn to speak up and speak out! This class will teach you forms and applications for public speaking and the proper technique for using your voice. Learn diction, projection, presentation and formal speech writing/organization. (½ semester - ½ credit) Advanced Public Speaking and Debate: Open to all grade levels. After Public Speaking, take Debate to use logic, research, analysis and argument. Students participate in competitions. (½ semester - ½ credit)

English Electives Journalism: Open to all grade levels. In this year-long class you will improve your writing and editing skills, learn computer graphic skills and basic web design. This will prepare you for ECHO newspaper, yearbook or a college major in journalism. (1 year - 1 credit) ECHO: This offering is open to grades 10 -12. Nothing beats seeing your byline in the paper for the first time, knowing that 1300 of your peers will see it as well. Learn to express yourself better by taking journalism and then express yourself by taking ECHO. (1 year - 1

English Electives Rapid Reading: This offering is open to grades 11 -12. This course is for students reading AT or ABOVE expected level who want to increase speed and study skills; we use a college text. (½ semester - ½ credit) Creative Writing: This offering is open to grades 10 -12. A great opportunity for students who love to write, to work with other writers, and to develop a personal portfolio of writing. (½ semester - ½ credit)

English Electives Women, Gender and Diversity: This offering is open to grades 11 -12. May be taken for college credit. In this course, you will examine social issues through discussion, reading, and writing. Advanced writing and critical thinking skills are needed. (½ semester - ½ credit) Film Appreciation: This offering is open to grades 1112. This is a critical study of film, film history and film analysis. (½ semester - ½ credit)