Language Arts

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (0.5 credit) This course gives students the chance to read and relate to a piece of American literature by our greatest satirist and literary genius—Mark Twain. Its humor, which is genuine and never-failing, is offset by a candid look at the culture of racism in the post-Civil War southern United States. After studying and speaking about this great novel, students will have the opportunity to build on what they’ve learned through research and literary analysis.

English Language Skills (I, II, III, & IV) (0.5 credit each)

Fahrenheit 451 (0.5 credit) This is a dystopic science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury that has become a classic of American literature. Written in the early 1950’s, not long after the advent of television in every American home, Fahrenheit 451 was a glimpse into the future, telling of a time when mass media and advertising would become a tool of influence and control of public policy and opinion. The people of Fahrenheit are enslaved to pursuit of hedonism and have cultivated a culture of anti-intellectualism and apathy. This course’s primary focus is critical thinking. Students work toward an analysis of the novel that asks them to draw correlations and contrasts between the fictional world of Fahrenheit 451 and the world we see around us today.

First English/English for Success (1 credit) This course is only for students designated as English Language Learners (ELL’s) through the Stanford English Language Proficiency (SELP) test. This course is designed to enable a student to move in an accelerated manner from the absolute beginner (pre-emergent SELP designation) through the intermediate level (intermediate SELP designation). The course is a combination of one-on-one interaction and a state-of-the-art interactive computer program which includes advanced technology for voice recording and playback. The course will equip the ELL student to fully participate in and benefit from his or her other coursework.

Frankenstein (A & B) (0.5 credit)

Fundamentals of Reading (A & B) (1 credit) This course is designed for students who are reading below grade level. The aim of this course is to help students develop the skills needed to rapidly increase their comprehension of grade appropriate texts. Lessons are organized to give the student practice in basic reading skills using reading materials that progress from the fourth grade level to the ninth grade level. Basic writing skills are also taught in the form of paragraphs that teach the student how to organize his or her thoughts about reading selections in a logical sequence. These activities supplement the reading lessons and give the student practical writing experience.

Fundamentals of Writing (A & B) (1 credit)

Grammar Sense (1 credit)

Great Gatsby (0.5 credit) This course gives students the opportunity to read and analyze a classic American novel that satirizes the excessive nature of the prohibition era in the 1920’s. Students will be asked to think critically about the dynamic of author agenda and historical perspective.

Holocaust Seminar (0.5 credit: 0.25 Language Arts & 0.25 Elective Social Studies)

Honors Writing (A & B) (1 credit) This course is designed as a comprehensive study of composition and grammar principles. The texts introduce grammar at an advanced level, utilizing Michael Clay Thompson’s four-level analysis of grammar that encourages student s to understand grammar as not only the foundation of language but of thought as well. This allows students to reflect on how language and grammar shape their cognitive processes, encouraging a metacognitive process in their study of English grammar and composition. The writing process, basic writing mechanics, and basic types of essays, which build on the grammar exploration, are then introduced and practiced, allowing students to use the principles of grammar to increase sentence fluency in writing assignments. Activities on the writing process include prewriting, organizing material, drafting, revising, and editing. Students will write a documented essay and persuasive letter as part of this course.

An Introduction to Great Books (1 credit) This course is an introduction to the Great Books shared inquiry method. Students learn to think critically while analyzing literature.

Language & Literacy (A & B) (1 credit) This course is a comprehensive study of reading comprehension skills and strategies for students. Upon completion of this course, students will have met many of the state standards for reading and writing. This course is designed to enhance students’ ability to read, understand, and respond appropriately to texts ranging from poems to short stories to nonfiction essays.

Literature and Composition 9 (0.5 credit) This course is designed for freshmen; it is a survey of various short stories, poems, plays, and novels. Some of the authors and poets read during this course are Bill Cosby, Langston Hughes, Leslie Marmon Silko, R.K. Narayan, Nelson Mandela, Richard Connell, Rebecca Walker, William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and H.G. Wells. The primary focus of the curriculum is reading and literary response. Students are also asked to analyze various films and radio dramas. Films analyzed in the course include Cry Freedom, Romeo and Juliet, War of the Worlds, and The Importance of Being Ernest. In addition, the course incorporates AIMS reading preparation, vocabulary, and 2-level analysis of grammatical structure.

Literature and Composition 10 (0.5 credit) This is the follow-up course to Literature and Composition 9 for sophomores; it is a survey of various short stories, poems, plays, and novels. Some of the authors and poets read during this course are Ray Bradbury, Rachel Carson, William Carlos Williams, Federico Garcia Lorca, Sherman Alexie, Dylan Thomas, T.H. White, Cormac McCarthy, N. Scott Momaday, Lorraine Hansberry, William Shakespeare, and Miguel de Cervantes. The primary focus of the curriculum is reading and literary response. Students are also asked to analyze various films and radio dramas. Films analyzed in the course include Smoke Signals, Snow Falling on Cedars, Julius Cesar, All the Pretty Horses, and A Raisin in the Sun. In addition, the course incorporates AIMS reading preparation, vocabulary, and 4-level analysis of grammatical structure.

Literature & Composition III-IV A (0.5 credit). This course is designed as a comprehensive study of literature and composition. The texts introduce literature, including poetry, short story, non-fiction, and novel excerpts from various cultures. Students are encouraged to actively read each piece of literature through guided reading exercises in the Daybook of Critical Thinking and Writing. Students take the active reading skills learned in the Daybook and apply them to the short stories they read in the Great Books text. After studying the elements of literature, students demonstrate their knowledge by writing their own short story utilizing those elements.

Literature & Composition V-VI A (0.5 credit) This course is designed as a comprehensive study of literature and composition. The texts introduce literature, including poetry, short story, non-fiction, and novel excerpts from various cultures. Students are encouraged to actively read each piece of literature through guided reading exercises in the Daybook of Critical Thinking and Writing. Students take the active reading skills learned in the Daybook and apply them to the short stories they read in the Great Books text. After studying the elements of literature, students demonstrate their knowledge by writing their own short story utilizing those elements.

Literature & Composition VII-VIII A (0.5 credit) This course is designed as a comprehensive study of literature and composition. The texts introduce literature, including poetry, short story, non-fiction, and novel excerpts from various cultures. Students are encouraged to actively read each piece of literature through guided reading exercises in the Daybook of Critical Thinking and Writing. Students take the active reading skills learned in the Daybook and apply them to the novel they read in the literature unit. Students demonstrate their knowledge by writing literary analyses, a poetry explication, their own poetry, and analyses of critical essays.

Macbeth (0.5 credit) This course examines complex themes such as crisis of conscience, good vs. evil, and fate vs. freewill. Perhaps the greatest and best-known writer in all of English literature, William Shakespeare takes students on a ride that ends in the tragic fall of the tortured, manipulated, and bloodthirsty protagonist Macbeth. Written in the early 1600’s, Macbeth is the first of the “Jacobean” plays written in post-Elizabethan England for the new monarch, King James. It is also Shakespeare’s shortest play. Students will watch the play and interpolate personal perspectives to the inherent themes through literary analysis.

Of Mice & Men (0.5 credit) This course gives students the opportunity to interact with a classic piece of American literature. Some of the areas the students will challenge themselves with are drawing on experiences that relate to the story, describing emotions and opinions, writing descriptive paragraphs, exploring the use of repetition, metaphor, simile, and foreshadowing, and drawing story charts. Students will embark on writing a final essay in which they explore theme, character comparisons, morals/ethics, researching the era of the story, or even writing a new ending to the book.

Writing and Grammar 9 (0.5 credit) This course is designed for freshman and follows Literature and Composition 9 as its companion Writing course. It has sections that cover descriptive essays, writing for business, personal narratives, expository essays, and speech writing. In addition, the course incorporates AIMS writing preparation and 4-level analysis of grammatical structure.

AIMS Reading Prep (0.25 elective credit) This is a preparation for the reading portion of the AIMS test. This course is designed to review strategies to comprehend any type of text. Students will predict text content using prior knowledge and text features, generate clarifying questions in order to comprehend text, use graphic organizers to clarify the meaning of a text, connect information and events in text to experience and to related text and sources, and apply knowledge of organizational structures of text to aid comprehension.

AIMS Writing Prep (0.25 elective credit) This is a preparation for the writing portion of the AIMS test. This course is designed to review concepts of writing including the six traits, the writing process, reading and answering writing prompts, and essay test taking skills. Additional information about the AIMS test is provided as well as multiple opportunities to practice the skills and concepts reviewed.

Test-Taking Skills: Language Arts (0.25 elective credit) This course is a review of language arts concepts likely to appear on a freshman standardized test.