- English 9 Standard
- English 9 Honors
- English 10 Standards
- English Honors 10
- English 11 Standard
- AP English Literature & Composition
- English 12 Standard
- Technical Writing
- SAT PREP
- Journalism
English 9 Standard
English 9 Standard is aligned with Common Core standards. In this course, students work on reading comprehension and analysis. They are required to read classic and contemporary masterpieces of great American and English poets, authors and playwrights, focusing on literary devices. Emphasis is on the composition of the sentence structure and paragraph; students learn the research process, using APA style and conventions. Writing includes the full spectrum of writing venues, such as descriptive, narrative, reflective and persuasive writing. Students study grammar as a route to more effective writing. Basic rules of grammar, usage, and mechanics are reviewed, and vocabulary is taught through varied sources, including literature and the Vocabulary Power Grade 9. Oral communication is emphasized in effective listening and speaking techniques.
English 9 Honors
English 9 is aligned with Common Core standards. This course is open to those students who have demonstrated a marked proficiency in reading and writing and outstanding performance. This course provides both independent study and class activities to enable the students to explore more English & American literature in greater depth than the Standard English syllabus allows. Students evaluate and interpret an author’s purpose, choice of diction and the themes of the work itself developing higher level thinking skills via more advanced and faster paced analysis. Listening skills are sharpened through exposure to audio versions of literary works introduced throughout the course. Writing includes the full spectrum of writing venues such as descriptive, narrative, reflective and persuasive writing, in addition to poetry, opinion pieces, short stories, letter writing, editorials and interviews. Grammar is taught as a route to more effective writing, and vocabulary is learned through Greek and Latin roots. Students review the research process to write a full-length research paper, using the APA style.
English 10 Standards
English 10 is aligned with Common Core Standards. This course presents an intensive review and development of grammar and composition skills in conjunction with a study of the basic types of literature: poetry, novel, drama, and short story. Students learn literary forms and terms associated with selections being read and apply these in analysis. Teachers model writing strategies that students apply in their work, centering on the development and mastery of focus and coherence, voice, content, and conventions. Vocabulary enrichment is continued by using the vocabulary book and by studying vocabulary in context. Students will also strengthen their communication skills through effective listening and speaking techniques. Students refine their listening skills to better participate in lectures, classroom discussions, and cooperative group activities.
English Honors 10
English 10 Honors is an accelerated course designed for students who have demonstrated a degree of excellence in English. The purpose of the course is to prepare students for Advanced Placement English courses; it is based on the Common Core Standards with an integrated approach to reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students read and analyze a wide variety of world literary texts, including novels, short stories, plays, essays, and poems. Reading instructions is not only centered on mere comprehension, but focus on building higher level thinking skills to evaluate the literary techniques of the author and interpret the themes of the work. Students will learn to write analytical essays while developing clarity of style and focus in their writing. This course focuses on sentence structure and cohesive devices that provide structural unity to the text. Emphasis is placed on the organization of a text in terms of a thesis statements, topic sentences, supporting details, and evidence. Vocabulary and grammar units will be included throughout both semesters. Students develop speaking skills to express their ideas clearly and effectively. Students refine their listening skills to better participate in lectures, classroom discussions, and cooperative group activities.
English 11 Standard
English 11 Standard is aligned with Common Core Standards. This course emphasizes the major themes of American Literature as well as literature from other world cultures. Students learn about literary movements associated with selections being read and apply these in analysis. Techniques of APA research paper writing are taught. Vocabulary study continues and students find the tools to express their ideas through vertically aligned vocabulary development stressing mastery of Greek and Latin roots. Oral communication is emphasized in effective listening and speaking techniques as they learn to express their ideas verbally.
AP English Literature & Composition
The AP English Literature and Composition is a one-year course designed to build on students’ knowledge from previous English Honors courses while enhancing their analytical, interpretive, and presentation skills using novels, plays, poems, and short stories from different literary eras. Fundamental principles that students focus on throughout the entire year include understanding the use of language in poetry, short stories, dramas, novels and memoirs; learning the importance of structure, style, and theme in the development of a work; integrating knowledge of literary terms and elements within a given work; and continued use of proper APA research conventions . The course also encourages the development of oral skills. Along with classroom discussions, each student therefore delivers formal and informal timed presentations throughout the year. The organization of this course follows the requirements and guidelines of the College Board’s AP English Course Description and is intended to prepare senior and junior level students for the AP English Literature and Composition Exam administered in May.
English 12 Standard
This course is aligned with Common Core Standards and continues the practice of writing the major forms of composition, together with the study of major themes and works of British and world literature. It guides students through the process of starting, composing, revising, and editing. . Additionally, it helps students improve their skills such as time management, note-taking, exam taking and library skills. Students still have formal vocabulary study. Oral communication is emphasized in effective listening and speaking techniques as they learn to express their ideas verbally. Writing activities will include exposition and argumentation with at least one researched essay. Furthermore, the course introduces students to a range of literary genres that may include poetry, fiction, drama, creative non-fiction, and other cultural texts. Finally, this course includes practice in group interaction, public speaking and listening comprehension.
Technical Writing
Technical Writing is designed for students who perform poorly in Grade 11 or fail to complete Grade 11 English successfully. Students are required to take Technical Writing instead of English 12 in Grade 12 to improve their English skills. Students will review basic grammar concepts and learn about phrases and clauses, types of sentences, different types of agreement, correct usage of verbs and pronouns and complements. There will be a concentration on punctuation and capitalization in order to structure paragraphs correctly. The course focuses on skills necessary for formal presentations, which require students to develop a range of broadly useful oral communication and interpersonal skills. The course also acknowledges the writing skills: the ability to plan, revise, edit, and publish along with producing informational, persuasive, and narrative or literary texts. As students arrange ideas to persuade, describe, and inform, they engage in logical critique to gain more insight and deep understanding of concepts and content. APA research skills are infused throughout the course.
SAT PREP
SAT Prep is a course that aims to prepare students for SAT exam with an end-goal of enrolling our students in the most selected American and International colleges around. To this end, this course focuses on SAT tips, tactics, and strategies that enable students to boost their SAT scores. Throughout this course, Saturdays are utilized for the Diagnostic Test and more full practice exams under exam conditions similar to the actual SAT exam conditions. Students will start with SAT Preparation course in the first term. Following this preparation course, students are expected to sit for the SAT examination in November. A variety of SAT and other test preparation tools and publications will be provided to students in the form of a student pack. The contents will include: Barron’s Leaders in SAT Preparation, iPad applications and e-books.
Journalism
Journalism is a course designed for students interested in newspaper journalism and developing their skills as writers. The course explores the contemporary media and the ethical responsibility issues inherent in the press today. Students will learn the fundamentals of news, feature, editorial and sports writing. Copy reading, news style and editing will be stressed. Students will create numerous original stories using varied structures and writing techniques. Students will also learn to create computer generated layouts and graphics. Journalism students are responsible for generating, writing, and editing stories necessary to produce MAS times.
