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Goals and Objectives:
1. Enable each student to use writing language as an effective communication tool.
2. Enable each student to use oral communication effectively, both as a means of self-expression and to provide feedback to others through listening.
3. Enable each student to develop the necessary skills for the reading, interpretation, and appreciation of literature so that reading becomes a life-long habit.
4. Enable each student to gain a deeper insight into him or herself as well as to develop a greater understanding of an appreciation for the diversity of others.
5. Enable each student to grow in his or her faith and to demonstrate that growth both in the classroom and in the community.
English 9 - Two Semesters
Texts: Grammar and Composition (Prentice Hall)
Patterns in Literature (Scott Foresman)
Course Objectives:
1. Recognize and identify the parts of speech and use them correctly.
2. Write complete, effective sentences using correct punctuation and avoiding errors in usage.
3. Write interesting paragraphs developed around a clear topic sentence.
4. Increase vocabulary skill.
5. Improve spelling skills.
6. Prepare and present a three to five minute speech, developed around a thesis statement.
7. Develop and refine listening skills.
8. Become an effective oral reader.
9. Gain a greater appreciation of interpretive fiction.
10. Recognize and define a variety of literary techniques.
11. Analyze character, plot, setting, theme, and point of view in literature.
12. Gain an understanding of Shakespearean drama.
13. Gain an appreciation for the classic novel.
14. Become familiar with Greek tragedy in its historical context.
15. Develop the skills needed to write a short research paper.
16. Experience an increased enjoyment of independent reading and respond to it both orally and in writing.
Description:
The first semester focuses on grammar and composition through the study of parts of speech, usage, mechanics, of punctuation, and sentence structure. Students work on spelling skills and have weekly spelling quizzes. Vocabulary development is a primary objective of both semesters. During the second semester the focus is on literature. Works studied include (but are not limited to) the following: a selection of short stories, Romeo and Juliet, Antigone, The Miracle Worker, and Great Expectations. Students learn to identify and respond in writing to character, theme, point of view, setting, and plot. Independent reading is encouraged and required both semesters, and students learn to prepare both oral and written book reports. Students will prepare and deliver several three to five minute informational speeches and will learn to develop critical listening skills. They will also learn to write a short research paper.
English 10 - Two Semesters
Texts: Traditions in Literature (Scott Foresman)
Composition Improvement (Scott Foresman)
Course Objectives:
1. Use written language as an organized form of communication.
2. Combine sentences efficiently using a variety of styles.
3. Identify errors in punctuation and avoid them in his/her own writing.
4. Identify errors in usage and avoid them in his/her own writing and speaking.
5. Develop paragraphs around a topic sentence, using a variety of methods.
6. Critically edit the writing of his/her peers.
7. Write a well organized and carefully thought-out long composition.
8. Show consistent improvement in vocabulary and spelling skills.
9. Research, organize, and present a four to five minute persuasive speech.
10. Analyze and interpret the short story.
11. Appreciate both lyric and narrative poetry and identify themes as well as poetic devices.
12. Understand and gain an appreciation for Shakespearean drama.
13. Appreciate the complexities and thematic value in the modern novel.
14. Identify and analyze modern dramatic techniques, follow stage directions, and play the role of a fictional character.
15. Respond to literature in writing.
16. Experience an increased enjoyment of independent reading and respond to it both orally and in writing.
Description:
The study of literature includes the short story, lyric and narrative poetry, Julius Caesar, Out Town, Twelve Angry Men, Master and Man, and The Pearl (among other works). Students will review the basic components of the short story as well as learning to recognize mood, tone, stereotype, satire, irony, symbol, imagery, and figurative language. They will also study poetic devices such as alliteration, rhythm, rhyme scheme, and sound devices. Students will keep a journal in which they will be encourages to record their personal reactions to literary selections and to relate those selections to life experiences. They will also be assigned papers in response to readings. The course includes independent reading requirements as well as oral and written book reports. A speech unit will focus primarily on the persuasive speech and will address critical listening skills as well as organization and presentation. Students will work on spelling skills during the first semester. Vocabulary development will be emphasized both semesters. Composition improvement study includes a review of grammar, usage, and the mechanics of punctuation. Special emphasis is placed on sentence combining as well as on organizing effective paragraphs and longer compositions.
English 11 - Two Semesters
Texts: The United States in Literature
Literary Cavalcades
Composition Improvement
Course Objectives:
1. Gain a knowledge of and appreciation for our nation's literary heritage.
2. Critically read and analyze non-fiction forms of writing.
3. Develop a deeper understanding of the American novel.
4. Recognize and appreciate "local color" in both prose and poetry.
5. Thoroughly analyze various styles of poetry.
6. Identify themes and dramatic conventions in modern drama.
7. Compare and contrast the philosophies of romanticism, realism, naturalism, and transcendentalism in works of literature.
8. Gain an appreciation for satire as an effective means of effecting change.
9. Recognize fallacies of logic and separate fact from opinion.
10. Become adept in proper usage of the English language and identify errors in both the spoken and the written word.
11. Increase spelling and vocabulary skills through weekly drills and practical applications.
12. Write thoughtful analytical papers in response to reading assignments.
13. Research and write a document paper of ten to fifteen pages.
Description:
The major focus is on our nation's literary heritage, the development of American literary nationalism, and the "coming of age" of American literature. Many forms of literature are studied. These include carious prose non-fiction forms, poetry, the short story, the novel, and the modern drama, all of which are examined in the context of American history, culture, and philosophy. Students must read a minimum of four novels (chosen from a book list) independently and must analyze them in written or oral reports. Grammar, usage, sentence combining, mechanics, and spelling are reviewed. Vocabulary development is stressed throughout the course. Students have ample opportunities for both creative and expository writing. They also write a ten to fifteen page documented research paper, using a minimum of five reference sources.
English 12 (College Prep) - Two Semesters
Texts: England in Literature
Literary Cavalcade
Course Objectives:
1. Become familiar with the distinctive features of English literature from the Anglo-Saxon period to the twentieth century.
2. Understand the distinctive features of the works of individual writers from the Anglo-Saxon period to the twentieth century.
3. Identify and analyze many of the major themes in literature.
4. Understand the historical and cultural background that influenced the development of English literature.
5. Become familiar with the first great masterpiece of English literature, The Canterbury Tales, and appreciate its humor and satire.
6. Trace the development of the Arthurian legends.
7. Read and appreciate Shakespeare's works and identify his themes.
8. Compare and contrast the Italian and English sonnet forms.
9. Gain an understanding of political and literary satire.
10. Identify the tone and themes of metaphysical, pastoral, and lyric poetry.
11. Identify and understand the authors' use of irony, personification, allusion, conceit, paradox, onomatopoeia, apostrophe, hyperbole, synecdoche, and metonymy.
12. Note the purposes and uses of repetition and rhythm in poetry and thoroughly scan a poem.
13. Identify and describe mood and tone in literary works.
14. Recognize and evaluate an author's purpose.
15. Appreciate biography and autobiography as forms of literature.
16. Increase vocabulary through knowledge of synonyms, etymologies, root words, word analogies, and antonyms.
17. Use thinking skills to classify, generalize, synthesize, and evaluate.
18. Develop research, critical thinking, and writing skills through the research paper.
19. Refine writing skills through the formal and informal essay and the analytical book report.
20. Develop a lifelong enjoyment of reading and an appreciation for all genre of literature.
Description:
The major focus of this course is the study of English literature from Beowulf through the early twentieth century. Major works studied include (but are not limited to) the following: Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, Hamlet, Macbeth, Paradise Lost, The Secret Sharer, and Pygmalion. Also covered are poetic works in a wide variety of forms and styles from the early Medieval ballad through the Renaissance and Victorian eras to poetry of the twentieth century. The Literary Cavalcade magazine is used as a secondary source of material. This covers a wide variety of both classic and contemporary works from the different genre. Students are assigned many papers, most of an analytical and interpretive nature. They also research a relevant topic and write a twelve to fifteen page paper. Ongoing vocabulary development and independent reading are also requirements of the course.
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