Dennis
King - Department Chair
E-Mail:
dennisk@wcs.edu
English
instruction includes Resource, Standard, and Honors
classes for grades 9-12 and Advanced Placement for
grades 11 and 12. Registration for English courses taken at
the Honors and Advanced Placement levels requires students to
obtain the recommendation of their current English teacher.
The
Standard and Honors curriculum for all grade levels is
similar but varies in degree of difficulty. In
Honors classes, assigned readings are generally
longer and more difficult. More analytical essays are
assigned in honors classes and vocabulary units contain more
difficult studies. Research requirements are
different as far as topics assigned, length of the paper,
and number of sources needed.
English
I
and English I Honors
Grade level:
9
Credit:
1-Full Year
Recommended
Prerequisite: None
Students read selections from various genres of literature.
They focus on the elements of the short story, poetry, drama,
and the novel. Grammar study is a review of the basics and
emphasizes phrases, clauses, and sentence structure. Portfolio
composition assignments include comparison-contrast essays,
personal letters, critical reviews, and answers to essay
questions. An investigation of careers introduces the research
process. Both standard and honor levels
are offered.
English II
and English II Honors
Grade Level:
10
Credit:
1-Full Year
Recommended
Prerequisite: English I
English
II is a comprehensive course covering poetry, short stories,
drama, essays, and novels written by world authors. Students
work on vocabulary development. Grammar focuses on run-on
sentences and fragments, subject-verb agreement, and correct
punctuation. Students write cause and effect essays, family
histories, letters to the editor, and essays based on writing
prompts. The research process culminates in a mini-research
paper incorporating MLA documentation.
Both standard and honor levels are offered.
Grade Level:
11
Credit:
1-Full Year
Recommended
Prerequisite: English II
English
III surveys American literature from the Colonial Period to the
present. Students read various literary genre, examining
literary devices, narrative techniques, and form and structure.
The study of literature is accompanied by an advanced study of
vocabulary. Students refine their composition skills by writing
expository and analytical essays and memoirs, and by practicing
for the TCAP writing assessment that they take early second
semester. Grammar is studied in conjunction with composition as
students practice proofreading, editing, and revising their
work. The research project is expository or persuasive and
incorporates MLA documentation. Both
standard and honor levels are offered.
English III AP (Language & Composition)
Grade Level:
11
Credit:
1-Full Year
Recommended
Prerequisite: English Honors I and II
This is
a course of advanced composition paired closely with an eclectic
mix of literature from different periods. Students are exposed
to major works of American literature. Timed AP writing
practices, both graded and ungraded, are a major focus.
Composition includes exposition, persuasion, analytical essays,
and creative essays as well as a major research paper on a
literary topic. Students read for literary techniques,
including style and structure, and explore the connection among
the author, text, and reader. Some of
the recommended reading suggested be the College Board contains
thematically mature content. For more information on the design
of AP courses to
www.collegeboard.com or
www.apcentral.com.
English IV
and English IV Honors
Grade Level:
12
Recommended
Prerequisite: English III
English
IV is a survey of British literature that includes both classic
and contemporary works. Vocabulary is studied in context with
the literature. Because composition skills are increasingly
important as students prepare for college freshmen English,
renewed emphasis is placed on proofreading, editing, and
revision as students write proposal papers, argumentative
analysis, personal narratives for Career Shadow Day, and
reader-response papers. Students also practice writing the
personal narrative that accompanies college applications. The
research process culminates in a fully developed literary
analysis. Both standard and honor
levels are offered.
English IV
AP (Literature & Composition)
Grade Level:
12
Credit:
1-Full Year
Recommended
Prerequisite: English Honors I, English Honors II, and English
Honors III or English III AP
English
VI A P is a survey of world literature. For understanding and
appreciation, students will read literary works by major
authors. The course emphasizes the humanities; hence, the
inclusion of music and art, as they might enhance particular
works, is a consideration. Students will be asked to read
accurately, to discuss intelligently, to write analytically, as
both a craft and an art, and to learn that writing is an
essential part of discovery and clarification of ideas. Novels
are the major emphasis in the fall, with an in-depth study of
poetry in the spring. The purpose of AP English is to provide
the able, motivated senior an opportunity to do college-level
work in high school. Students will be asked to demonstrate that
knowledge on the Advanced Placement Literature and Composition
Exam in May. Some of the recommended reading suggested by the
College Board contains thematically mature content. For more
information on the design of AP courses go to
www.collegeboard.com or
www.apcentral.com Some of the
recommended reading suggested be the College Board contains
thematically mature content. For more information on the design
of AP courses to
www.collegeboard.com or
www.apcentral.com. |
