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English 9 is a full year course involving the study of major literary genres, including short story, poetry, the novel, drama and nonfiction. The course also includes an extensive treatment of all areas of grammar, spelling and vocabulary and the writing process. From sentence structure to the composition and research paper, intensive practice in writing is stressed. Student speeches are also required. English 10 English 10 is a full year course involving the study of Western Civilization through literature. Readings from the Ancient world, the Classical world, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Neoclassical period, the Romantic period, the Realistic period, and the Modern world will be covered. English skill development will include a research paper, vocabulary expansion, essays, grammar and composition diagnosis. English 10 Honors 10 The students in this section will read and study some of the same material in Western Civilization that is included in the general English course. In addition, they will read the entire works of several excerpts in their anthology and other supplemental novels, books of nonfiction, plays and epic poems. The students will be taught new concepts and analytical skills to encourage critical reading and effective writing. English 11 English 11 consists of the study of American literature and its chronological changes and development through various genres such as the novel, drama, short story, essay, biography and poetry. The course will enable students to understand and appreciate our literary heritage and its influence on people and times by focusing on major literary periods and writers. Students will be exposed to vocabulary development and testing integrated with all literature units, a continuous review of proper grammatical usage, and the practice of effective essay techniques through extensive expository writing. These activities will promote competence on the New York State Regents Examination. English 11 Honors/with Advanced Placement
American History This course will combine the study of American history with American literature and will be team taught by a social studies and an English teacher. These teachers will integrate American literature with American historical periods using a chronological approach. This course will provide students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in American history. It will prepare students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to college course work. Students will learn to assess historical materials, their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability and their importance, and to weigh the evidence and interpretations in historical scholarship. This honors level course helps students to develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgement and to present ideas clearly and persuasively in essay format. A non-refundable fee is required for the AP American History Examination given in May. Successful scores can be submitted to college for possible credit and/or advanced placement. The English portion of the course will emphasize the study of American literature and its chronological changes and development through various genres such as the novel, drama, short story, essay, biography and poetry. This course will enable students to understand and appreciate our literary/historical heritage and its influence on people and times by focusing on major literary/historical periods and writers. Students will be exposed to vocabulary development and testing integrated with all literature units, a continuous review of proper grammatical usage, and the practice of effective essay techniques through extensive expository writing. These activities will promote competence on the Comprehensive English Regents Examination. Advanced Placement English Literature and
Composition This course is intended to prepare students to take Advanced Placement Examination in English Literature and Composition. Students will be involved in both the study of literature and the study and practice of writing. Through speaking, listening, reading and writing, they will become more aware of the resources of the language: connotation, metaphor, irony, syntax and tone. Writing assignments will focus on the critical analysis of literature and will include essays in exposition and argument; personal narrative and the writing of stories, poems or plays will also be appropriate. Through careful reading of literary works, students will develop critical standards for independent appreciation, and they will increase their sensitivity to literature as shared experience. To achieve these goals, students will study the individual work, its language, characters, action and themes. They will consider its structure, meaning and value, and its relationship to contemporary experience as well as to the times in which it was written. A non-refundable fee is required for the AP exam given in May. Successful scores can be submitted to college for possible credit and/or advanced placement. African-American Literature This course surveys representative literary texts from the margins and boundaries of the American experience. It concentrates on familiarizing students with issues, questions and motifs that recur in works which diagnose ongoing conflicts in the American temper. Readings are drawn from early slave narratives, as well as 19th and 20th Century texts. Senior Writing In this writing course, students will hone their writing skills and expand themselves intellectually by selecting a project or topic of interest to them and developing it over the course of the term into a long essay for a general audience. Projects will involve research and multiple revisions. Completion of the Senior Thesis is course requirement. ALL SENIORS MUST COMPLETE SENIOR WRITING IN ORDER TO GRADUATE. Creative Writing An introduction to the writing of fiction and poetry for students with an interest in these genres. Class time is divided between discussions of literary technique, workshop consideration of student writing, and examination of work of several contemporary poets, dramatists, and fiction writers. Students are asked to complete several writing assignments, to keep a journal, and to draft and revise a final project. Digital Storytelling 1 Acquaints students with the various aspects of the digital storytelling process through the use of storyboarding and digital editing software. This course gives students an understanding of the kinds of decisions filmmakers encounter and the kinds of techniques they employ. Activities include preparing detailed shooting scripts, experiments with photography, light, color, motion, sound, and editing, and manipulating both live action and animated materials. Individually or in small groups, students will produce a 10-15 minute film. Digital Storytelling 2 Advances the skills learned in Digital Storytelling 1 by focusing on composition, scene structure, and script writing. Students will work alone or in small groups to write, direct, and produce a longer film (15-20 minutes) that seeks to refine the ideas presented in both digital storytelling 1 and 2. Students will participate in workshops, write blogs, and present their film to a larger audience at the end of the quarter. While Digital Storytelling 1 is not a prerequisite for the course, a working knowledge of iMovie and film technique is required. (Digital Graphics is suggested as a replacement for Dig. Stylng. 1) Survey of Drama A survey of both modern American drama and early dramatic forms. The primary focus will be on representative works by 20th century playwrights as well as on major theatrical movements in this country, but will include the study of one Shakespearean play. Works such as Death of a Salesman and Fences will be studied. Film and Literature Intro to film as an art form focuses on film interpretation by emphasizing elements such as light, sound, composition, camera movement, acting, and direction. Initiates students into developments in film history, film genre, and film theory. This interdisciplinary seminar examines the ways that two different art forms-literature and film-represent America. Are their stories the same, or can the distinctive characteristics of each create a unique vision of the nation? Both long and short written film analyses are required. Media Analysis Surveys various media, stressing their historical evolution and the technological and socio-cultural forces that shape them. Includes newspapers, magazines, film, radio, and television. Using interdisciplinary approaches, it focuses upon themes which explore myths about identity through analyzing meanings in media and social/cultural texts; how these originate in and across history, to become part of everyday ‘common sense’ discourse. An advertising simulation project serves as the final project for the course. Public Speaking Develops basic speaking principles and provides extensive practice in speaking skills necessary for successful college-level performance. Covers adapting topics to purpose and audience; using substantial support for each point; logically developing concepts; speaking with a clear, consistent tone; developing good listening skills; and preparing oral presentations in a variety of settings. Modern Short Story Examines the short story form by reading and
analyzing short fiction from the twentieth century. Students will be
asked to read a variety of short works, keep a journal, write short
response pieces, and prepare and edit a full length analysis of a short
story. |