The English Department promotes students to have effective writing and reading experiences so that achievement in state and school assessments will be mastered and literacy will increase.

English Courses are given credit only when students pass with a grade of “C” or better.

If student is underperforming based on one or more school assessments an intervention review English course will be required prior to advancing to the next level.

English 1: Prerequisite: Assessment Eligibility, Grade 9, 1 Quarter –.5 Credit

This course is designed to enable students to understand the literary elements in short stories and a novel. It provides the students an opportunity to encounter different poetic forms, rhythm and meter. Also, it focuses on providing a range of exemplary masterpieces from a variety of cultures that help students to appreciate the different genres of Literature. . Writing assignments are required as an additional method to improve understanding and comprehension.

English 2: Prerequisite: Passing English 1, Grade 9, 1 Quarter –.5 Credit

This course is designed to enable students to focus on Epic Poetry, Classical Epics, Tragedies, and three kinds of Literary Nonfiction: The Memoir, The Essay, and The Speech. Exploration of each genre’s literary elements; determination of theme and intent; and examination of vocabulary and semantics are included in the course content. The course seeks to develop the writing processes and practices necessary for producing successful high school compositions.

English 3: Prerequisite: Pass English 2, Grade 10, 1 Quarter –.5 Credit

This course offers a balanced focus on composition and literature. Typically, students learn about the alternate aims and audiences of written compositions by writing persuasive, critical, and creative multi-paragraph essays and compositions. Through the study of various genres of literature, students will improve their reading rate and comprehension and develop the skills to determine the author’s intent and theme and to recognize the techniques used by the author to deliver his or her message.

English 4: Prerequisite: Pass English 3, Grade 10, 1 Quarter –.5 Credit

This course is designed to enable students to read ancient and modern works by African and Middle Eastern authors, as well as select Western perspectives on Africa and the Middle East. In addition, students will also be introduced to shorter masterpieces of 19th century Russian Literature and to explore the impact of 20th Century historical events on Russian writers and their works. Students will improve their reading rate and comprehension and develop the skills to determine the author’s intent and theme and to recognize the techniques used by the author to deliver his or her message.

English 5: Prerequisite: Pass English 4, Grade 11, 1 Quarter –.5 Credit

Course continues to develop students’ writing skills, emphasizing clear, logical writing patterns, word choice, and usage, as students write essays and begin to learn the techniques of writing research papers. Students continue to read works of literature, which often form the backbone of the writing assignments. Literary conventions and stylistic devices may receive greater emphasis than in previous courses. Emphasize is on comprehension, discernment, and critical-thinking skills in the reading of texts and literature.

English 6: Prerequisite: Pass English 5, Grade 11, 1 Quarter –.5 Credit

Course is designed to emphasize comprehension, discernment, and critical-thinking skills in the reading of texts and literature. This course introduces and explores more advanced literary techniques (irony, satire, humor, connotation, tone, rhythm, symbolism, and so on) through two or more literary genres, with the aim of creating sophisticated readers. Writing assignments are required as an additional method to develop and improve critical-thinking and analytic skills.

English 7: Prerequisite: Pass English 6, Grade 12, 1 Quarter –.5 Credit

Course is designed for seniors to build upon previous writing skills. Reinforcing the logic and critical-thinking skills that accompany good writing, this course—which emphasize word choice, usage, and writing mechanics—provide continued and advanced instruction in writing for a variety of purposes and audiences. English Composition course emphasize college or business preparation; literature study may be offered as an additional component in which students analyze examples of several genres.

English 8: Prerequisite: Pass English 7, Grade 12, 1 Quarter –.5 Credit

Course blends composition and literature into a cohesive whole as students write critical and comparative analyses of selected literature, continuing to develop their language arts skills. Typically, students primarily write multi-paragraph essays, but they may also write one or more major research papers.