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English Language Arts
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
(4 credits are required for graduation and must include: English 9 or Honors (1 credit); English 10 or Honors (1 credit); English 11 or AP Language & Composition (1 credit); 2 English Electives (0.5 credit))
Class: Creative Writing Course Number: 1315 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 11-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): English 9, English 10 Weighted: No In Creative Writing, students learn how to communicate personal experience and observation through various genres, possibly including memoirs, short stories, children’s stories, and poetry. Within each genre, students will evaluate both their own writing and the writing of their classmates. Grammar, mechanics, and revisions are stressed for clear, concise, effective writing.
Class: Dystopian and Utopian Literature Course Number: 1362 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 11-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): English 9, English 10 Weighted: No Mankind has always sought after ways to organize itself into mutually beneficial groups. Some brave souls have proposed visions for perfectly organized societies. More recently, writers have taken a somewhat darker view, and portrayed societies that are failed utopias, or just altogether dysfunctional. Studying these works can teach us much about what we value in a society and in each other. This course will include the exploration of essays, poems, short stories, non-fiction texts, the novel as well as music and art. Students will be involved in active, hands-on learning that will be aimed at analyzing the role of individuals, groups, and rules in society. By immersing students in numerous different written genres, students will be able to analyze and synthesize the concepts necessary for them to ultimately create a much deeper understanding of their role as a citizen and member of society. Class: Honors English 9 Course Number: 1303A & 1303B Credit: 1.0 Grade Level: 9 Recommended Prerequisite(s): Teacher recommendation Weighted: No English 9 Honors is a two-term course offered to grade 9. It is designed to include the study of literature, grammar, vocabulary, and writing. English 9 Honors classes spend more time on abstract concepts and literary analyses and considerably less time on basic comprehension than English 9 regular class. A progressively rigorous approach to grammar, vocabulary, and speaking & listening skills are embedded into each of the units. Selections could include novels (Black Boy, All Quiet on the Western Front, To Kill a Mockingbird and A Tale of Two Cities), short stories, poetry, drama (Romeo and Juliet), and a number of non-fiction texts. Class: Drama as Literature Course Number: 1316 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 11-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): English 9, English 10 Weighted: No Drama as Literature is a study of dramatic literature from the early Greek and Roman inventors to the recent European and American dramatists. Possible readings include Antigone, Medea, Everyman, and Othello; additionally, modern plays by Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekhov, and an American musical may be explored. Written assignments delve into specific plays regarding characterization, specific dialogue, author’s theme or purpose, and historical relevance. Students will be asked to act in class.
Class: English 9 Course Number: 1302A & 1302B Credit: 1.0 Grade Level: 9 Recommended Prerequisite(s): None Weighted: No In English 9, listening, speaking, and writing skills are stressed, including vocabulary development, and grammar skills. Literature is studied either by genre or theme to include the novel, short story, drama, and nonfiction. Author studies may include Shakespeare, Harper Lee, and a variety of contemporary works.
Class: English 10 Course Number: 1330A & 1330B Credit: 1.0 Grade Level: 10 Recommended Prerequisite(s): English 9: Honors/Regular Weighted: No Students will have the opportunity to read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts and will be encouraged to connect their reading to themselves, other content discipline areas, other fiction and nonfiction texts, and ultimately to their larger global community. In addition, students will learn a variety of different essay modes including argumentative, persuasive, analytical, reader response, narrative, expository, and research writing.
Class: Honors English 10 Course Number: 1331A & 1331B Credit: 1.0 Grade Level: 10 Recommended Prerequisite(s): English 9: Honors/Regular Weighted: No Honors students will participate in more in-depth study of rhetorical analysis and argumentation. They will be expected to look at all texts with a critical lens focusing on an author’s choice of language to determine the effectiveness, relevance, and reasoning of the argument. Honors students will concentrate on using their in-depth study of rhetorical analysis to produce well-developed written and verbal arguments, and students will move through the curriculum at a more rigorous pace while focusing on more complex text and writing more in-depth critical analysis of them.
Class: AP English Language and Composition Course Number: 1361A & 1361B Credit: 1.0 Grade Level: 11-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of English 10 Weighted: Yes This course will cultivate the reading and writing skills students need for college success while preparing them for the AP Language and Composition test. The course challenges students to become curious, critical readers of diverse texts, and flexible, reflective writers addressing diverse audiences and purposes. Through analysis of nonfiction and fiction genres and the composition of research- based essays, this course will deepen and expand students' understanding of how written language functions rhetorically. This course is recommended for junior and senior students.
Class: Literature: Giants in Time Course Number: 1363 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 11-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): English 9, English 10 Weighted: No This course examines some of the major allusions in literature that every high school senior should understand and appreciate. The allusions mainly come from three sources: classical mythology, the Bible, and Shakespeare, although other sources (history and art) may be examined. Loosely based on Northrop Frye’s framework for studying the language of literature, the course explores the motive for metaphor - how and why literature uses figurative language - while searching for the keys to dreamland: what literature offers to readers that other forms of writing don’t. In short, since literature educates our imaginations, as we read and build our castle of words, we need a way to view new readings in light of all of the other literature we have read. Class: English 11 Course Number: 1333A & 1333B Credit: 1.0 Grade Level: 11 Recommended Prerequisite(s): English 9, English 10 Weighted: No In this course, students will read, respond to, and reflect upon rigorous literature and nonfiction texts as they explore various facets of American society, including the concept of the American Dream, and issues surrounding our understandings of freedom and democracy. Students will also read literature framing both past and present thinking regarding our technological future. Students will engage in various types of composition including literary analysis, expository writings, and a research project.
Class: AP English Literature and Composition Course Number: 1360A & 1360B Credit: 1.0 Grade Level: 11-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): English 10 and English 11. Advanced Placement English Language and Composition is strongly recommended Weighted: Yes In addition to the study of challenging literature, composition is an integral part of this rigorous, college-level course. Short- term writing goals include understanding the skills and strategies necessary to score well on the AP test. Long-term goals including enabling students to learn at a rate commensurate with their ability; to deal with material that intellectually mature students find engaging; to refine reading and writing skills important for success; not only in college but also in the professional world; to cultivate habits of reading, writing, and thinking that characterized life-long learning and enjoyment.
Class: Literature in Film* (CAPP Course at BCHS & BEHS) Course Number: 1365 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 11-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): English 9, English 10 Weighted: No Students gain appreciation and understanding of literature through examining and analyzing film. Literature in Film is designed to fuse the study of literary texts and film techniques. The course will help students develop analytical skills; it will also provide creative outlets for students to express their interpretations and insights. As an integral part of the course, students complete argumentative, analytical, comparative, and creative writings.
Class: Oral Interpretation, Acting & Directing Course Number: 1324 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 11-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): English 10 Weighted: No Oral Interpretation, Acting, and Directing is designed to enable the students to portray ideas and feelings through the use of the voice, body, and language and to understand some of the mechanics of play production, as well as to produce plays in class. Activities include mimes, improvisation, comedy sports, monologues, theater critiques, scene work, and field trip to a professional theater (optional). *This is not a literature elective.
*This course is not NCAA approved and/or may not be approved by one or more college admissions.
Class: Real Lives: Memoir/Autobiography Course Number: 1336 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 11-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): English 9, English 10 Weighted: No Students in this course will learn to identify personal and author claims of truth in autobiographies, biographies, and memoirs and evaluate the merits of the classic and contemporary stories of the lives of the famous and not so famous. Students will come to appreciate the impact of life stories on the individual reader and the role they play in shaping our society. Students will also examine how technology has changed the ways we chronicle our lives. As an integral part of the course, students complete argumentative, analytical, comparative, and creative writings.
Class: Speech Communication Course Number: 1332 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 9-10 Recommended Prerequisite(s): None Weighted: No This course offers students the tools necessary to communicate effectively in their high school coursework and in their daily lives. Although the development of speaking and listening skills is the main thrust of the course, students will be asked to exhibit communication skills in a variety of ways throughout the term. Skills targeted may include but are not limited to interpersonal communication strategies, effective listening, small group dynamics, informative speaking, persuasive speaking, and appropriate use of presentation technology. Class: Public Speaking* (CAPP Courses at BCHS & BEHS) Course Number: 1325 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 11-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): None Weighted: No Public Speaking students will gain experience with the principles and application of effective communication for diverse audiences in a variety of settings in preparation for post-secondary education and the workplace. Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following: informational, persuasive, demonstrative and impromptu speeches, group dynamics, podcasting, presentation technology, job interviews, and interpersonal communication skills.
Class: Senior Literature Seminar Course Number: 1367 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): English 9, English 10, English 11 or AP Literature or AP Language & Composition Weighted: No Designed exclusively for 12th grade students looking to exercise more control over the literature they read in class, Senior Literature Seminar is built around the popular model of literature circles and book clubs. Select, read, discuss, analyze and present the books you want to read while you work collaboratively with other members of the class. Students will maintain a portfolio that documents reflections, thoughts and applications of literary analysis, character studies and examination of plot structure. As an integral part of the course, students complete argumentative, analytical, comparative, and creative writings. Class: Stagecraft: Introduction to Theater Course Number: 1327 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 9-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): None Weighted: No Stagecraft emphasizes learning about and executing the technical aspects of the theater. The course seeks to develop the student’s understanding of established standards in the technical areas of play production. Using hands-on learning activities, students will design a set: learn scenic painting techniques, sound and lighting, and design costume, plots and properties.
*Not H.S. Diploma or NCAA approved as an English course. Students only earn Fine Arts credit for this course.
Class: The Graphic Novel Course Number: 1364 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 11-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): English 9, English 10 Weighted: No rich source of literature and a cutting-edge graphic art form that reflects and drives the modern human condition. Students will investigate the convergence of literacy and creativity as they explore the social development and personal identity of characters. Class: Writing for College* (CAPP Course at BCHS & BEHS) Course Number: 1326 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 11-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): None Weighted: No
Students will understand and appreciate the graphic novel as both a Writing for college, primarily for the college-bound student, is designed to polish the skills necessary for written communication, to develop a proficiency in analyzing and organizing ideas and data, to help students achieve a sense of tone and style, improve sentence and paragraph structure, to build vocabulary, and develop skills to research and document sources. A research paper is a course requirement.
Class: Writing for Publication Course Number: 1319 Credit: 0.5 Grade Level: 9-12 Recommended Prerequisite(s): None Weighted: No Students learn to write for newspapers and news magazines. There are extensive writing assignments in each of three major areas: news, feature and opinion. Sports and Photojournalism units may also be incorporated, if time allows. Each of these areas emphasizes style for journalists, interviewing techniques, investigative methods, critical thinking and evaluation of information, ethics, and law of libel. Students will learn to write both objectively and subjectively and make decisions on when each is appropriate. Some basics in newspaper design are taught: however, the course is primarily a writing workshop. Students have an opportunity to work on the school newspaper; however, the school paper is considered a separate co-curricular activity. Active participation is expected during the class discussion.
