The English program advances four key objectives: to analyze literature; to read, think, and evaluate critically the selected works; to understand and appreciate language; and to refine the skill of writing. A progressive and comprehensive writing program unifies the four years of English study. The English department follows the MLA (Modern Language Association) format for essays and research papers. In literary studies, students are assigned five novels to read each summer. These works reflect the subject matter of their next level in English.
English I
Freshman English is an integration of reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, and study skills. Foundational in nature, Freshman English prepares students for future studies by introducing them to all aspects of English to enable them to communicate effectively through the written word. Students are introduced to the core program of writing that develops sentence structure through varied grammatical and rhetorical patterns. Freshmen begin to develop their research skills and to demonstrate these skills and correct MLA documentation on their essays. The development of critical thinking skills forms an important part of their literary studies. During the year, students read Romeo and Juliet, short stories, poetry, a selection from the Odyssey, and novels, including The Hound of the Baskervilles and Animal Farm. Vocabulary development is an on-going and integral part of Freshman English
English II
In Sophomore English, world literature and writing are the principal areas of study. This study continues to advance four key objectives to analyze literature; to read, think, and evaluate critically the selected works; to understand and appreciate language, and to refine the skill of writing. Students read selections ranging from the ancient Sumerian epic Gilgamesh to the poems and short stories of modern third-world writers. These works introduce students to the masters of world culture and thought and enrich them with an excellent foundation in literature, religion, and philosophy. During the year, sophomores continue to explore the complexities of human relationships through their study of novels, two Shakespearean plays, and Oedipus the King. In their second year of the core program, students continue to develop and refine their own writing style as they explore topics critically and reflectively about their reading and the values represented in these readings. Students are encouraged to develop their own style as they explore their topics in narrative, analytical, persuasive, and interpretive essays. Students use the MLA format and documentation for their essays. Development of verbal skills is an important aspect of the sophomore year as students prepare for the PSATs, SATs, and ACTs.
English III
Junior English is a survey of British literature. Comprehensive in scope, this course introduces students to the writings and authors that have come to define British literature. Their course of study includes classic British novels, short stories, poems, and Macbeth. Critical examination and study of individual works allow students to address timeless and universal themes and to enhance their personal appreciation of literature. In English III, there is a minimal stress on the instruction of grammar. Sentence structure is reviewed, and basic sentence patterns are reinforced through their on-going study of writing based on the core program. Juniors advance their research skills in the continuation of MLA and research methods including direct quotations and parenthetical references.
Honors English III
Honors English is a course for select juniors who will culminate their English studies in AP English Literature and Composition their senior year. In their in-depth study of British literature from Beowulf to twentieth-century classics, students read, study, and analyze the literary techniques of key British authors and their works that include The Canterbury Tales, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Macbeth and Hamlet, The Heart of Darkness, and a wide variety of poetry. During their year in Honors English, students continue to develop their vocabulary and to hone their core writing skills in their critical analyses of the primary texts. Honors English III students will take AP English Literature and Composition their senior year.
Creative Writing
Creative Writing is an alternative elective selection to Junior English, Honors English, and AP English Language and Composition and subsequently fulfills the requirement for English III. Juniors selected for this course continue their study of literature by examining selected writings of British and American authors. These selections give students the opportunity to emulate the finest examples of each genre in their own writing. The course work focuses on the added dimension of writing for students with a specific interest in, or talent for, writing by giving them the opportunity of writing in the four generic areas of writing: poetry, the short story, essay, and drama.
A.P. English Language and Composition
AP English Language and Composition is an elective in English in the junior year fulfills the English requirement for that year. Qualified students study and analyze the language, rhetoric, and composition of selected readings. After their discussion and examination of selected works, students demonstrate their proficiency in language, rhetoric, and composition in writing analytical, persuasive, and synthesis essays, all using MLA style. AP English Language and Composition emphasizes rhetoric and composition with attention to forms: narrative, exposition, and argument. This AP course engages students in becoming skilled readers of non-fiction written in a variety of times, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Reading selections for the course come from fiction, nonfiction, and nonliterary works, namely sociology, history, politics, anthropology, and the sciences. Students will sit for the AP English Language and Composition in May of their junior year. AP English Language and Composition take Honors English IV their senior year.
English IV
In senior English, students study the classics of American literature and examine selected works in their cultural and historical context. Among the American greats read during the year are The Crucible, The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, and The Streetcar Named Desire, as well as “Young Goodman Brown,” “A Rose for Emily,” and “A Story of an Hour.” In addition, they finish their Shakespearean study with Hamlet and read the Greek tragedy of Antigone. Seniors use their rhetorical skills developed by the four-year core program that advances structural complexity and methods of syntactical development to prepare their college essay and their analytical and reflective essays.
Honors English IV
Honors English IV is an elective designed for students who have taken AP English Language and Composition in junior year and wish to continue challenging themselves in their understanding of diverse genres of American literature and writing. Honors English IV students use their rhetorical skills learned in AP English Language and Composition to develop and defend their thesis in an essay and continue to fine-tune their analytical writing skills in a variety of literary essays.
AP English Literature and Composition
AP English Literature and Composition students focus their study on American literature and study iconic American novels, short stories, poetry, and non-fiction. In each of the respective literary periods, students learn broadly about the cultural and historical background of the time and develop an understanding of the cultural and historical forces that influence the literature of each period. With the reading of each work, students additionally analyze the techniques which are peculiar to the genre and which distinguish the writer’s style, characteristic subject matter, and the significance of the work to the writer’s canon. Essays are exclusively analytical. All students sit for the AP English Literature and Composition Examination in May.