Language Arts
The Language Arts Department provides instruction in English with courses that will prepare the student for college or the world of work. Each student is required to complete and pass four years of English. The student may choose electives in English. Course placement will depend on teacher recommendation, test scores, and previous grades in English.
Note: Elective courses in English can not be taken as a replacement for English 1-4.
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Language Arts Electives |
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Course Descriptions
english 1
Prerequisite: None
Credits: 1
Grades: 9
Length: 1 Year
This course focuses on reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills which are integrated and developed through a study of short stories, non-fiction essays, novels, poetry, and plays. Students will compose essays with introductory body closing. Write in complete sentences in response to questions, engage in vocabulary study, identify and correctly use the eight parts of speech, revise writing to make sure voice and verb tense are correct, check for and correct unnecessary commas, correctly punctuate complex and compound sentences, conduct research and compose documents using computers, write many simply organized short texts of various genres, and deliver both formal and informal speeches.
READ 180
Prerequisite: None
Credits: 0
Grades: 9
Length: 1 year
Read 180 is a program focused on improving the student’s reading comprehension, reading fluency, vocabulary and writing skills. The program meets daily for a standard period. The class is divided into four stations which include independent reading, small group instruction, computer instruction and a large group lesson. Small groups of students rotate through the three stations during each period and address different reading strategies.
english 2
Prerequisite: English 1
Credits: 1
Grades: 10
Length: 1 Year
This course is designed to help students improve their reading and writing skills through a study of literature and through emphasis on mastering skills necessary to succeed on the ACT. Students will write essays following a given rubric. They will be able to revise by eliminating unnecessary words, phrases, or sentences, and by selecting the most logical place to add a sentence in paragraphs. Students will revise sentences to provide more specific detail (Special emphasis will be placed on student using the correct forms for adjectives and adverbs). Students will be able to draw conclusions about uncomplicated literary narratives, locate simple factual information, and infer meaning. Students will develop an enriched vocabulary based on context clues in a literary passage.
english 3
Prerequisite: English 2
Credits: 1
Grades: 11
Length: 1 Year
This two semester sequence integrates the study of American literature with the development of reading, oral communication, composition, vocabulary and research skills. Persuasion and argumentation are taught through both public speaking and composition.
english 4
Prerequisite: English 3
Credits: 1
Grades: 12
Length: 1 Year
This course is designed to examine significant writers, works, and literary trends of British literature and to improve students’ writing skills. Students will focus on recognizing, appreciating, and analyzing works using the following reading conventions: main and subordinate ideas, sequence, comparative cause and effect relationships, vocabulary, and author’s voice and style. Students will concentrate on their writing using the following conventional skills: identifying the focus of a literary piece and applying that knowledge to their own writing, using logical sequence and transitional devices to create connections between sentences and paragraphs, revising phrases by avoiding redundancy and incorporating precise agreement, avoiding faulty placement of word and phrases, maintaining consistency in verb tense and pronoun person, using proper punctuation and finally, recognizing correct use of apostrophes, colons, and semicolons..
honors english 1
Prerequisite: Above grade level Reading scores on Standardized tests.
Credits: 1
Grades: 9
Length: 1 Year
This course is designed for students who have aptitude for in-depth study of language arts. The course will include an exploration of the elements of grammar, composition, and literature.
honors english 2
Prerequisite: Honors English 1
Credits: 1
Grades: 10
Length: 1 Year
This course develops the skills of grammar; composition and literature introduced in the freshman Honors English class. This class offers the opportunity for exploration of all areas of language arts.
honors english 3
Prerequisite: Honors English 2
Credits: 1
Grades: 11
Length: 1 Year
This is a college level course that integrates the study of American literature with prose and poetry from various fields and periods. Persuasion and argumentation are taught through both public speaking and composition.
honors english 4
Prerequisite: Honors English 3
Credits: 1
Grades: 12
Length: 1 Year
This course is designed for the examination of significant writers, works, and literary trends from the beginnings of British literature to the present. Students will read, analyze, write about, and discuss selections of British literature. Students will also improve their grammar and vocabulary skills.
advanced placement english 4
Prerequisite: Honors English 3 and Teacher Recommendation
Credits: 1
Grades: 12
Length: 1 Year
This World Literature course is designed for college bound students, seeking advanced credit that can be used for college credit. Students will display excellent writing skills. They should be able to determine whether a complex essay has accomplished a specific purpose according to advanced placement criteria: consider the need for introductory sentences or transitions, basing decisions on logic and rhetoric; work comfortably with long sentences and complex causal relationships, avoiding weak conjunctions and maintaining parallel structure; and provide contextual appropriate prepositions following verbs in situations involving sophisticated language (students will evident excellent reading and writing skills). As well as being able to identify the authors’ or narrator’s attitude or point of view.
Language Arts Electives Course Descriptions
African-American Literature
Prerequisite: None
Credits: .5
Grades: 11 - 12
Length: 1 Semester
This course is designed for students who would like to increase their understanding of African-American culture by studying major works of African-American literature. A thematic approach will be used for this one-semester course.
Journalistic Writing
Prerequisite: None
Credits: 1
Grades: 11 - 12
Length: 1 Year
This year long course will familiarize the student with various types of newspaper writing, including editorials (opinion) news, features, reviews and sports. The course will stress writing, editing, and checking one’s own work. Students will learn how to pursue and execute in-depth stories with their writing as they develop investigative stories and as they write stories that will require in-depth interviews with several individuals. This course will also stress the communicative skills necessary to effectively observe, interview and report accurately and objectively, as well as to write, copy, and solicit advertising. A study of headline writing and caption writing will also be included. In addition, students will analyze newspapers and their effect on society, including the ethical responsibilities of journalism. Students who plan to eventually join the newspaper should consider taking this course.
Yearbook
Prerequisite: None
Credits: 1
Grades: 11 - 12
Length: 1 Year
Students who take this year long course will develop their writing skills. Copy editing will be stressed to ensure that all reporting is accurate and follows the rules of good grammar and spelling. Such writing skills as clarity, sentence variety, and syntax will be covered in the course. Developing feature leads will be emphasized for all types of stories, as this is the primary approach in magazine writing. The techniques of observation, interviewing, and reporting will be given an in-depth study. A study of how to write feature headlines and caption writing will be included. Students will develop an understanding of various literary styles and be expected to write longer feature stories about people and events pertinent to the reader. Students will be expected to write personality profiles, sports features, academic features, student life features and various types of quick reads such as one finds in news magazines. Students will take a more in-depth look at magazines and their role in society, as well as other publications. Students interested in eventually joining the yearbook staff should consider taking this class
Multicultural Literature
Prerequisite: None
Credits: .5
Grades: 12
Length: 1 Semester
This course is designed for students who would like to increase their global consciousness and broaden their knowledge of other cultures by studying literature from around the world. While the course emphasizes African American, Native-American, and Hispanic literature, it also includes a fair representation of literature from other cultures (Guest speakers are also included as part of the multicultural literature curriculum).
Short Story
Prerequisite: English 1 & 2
Credits: .5
Grades: 12
Length: 1 Semester
This semester course is designed for students who wish to study short fiction in detail. The students will read, discuss, and write about a wide variety of short stories.