Language Arts Course Offerings

 

English 9

 

I.      Course Title: English 9        2 Semesters     2 Credits   

 

II.      Course Description:

 

          This course is required for all ninth graders in order to enhance language arts           skills. The literature studies include short stories, drama, mythology, and the novel.           Composition includes a research project, essays, independent reading, journals, and creative writings. Grammar is emphasized for both better writing and speaking.

 

III.      Prerequisites: Grade 8 English

 

IV.      Units/Lessons:

          •    Short Stories grouped by elements such as plot, character, setting, point of           view, and theme.

          •    Drama studies include Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

          •    Novels include Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

          •    A Study of Mythology features the Odyssey by Homer

            •     Independent Reading and Weekly Journal Writing – Summarization and reaction paragraphs from library books

          •    Grammar and Composition - various assignments including creative writing,           essays, journals, and reports using correct grammatical conventions of the           language

 

English 10

 

I.      Course Title: English 10                  2 Semesters                2 Credits

 

II.      Course Description:

 

          This course is required for all sophomores and includes a survey of world literature       building on previous course work in English 9. Literature studies include short           stories, plays, the novel, and poetry. Composition includes literature-related essays, creative writing, and independent reading journals. Creative projects are     connected to literature units throughout the year. Grammar study is designed to         enhance student writing.

 

III.      Prerequisites: Sophomore class standing

 

IV.      Units/Lessons:

 

          •    Short stories grouped by elements of fiction - plot, setting, character, point-of-          view, symbol, irony and theme

          •    Study of the novel – Animal Farm by George Orwell

          •    Study of Shakespeare - his life and times and reading of the play Julius      Caesar

          •    The Legends of King Arthur - selected readings and plays

          •    Sophocles's play Antigone - study of the Greek theater and reading of the           play

          •    Independent reading and weekly journal writing - summarization and    reaction paragraphs from library books

          •    Composition and Grammar - various assignments related to literature,           creative writing, poetry, and language skills

 

English 11

 

I.        Course Title: English 11       2 Semesters                2 Credits

 

II.       Course Description:

 

          This is an elective English course designed for juniors who wish to begin           developing skills needed for the rigors of university level work or employment in   fields that required similar skills. This one-year course builds upon previous         language arts education in English 9 and 10 and begins to develop skills that are        essential for academic success at the collegiate level or in other professional   endeavors: critical reading and the writing of papers of exposition, analysis, and    research. Students will begin learning how to format papers in accordance with           the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Fifth Edition.

          Students also survey American literature through an examination of the     chronological development of specific genres and historical movements.   Specific      works read and/or studied include My Antonia by Willa Gather, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, The Crucible and A Death of a Salesman by         Arthur Miller, Night by Elie Wiesel, and A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins.       In addition, students must independently read four books from the College Bound          Reading list and give oral presentations of their themes. Critical reading will be          emphasized in seminar-type discussions and analytical papers.

          A well-rounded student is the goal of this class. It aims to develop and polish a    variety of skills in thinking, reading, writing, listening, and public speaking.

 

III.      Prerequisites: English 9 and 10 •

 

IV.      Units/Lessons:

 

·        A Survey of American Literature

·        The Great American Novel: My Antonia by Willa Gather, The Adventures of

·        Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

·        American Drama: The Crucible and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

·        Nonfiction: Night by Elie Wiesel

·        American Travel Literature: A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins

·        Narrative & Descriptive Writing: "A Christmas Memory" & "A Character Sketch"

·        Vocabulary for College

·        College Bound Reading and Oral Presentations

·        An Introduction to MLA Research and Writing

 

Business English

 

I.        Course Title: Business English   2 Semesters   2 Credits

 

II.       Course Description:

 

          Students in Business English will become effective communicators, both orally and           with the written word. Students will write in the five-paragraph essay format, and    write a variety of papers. These include persuasive essays, creative essays, cause and effect essays, compare and contrast essays, character analyses, and writings          dealing with personal goals or reflections. Students will also work on two large      projects, one dealing with careers, and the other dealing with small business. The         two projects have many facets and deal with looking at information and improving     skills that will be needed when the student leaves high school.

 

III.      Prerequisites: Keyboarding, English 9, English 10

 

IV.      Units/Lessons:

 

          The course is divided into three sections. The first semester is spent working on   written communication and its many different forms. The third nine weeks is spent      on a career project (presentation at the end). The fourth nine weeks is spent on a          small business project (presentation at the end). A speech will be included where       time permits within the second semester.

 

College Bound English

 

I.      Course Title: College Bound English    2 Semesters    2 Credits

 

II.      Course Description:

 

This is an elective course designed for seniors who wish to prepare for the rigors of university level work. This one-year course builds upon previous language arts education and further develops skills that are essential for academic success at the collegiate level: critical reading and the writing of college-level papers of exposition, analysis, and research. All formal writing assignments must be formatted in accordance with the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Fifth Edition.

          Students also survey the early history of British literature through an examination of           the chronological development of specific genres and movements.   Specific works           studied include Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales (Chaucer), Much Ado About       Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet (Shakespeare), Brave New World        (Aldous Huxley), and The Fellowship of the Ring (J.R.R. Tolkien). In addition,         students independently read three books from the College Bound Reading list,        including a college-level nonfictional text that relates to a research paper they must           write. Critical reading will be emphasized in seminar-type discussions and     analytical papers, and a research paper will be required of all students.

          As in English 11, this course aims to develop and polish a variety of skills in reading, writing, listening, and public speaking. A well-rounded student is the goal.

 

Prerequisites: English 11

 

Units/Lessons:

 

·        Anglo-Saxon/Medieval English Literature

·        Renaissance Literature/Shakespeare (Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, the Sonnets, and the King James Bible)

·        The British Novel: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

·        Myth and Epic: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien Vocabulary for College College Bound Reading and Oral Presentations

·        MLA Research and Writing (APA format is optional)

 

High School Reading

 

I.      Course Title: High School Reading   2 Semesters   2 Credits

 

II.      Course Description

 

          Students read library books for 50 minutes each day and record the title, author,           and pages read in a journal. In addition, each student writes a three page           statement about the reading which includes a summary of their favorite character           and least favorite character. The student will also write a new ending for the story.        A number of    Accelerated Reader test points is needed each nine weeks. The    student will also define 2 terms per day to be kept in a log.

 

III.      Prerequisites None - however, most students who take this course have at least a           sophomore standing

 

IV.      Units/Lessons

 

Students are expected to read books which are appropriate to grade level and reading level. Approximately 25 pages of reading per day should be the goal for all students. College bound students are encouraged to select books from a reading lists which are considered good reading preparation for college work. Students will make a choice of book exclusive to this reading class, one of which must be from the college bound list.

 

Journalism

 

I.        Course Title: Journalism   2 Semesters   2 Credits

 

II.      Course Description:

 

          Journalism is for students who have the ability to write fluently and are interested in           writing for the Wildcat Times, the school paper. The students in this class will.be           covering school, community, county, state, national, and world events in articles           that will be included in a paper that gets sold at the school and distributed           throughout the community. Writers will learn how to properly interview somebody,           how to find facts, how to organize, and how to work under a deadline. Editors will           be proofreaders, headline-creators, in charge of laying out the paper,, and also           helping with the organization and determination of what goes into the paper. Work           loads may be heavy, deadlines must be met, and much is expected of the           students. Editors may spend time out of class working on the layout of the paper.

 

III.      Prerequisites: Keyboarding, English 9, English 10, English 11 or College Bound           English (suggested, but not required)

 

IV.      Units/Lessons:

 

          This class doesn't function on units or lessons. At the beginning of the year,   students will practice things such as writing leads, interviewing people, structuring   articles, digging deep for information, finding angles, and the like, but that is all within the first few weeks. After that, the paper will come out monthly, and the     students will spend the time in-between the printing of each issue working toward          their articles for the next month's issue.

 

Speech/Drama

 

I.      Course Title: Speech/Drama 2 Semesters    2 Credits

 

II.      Course Description:

 

          This year long course is an elective for students who would like to acquire more           poise in front of people and improve their communication skills. The course         includes the following:

          1)  A concentrated course in basic speech experiments such as informative           speeches, demonstrative speeches, persuasive speeches, and debates.

          2)  A concentrated course in drama techniques that include experiencing           improvisational theater, working with scripts and producing a play.

 

III.      Prerequisites: Student must be in 11th or 12th grade

 

 

 

IV.      Units/Lessons:

 

Speech

          • Speech outlining

          • Speech research and organization

          • Informational speaking

          • Impromptu speaking

          • Demonstrative speaking

          • Persuasive skills

          • Debate

         

          Drama

          • Improvisational acting

          • Elementary School character skits

          • Full length play

          • Plot elements