ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

 

All English Courses cover the Pennsylvania academic standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. 

 

 

English                                       9th grade course I, II, III

English                                      10th grade course I, II, III

English                                      11th grade course I, II, III

English                                      12th grade course I, II, III

Speech/Writing                         12 the grade

SAT/PSSA Verbal Prep           11th grade

 

9 th  GRADE ENGLISH  

ENGLISH 9- I:  English 9-1 is an intensive course of study designed specifically for the freshman who is willing to apply great energy, self-discipline, and hard work to all assignments.  This student should be determined to follow the high course track throughout high school with the singular aim of attending college.  The curriculum for this course centers on the study of vocabulary, grammar, literature, and writing; however, each element will be studied individually for a fundamental understanding and then in relation with the other elements for a more in-depth and deeper understanding.   The grammar study focuses on usage and mechanics.  Students will acquire a firm comprehension of subject-verb agreement, complex sentence structure, coordination and subordination, and apostrophes.  Students must then use these skills in their writings to demonstrate their understanding.   Furthermore, students will read and analyze in-depth a variety of literary works covering the genres of the short story, drama, poetry, and novel.  The major works of literature students will read include, but are not limited to, are: Fahrenheit 451, Night, Animal Fair, Antigone, Romeo and Juliet, The Hound of Baskervilles.   In addition, this course is writing enriched with great stress placed on the writing process and the five conventions of good writing.  The continuing goal to improve students’ writing abilities will take the form of a step process.  Students will begin with the correct structure and components of a paragraph, and upon mastery of that they will begin the study and practice of an essay.  Required writings include, but are not limited to, descriptive, narrative, expository, persuasive, and compare and contrast.  Writing assignments will primarily be based on the literature; however, a few topics will be based on student’s interests.   In addition, students will have weekly vocabulary lessons that stress word usage and analogies.   Also, students will study vocabulary terms selected from the class literature.   Finally, students will be exposed to, familiar with, and able to utilize the research resources in the library and computer lab through several small but in-depth research units.   Students will begin to grasp a firm understanding of MLA style documentation.   Along with a research paper, students will acquire the ability to make note cards, source cards, and outline, and a works cited.

 

ENGLISH 9-II :  This course will expose students to literature, grammar and writing.    Students will have an understanding of sentence structure, subject/verb agreement, and vocabulary.   Students will also learn how to combine complete sentences into organized, coherent paragraphs.   After understanding and composing narrative, descriptive, and expository paragraphs, students will attempt a personal essay.  Students will also be familiarized with research and a research paper.  Students will do source cards, note cards, and a works cited page following the MLA format.  Besides grammar and writing, students will be exposed to literature genres such as poetry, short stories, drama, and novels students will read Romeo and Juliet, Night, Animal Farm, and Fahrenheit 451.  Students will understand what makes each unique and they will read and discuss examples of each type.  Grades are based on homework, quiz and test marks, and preparation in class.

 

ENGLISH 9- III:  A mix of literature, writing, grammar and vocabulary.  The 9-3 course however, focuses on remedial writing, including grammar and usage.   Vocabulary will be taught in connection with the literature, which will include high-interest stories and novels, as well as  Romeo and Juliet.

 

10th GRADE ENGLISH:

Course I : Course I is designed for the serious and motivated college-bound student.  It is an enriched, elective course for those students who want a more challenging course of study.  Grammar is covered as needed, with instruction tailored to meet the students' areas of weakness.  Composition is stressed.  Students will be required to write in the various forms: narration, persuasion, and exposition.  Furthermore, each student will be responsible for at least one oral presentation.  Literature study is done according to the key literary elements, and includes, short stories, poetry, and Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.   A minimum of four novels will be covered in great depth.  Some examples of these novels are, but not limited to: Of Mice and Men, A Separate Peace,  O Pioneers!, and To Kill a Mockingbird.  SAT vocabulary/PSSA preparation  is stressed through bi-weekly lessons and quizzes.  Research is also stressed, along with proper and complete methods of MLA documentation.

 

ENGLISH 10-II:  Course II is designed to meet the needs of both the college-bound student and those planning to enter the work force after graduation.  Grammar will be covered as needed, with instruction tailored to meet the students' areas of weakness. Composition is also stressed.  Students will be required to write in the various forms: narration, persuasion, and exposition.  Furthermore, each student will be responsible for at least one oral presentation.  Literature study is done according to the key literary elements, and includes short stories, poetry, and Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.   A minimum of three novels will be covered in great depth   Some examples of these novels are, but not limited to: Of Mice and Men, A Separate Peace, and To Kill a Mockingbird.  SAT Vocabulary/PSSA preparation  is stressed through bi-weekly lessons and quizzes.  Research is also stressed, along with proper and complete methods of MLA documentation.  

 

ENGLISH 10-III:  Course III is designed for those students who plan to enter the work force and/or vocation field after graduation, and whose skills need improvement.  Students will receive grammar and composition instruction tailored to practical and realistic concerns.  Composition is still stressed.  Students will be required to write in the various forms: narration, persuasion, and exposition.  Furthermore, each student will be responsible for at least one oral presentation.  Literature study is done according to the key literary elements, and includes, short stories and poetry. A minimum of four novels will be covered in great depth..  A minimum of four novels will be covered in great depth.  Some examples of these novels are, but not limited to: That was Then,  This is Now,  Of mice and Men,  The Pigman,  and To Kill a Mocking bird. 

 

 

 

 

11TH  GRADE ENGLISH:

ENGLISH 11- I: The English 11-1 curriculum is designed to both challenge and benefit the serious college bound student. The material covered in class and the work assigned outside of class makes this course a demanding elective that requires great effort and hard work on the part of the student.  English 11-1 centers its

study on major American writers and literary movements.  Much class time will be devoted to reading, analyzing, and discussing American literature covering the genres of poetry, short story, drama, nonfiction, and novel.  The major works covered in-depth are, but are not limited to, The Great Gatsby, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, and Death of a Salesman. Furthermore this course is writing intensive.   Students will learn how to organize an essay, how to formulate a high quality thesis statement, and how to locate and use textual evidence to prove that theses statement. Various in-class writing activities include individual writing time, writing conferences with the teacher, peer editing, and examining and critiquing writing samples. In alignment with the PSSA exam, students will be required to write numerous narratives, informative, and persuasive essays.  Based on class readings, students will also write literary analysis papers.  Students will also complete a career unit in which they will learn, and utilize the research process.  A study of MLA documentation is incorporated into this unit, and students will be responsible for following the rules of MLA in their research paper.  Equally important to their writing skills, this course also focuses on improving students' speaking and listening skills.  This is achieved through students giving at least one oral presentation to the class, which may involve the utilization of Power Point.  Finally this course is vocabulary enriched.  The vocabulary studied is selected from either the class readings or a classical roots vocabulary workbook.  On the whole, this course is designed to help students perform well on the many standardized tests they will endure in their junior year.

 

COURSE 11 - II: The English 11-2 curriculum is designed to meet the needs of students who are considering college or tech school after graduation.  It will also benefit those students who are eager to join the work force after graduation.  Although the demand and the content is less than ENG 11-1, this course will still require effort, thought, and work on the part of the student.  This course provides an overview study of the major American literary periods and writers; it will cove the genres of poetry, short story, drama, nonfiction, and novel.  Students will read, analyze, and discuss these literary works with the goals of improving student reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.  Some examples of the works covered comprehensively are, but are not limited to,  Our Town, The Crucible, The Lord of the Flies, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.

 

In addition, great emphasis is placed on developing and refining students writing abilities.  Students will learn how to organize their ideas into an essay, how to write a thesis statement, and how to find textual evidence to support that thesis.  Writing assignments are based on class readings as well as student experiences and interests; consequently, students will learn the elements of and then write informative, narrative, and persuasive essays.  Not only is class time devoted to improving students' reading and writing skills but also to improving their speaking and listening skill.  Students are required to give at least one oral presentation to the class, which may involve using PowerPoint. Equally important, students will spend time in the library and computer lab acquiring research skills as they complete a career research unit.  Emphasis is placed on learning and following the research process in order to write a research paper.  Students will also become familiar with and write according to MLA documentation and format guidelines.  Finally, students will acquire and improved vocabulary through lessons based on the class readings as well as special SAT lessons.  The entire curriculum is designed to teach and reinforce the knowledge and skills students need to perform well on the PSSA exam.

 

 ENGLISH 11- III: The content and the pace of the English 11-3 course is specially designed for students who have displayed weak Language Art skills and need remediation in the areas of reading and writing.  Class readings will cover the genres of nonfiction, short story, poetry, novel, and drama.  Students will study each genre according to the key literary elements. A variety of strategies will be used to increase student reading comprehension skills.  In addition, much class time will be spent teaching students the writing process. Writing assignments will start as paragraphs and will progress to short essays.  Students will practice writing in a variety of modes, including descriptive, narrative, informative, and persuasive.  Great emphasis will be placed on organization and content.  Furthermore, the curriculum involves several lessons on sentence structure, grammar, and usage skills.  Also, vocabulary will be studied on a regular basis; the vocabulary lessons will come from either class readings or a vocabulary workbook.  As with all juniors, students in this course will complete a career research unit.  Two main goals of this unit are to improve the student's research skills and to prompt the student to think seriously about life after high school.  Whether it is within this unit or another unit, students will be required to give one oral presentation to the class. The entire curriculum is designed to help the student reach proficiency of the PSSA exam.

 

12th GRADE ENGLISH:

ENGLISH 12- I:  Advanced English- Course I is designed for students who are willing to devote the energy and time necessary to complete a course more rugged and demanding than Course II.  The basic goals for this course are: (1) to enable the student to deal with material that is intellectually more stimulating, (2) to refine reading and writing skills important for success, not only in college, but also in the professional world, (3) to cultivate habits of reading, writing, and thinking that characterize life-long learning and enjoyment.  To be successful in this course, students should be able to meet the following prerequisites:

1.      Be able to engage in intelligent discussion through active listening and constructive speaking.

2.      Be able to accept criticism from the teacher as well as from fellow students.

3.      Have the desire to learn more than the obvious and superficial.

4.      Have patience to accept unresolved answers as starting points for further thinking and exploring of ideas.

5.      Have a solid command of the English language, or be willing to work hard to catch up to those that do. 

Before enrolling in this course, students should assess their strength and weakness in these areas.   

 

ENGLISH 12-II: – Course II is a general course in English, which emphasizes literature and writing.  Students will study various authors and discover how each one deals with the social, mental, emotional, and moral issues of his/her time.  Students in Course II will deal primarily with proper usage and sentence structure as evidenced in their writing.  Compositions will be based on literature as well as the personal interests of students.  Although Course II is not as demanding as Course I students will still find it challenging and useful if they plan to attend college.

 

ENGLISH 12- III: – The content of this course is quite similar to English Course II.   Students in this course, however, will not dwell as much on the analytical aspects of literature.   They will learn to discover and appreciate an author’s ability to create characters, plots, themes, and settings as well as other literary techniques.  This course will also offer the students the opportunity to learn how to write in a competent and creative way.  Assignments will focus on the students' own personal experiences, to enhance these communication skills.   Another major focus of this course will be research skills. This course is designed to assist those students who need remedial work in the above-mentioned areas or who are weak basic language arts skills.

 

SPEECH/WRITING:  One credit course required of seniors.  Students will be responsible for learning the methodologies, strategies and deliveries used to become competent and comfortable as a speaker.  Computerized Power Point presentations may also be utilized.   Students will enhance their writing skill by exploring various techniques and styles while also developing creativity through weekly journal essays.   

 

SAT or PSSA  VERBAL PREP:  (11th grade)  This class will meet for 45 days.  A determination will be made as to placement in either PSSA or SAT program based on previous PSSA results.  .  The course will provide students with strategies  related to taking the SAT verbal test or the PSSA Reading test.  Critical Reading, vocabulary, identifying sentence errors and improving paragraphs, and essay writing will be stressed in the SAT course.  The PSSA course will emphasize constructed-responses, identifying author's purpose, figurative language and other facets of language arts tested on the PSSA.