English

Course Descriptions

 

Senior Courses:

ERWC

What should I do after high school? Can I put a dollar value on a human life? Is the government trying to brainwash me with mindless entertainment? These are only a few of the questions you will have to ask yourself in ERWC. The aim of this course is to explore engaging, real-world topics that develop your skills in logic and rhetoric, analytical reading and writing, and critical thinking. This class involves interactive and controversial discussions, activities, and assignments on real-world topics that will engage students and invite them to truly examine the world around them. Students will become better readers and writers in the process.This class is highly centered around discussions and cooperative learning on controversial topics, so apathy and passivity are not options. There is an emphasis on sharing, taking a stand for what you believe in, and listening to others.

Bonus: Taking this class is a substitution for the CSU placement test. 

 

AP Literature

This course studies classic works of literature from ancient Greece to the 21st century, with a strong emphasis on poetry, plays, and novels. Students will be prepared and will be expected to take the AP exam, thus throughout the course they will practice AP style and college level work.  This class will prepare students for college English and/or those who pass the AP test will get college credit for your work. There will be challenging reading and regular essays as well as a summer reading project. Don’t let all that scare you: you might love this class!

Prerequisite: Minimum cumulative 3.3 GPA and no previous “Cs” in English--unless you get a teacher recommendation. 

Young Adult Literature

Delve into the worlds of magic, adventure, technology, and overbearing rulers. Set your sights on prizes beyond what you’ve imagined. This course is an introduction to the study of Young Adult Literature. Students will read an assortment of texts written by award-winning authors.  Students will have the opportunity to read an assortment of materials including: novels, short stories, poetry, and articles relating to the topics surrounding the genres, including but not limited to, fantasy, science fiction, and dystopian literature.  Cooperative group settings, deep discussions relating to real world events, and exciting projects are just a few of the fun activities that students will experience in this course. Students who take the class will learn the influence that popular culture has had and is currently having on literature and media.  Students will need to be ready to read through a variety of texts, engage in both expository and collegiate-level writing, and to be prepared for class presentations.  

Junior Courses:

 

Through tracing the development of American literature from the 1600s to today, students in this course will learn the interaction between world events and art while developing their own skills as writers. Founded on the skills of the Common Core State Standards, Semester 1 explores the relation between American history and literature from the colonial period through the Realism and Naturalism Eras, and Semester 2 explores the relation between American history and literature from the Modernist period through the Contemporary Era and presents learners with relevant cultural and political history. The lessons throughout the course focus on developing language skills including those needed for effective oral presentations.

Sophomore Courses:

 

Designed as an intense study of the power of words and writing conventions, students in this course will examine diverse texts to learn structure and further develop their own writing style. Based on the skills of the Common Core State Standards, students in this course will read novels, plays, short stories, essays, and poetry to analyze the choices authors make to convey a specific message. Students will learn about different writing styles, from satire to nonfiction, and will how literary devices illuminate important nuances in given works. By the end of this course, students will have an appreciation for how they can improve their writing by applying the literary techniques they have studied.

Freshman Courses:

 

A survey of literature and an intense study of language, this course is designed to prepare students for the critical-thinking demands of the future, both in- and outside of the classroom. In this course, students learn the beauty of the English language while studying short stories, non-fiction, poetry, drama, and novels. Students learn grammar, usage, and standard forms of American English by working through some of the world's greatest adventure and love stories. All of the Common Core State Standard skills of reading, writing, oral communication, and language are assessed and overtly taught.