English 9, Honors

This course is for students with superior language and reading skills.  The English I Honors Program is devoted to a chronological study of world literature with emphasis on the epic literature of various nations and cultures.  Critical analysis, advanced writing assignments, independent reading, and literary research are required.

English 10, Honors

This course is for students with superior language and reading skills.  The goals of this course are to improve students’ analytical skills, learn literary terms, and how to use that knowledge to expand their ability to understand literature and explore the development of American Literature specifically from early literature to1900.  Students are exposed to the concept of a people consciously building literature that will be unique and representative of the values of a nation, unlike other literature which basically evolved naturally over the course of time.

English 11, AP English Language and Composition

The AP English Language and Composition course aligns with an introductory college-level rhetoric and writing curriculum, which requires students to develop evidence-based analytic and argumentative essays that proceed through several stages or drafts.  Students evaluate, synthesize, and cite research to support their arguments.  Throughout the course, students develop a personal style by making appropriate grammatical choices.  Additionally, students read and analyze the rhetorical elements and their effects in non-fiction texts, including graphic images as forms of text, from many disciplines and historical periods.  Students will be prepared to take the AP English Language and Composition exam in May.

English 12, AP English Literature and Composition

The AP English Literature and Composition course aligns with an introductory college-level literary analysis course.  The course engages students in the close reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature to deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure.  As they read, students consider a work's structure, style, and themes, as well as its use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone.  Writing assignments include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays that require students to analyze and interpret literary works.  Students will be prepared to take the AP English Literature and Composition exam in May.