9th Grade English
In this course, we will read exciting novels and non-fiction texts as well as informational articles relating to the dilemmas of youth. Students will develop their own ideas and opinions, share them with one another, and complete various writing tasks. These activities will assist them to build content knowledge, construct written and oral responses to prompts and interact independently with complex texts, analyzing and internalizing the texts’ academic language and vocabulary. We will be reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah, and The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
10th Grade English
Welcome to 10th Grade English: “Rebellion, Dissent, and the Pursuit of Social Justice.” In a world where injustice abounds, it is important to help young people begin to develop their own ideas about what is right and what it wrong. This will help them decide the kind of global citizens they wish to be. In this course, students will read exciting novels and nonfiction, develop their own ideas and opinions, share them with one another, and complete various writing tasks. These activities will help them improve their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.
11th Grade English
This course will enhance students’ academic and professional writing and reading skills with a
focus on American literature and nonfiction topics.
Life Skills
The Life Skills class is structured in a way that allows students to not only focus on their academic achievements in 9th grade, but also to look ahead at what skills will be needed throughout their high school careers. Students will learn about the importance of checking their Pupilpath accounts, as well as understanding what credits are required for graduation, improving study skills and test-taking, using respectful language both in and out of the classroom, appropriate behavior, school policies, career goals and many other aspects of high school and post-high school life.
Along with focusing on academic achievements, we will also touch on many of the issues students face every day, such as bullying, drug and alcohol abuse, unhealthy relationships, eating disorders, etc. Students will participate in well-rounded activities that will teach them how to appropriately navigate their way through this most important time in their lives!
AP LANGUAGE & Composition
Students of Advanced Placement English Language and Composition/American Literature will be engaged in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes and audiences. As a means of completing these objectives, students will understand how poetry, fiction, drama, and nonfiction prose written in America from the seventeenth century to the present represent the experiences and dreams of people who were native to American soil, people who emigrated to America, and people who were brought to America against their will as America was colonized and developed into the complex entity it is today.
AP Literature & cOMPOSITION
AP English — designed to comply with the curricular requirements described in the AP English Course Description—is a two-semester course designed to engage students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature at the undergraduate level so that they will be prepared to take the AP English Literature and Composition exam in May. Through the close reading of representative texts from several genres and periods (16th -20th century)—reading that is both wide and deep, and built on reading done in previous English courses—they will enhance their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As we read, write, think about, discuss, and question literature, we will consider each work’s structure, style, and themes, as well as such elements as figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. In other words, we not only examine meaning, but also the techniques authors use to create that meaning.
aCHIEVE 3000
Achieve3000 is the leader in online differentiated instruction, serving millions of students worldwide. For nearly 15 years, the company has been reaching students at their precise Lexile® reading levels to deliver significant reading gains—often double-to-triple the expected gains. Based on decades of scientific research, Achieve3000 patented online methodology for differentiated instruction provides engaging, nonfiction content that supports core curriculum, Response to Intervention, English language learning, special education, adult learning, workforce readiness, and other instructional models. Featuring comprehensive English and Spanish language support and extra scaffolding for struggling readers, these are aligned with the Common Core State Standards for English language arts as well as state standards for literacy and the content areas. Achieve3000 supports 21st century education initiatives across content areas and is helping to put all students on the road to College and Career Readiness.
cREATIVE wRITING
This Creative Writing course will assist students to gain skills in expressing themselves with originality, creativity, and clarity in stories, poetry, and personal essays. Students will identify the successful elements of an effective piece of creative writing. Through learning to give and receive useful feedback in a positive, respectful environment, students will experience what it is like being in a writing community! This is a great opportunity to experience writing as a tool for intellectual exploration, self-discovery and creative expression!
