Our English Department offers the following courses to our students.
English 9 is a standards-based survey course that provides a foundation for the four-year language arts program in high school. It requires students to continue to apply and refine the skills learned in middle school. The areas of study continue to focus on reading and comprehension of grade level works of literature. In addition, there is an emphasis on reading informational materials applicable to research. Writing instruction advances students to more sophisticated levels of exposition and research. Standard English grammar, punctuation, and usage are reinforced.
This course is designed to meet the needs of the accelerated freshman. Sophisticated levels of literary forms and types as well as style and structure are emphasized in addition to advanced essay writing skills. Curriculum covers a combination of the English 9 and 10 courses which guides the student through the process of literary analysis, vocabulary development, and critical thinking skills. The writing process and language skills are emphasized.
English 10 is a standards-based survey course that reinforces and extends the skills and knowledge acquired in 9th grade. The areas of study include reading for the universal themes in literature and reading to synthesize information. Writing instruction advances students to more sophisticated levels of analysis, persuasion, and research. Standard English grammar, punctuation, and usage is reinforced.
This course is an integrated literature and composition program designed to meet the needs of accelerated sophomores. It guides the student through the process of literature appreciation and analysis, vocabulary development and critical thinking study skills, and research skills. The writing process and language skills are emphasized. Curriculum covers a combination of the English 10 and 11 courses in order to prepare for the Advanced Placement classes taken in the junior and senior years. With an emphasis on an integrated approach to literature and writing, the student is asked to make mature stretches as a thinker, reader, and writer.
English 11 continues the development of composition and literature skills. Contemporary fiction and non-fiction are utilized for both reading comprehension and essay writing. This course is centered around high interest writing assignments (topics) and contemporary texts to motivate students to improve their reading and writing skills.
Contemporary Issues in Education is a college preparatory eleventh grade English course integrated with the Education pathway standards of the Education, Child Development, and Family Services sector, which allows students to see where the skills of English intersect with the elements of education. Students conduct research, closely read and analyze complex texts, evaluate instructional methodology and philosophy, and create a portfolio of reflections, activities, and compositions that, when synthesized, serve as the foundation for three capstone projects. Students will present a standards-based lesson plan, research a contemporary issue in education, and participate in a mock job interview, all of which prepare them for further education and career opportunities in the field of Education, Child Development, and Family Services.
This course trains students to become skilled readers and writers in diverse genres and modes of composition. As stated in the Advanced Placement Course Description for English exams, the AP Language & Composition course's purpose is "to enable students to read complex texts with understanding and write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively with mature readers." As the course progresses, students will become aware of their own composition process through self-assessment, peer evaluation, and instructor feedback. These skills will allow the student to read critically and write effectively in different modes in the college classroom and beyond.
This course engages students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students consider a work's structure, style and themes, as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone.
The Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC) is a a full-year college preparatory English course. The ERWC addresses critical reading and writing problems identified by the CSU English Placement Test Committee and prepares students to meet the expectations of college and university faculty. Course assignments, organized into 14 modules and based mainly on non-fiction texts, emphasize the in-depth study of expository, analytical, and argumentative reading and writing. The University of California has approved the ERWC for area "b" credit (from the "a-g" requirements), and the Course meets college preparatory requirements for both the UC and CSU systems.
World Literature is a standards-based, college preparatory English class designed to provide you with the foundation you need to be able to critically think, read, and write in a variety of modes of discourse. Students will build upon skills already developed throughout previous years of high school, and apply those skills to more sophisticated and challenging texts. Wherever you find yourself after high school—be it a four year university, a community college, the military, or a trade school, we must all be skilled in oral and written communication, and we must be saavy consumers of the information we read. This course focuses on texts by authors from around the globe. Core fiction pieces will be paired with non-fiction texts to create a juxtaposition of ideas and issues that are relevant to today's world. Reading and writing topics include: stereotypes, social roles, government control vs. individual freedoms, benefits and drawbacks to advancements in technology, tradition vs. new directions, power structures in society, personal responsibility in one's actions, and the justice system, among others. Students will have an opportunity to take in and critically assess a variety of viewpoints—a skill essential in formulating one's own educated and fully developed point of view.
This class is comprised of two semester-long courses that are taught over the course of one school year.
Bible as Literature explores selected stories from the Old and New Testaments from a literary standpoint. The course focuses on literary analysis, authors, and parallel themes that have influenced Western civilization since the time of Moses. Literature-based writing assignments refine writing skills.
Contemporary Issues in Literature is designed to encourage students to make connections between literature and contemporary issues. Students will discuss and debate these issues and address modern writers and thinkers in addition to ones from the past. The course will focus on expository writing by teaching students to think through issues in order to support their views. International, national, and local issues will be discussed and analyzed.