Description: Our Grade 6 English Language Arts course supports you as a reader, writer, thinker, speaker, and listener. This course takes an integrated approach to language arts; giving you opportunities and skills to analyze poetry, memoir, essay, narrative, newspaper writing, and visuals. Our Grade 6 English Language Arts course asks you to consider why your voice matters and how you can use your stories and passions to make a positive difference in the world. Throughout the course, you will make connections between literature, course themes, and your own lived experiences. You will write creative and expository works, practice research skills, and think critically about text, ideas, and a variety of issues.

Prerequisites: None

Description: Our Grade 6 English Language Arts course supports you as a reader, writer, thinker, speaker, and listener. This course takes an integrated approach to language arts; giving you opportunities and skills to analyze poetry, memoir, essay, narrative, newspaper writing, and visuals. Our Grade 6 English Language Arts course asks you to consider why your voice matters and how you can use your stories and passions to make a positive difference in the world. Throughout the course, you will make connections between literature, course themes, and your own lived experiences. You will write creative and expository works, practice research skills, and think critically about text, ideas, and a variety of issues.

Prerequisites: None

Description: Our Grade 7 Language Arts course supports you as you develop as a reader, writer, thinker, speaker, and listener. This course takes an integrated approach to genre studies, giving you opportunities and skills to analyze narratives, poetry, essay, nonfiction writing, and visuals. In the second semester, you also will study a novel. Our Grade 7 Language Arts course asks how we can use hope to overcome challenges, and how we can learn from each other to make a positive difference in our communities. You will use active reading strategies to understand, enjoy, and respond to literature; develop creative and critical thinking skills; experiment with multimedia and art activities; and use the writing process to write creative and analytical pieces.

Prerequisites: None

Description: Our Grade 7 Language Arts course supports you as you develop as a reader, writer, thinker, speaker, and listener. This course takes an integrated approach to genre studies, giving you opportunities and skills to analyze narratives, poetry, essay, nonfiction writing, and visuals. In the second semester, you also will study a novel. Our Grade 7 Language Arts course asks how we can use hope to overcome challenges, and how we can learn from each other to make a positive difference in our communities. You will use active reading strategies to understand, enjoy, and respond to literature; develop creative and critical thinking skills; experiment with multimedia and art activities; and use the writing process to write creative and analytical pieces.

Prerequisites: None

Description: Our Grade 8 Language Arts course supports you as you develop as a reader, writer, thinker, speaker, and listener. This course takes a thematic approach to genre studies, giving you opportunities and skills to analyze narratives, poetry, essay, nonfiction writing, and visuals. In the second semester, you also will study a novel. Our Grade 8 Language Arts course asks how we can honor our identity as we become leaders in our communities. You will use close reading strategies to understand, enjoy, and respond to literature; develop creative and critical thinking skills; experiment with multimedia and art activities; and use the writing process to write creative and analytical pieces.

Prerequisites: None

Description: Our Grade 8 Language Arts course supports you as you develop as a reader, writer, thinker, speaker, and listener. This course takes a thematic approach to genre studies, giving you opportunities and skills to analyze narratives, poetry, essay, nonfiction writing, and visuals. In the second semester, you also will study a novel. Our Grade 8 Language Arts course asks how we can honor our identity as we become leaders in our communities. You will use close reading strategies to understand, enjoy, and respond to literature; develop creative and critical thinking skills; experiment with multimedia and art activities; and use the writing process to write creative and analytical pieces.

Prerequisites: None

Description: This is a 16-week online course composed of an orientation week and 15 weekly sessions. Expect to invest about 9-15 hours a week on course activities and assignments. The AP English Language and Composition course focuses on the development and revision of evidence-based analytic and argumentative writing and the rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts. Students will develop evidence-based analytic and argumentative essays that proceed through several stages or drafts. Students evaluate, synthesize, and cite research to support their arguments. Throughout the course, students develop a personal style by making appropriate grammatical choices. Additionally, students read and analyze the rhetorical elements and their effects in non-fiction texts, including graphic images as forms of text.

Required Materials (Purchase one (1) of the following):

• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (ISBN-10: 0812980026)
• A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah (ISBN-10: 0374531269)
• Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (ISBN-10: 0375714839)
• Night by Elie Wiesel (ISBN-10: 0374500010)

Prerequisites: 10th grade English or equivalent

Description: The fall semester of AP English is a 16-week course that consists of 10 Lessons, each lesson being one complete unit of study. Literature selections within each lesson are designed to showcase the genre, literary kind, or literary elements that are the focus of the learning objectives for that lesson. At its core, literature is simply the stories we tell, but of course literature itself is not simple. It is rich and complex, and as varied and provocative as the humans who write it (and the humans who read it!). And that certainly makes it worthy of our time, exploration, study, and conversation, which is what this course is all about!

Prerequisites: 10th grade English or equivalent

Description: Storytelling is a strong human urge. We seem to feel compelled to create, with words, worlds and situations and characters. This ability, this compulsion to create—language—is what separates us from the other creatures of the earth. Imaginative writing is a rewarding, valuable activity—one that you can enjoy for a lifetime, not just during your school years. The joy of creation enhances our daily lives, helping us to grow and define ourselves. Recent studies indicate that the more you write, the better you write. This course in short story writing, therefore, should help you not only in this class, but in all your classes that require writing. Clear communication skills are in great demand in our world; our world runs on words. And certainly, imaginative, creative people are always in demand. The ability to create and to imagine new solutions or unique ways of seeing and solving problems is a valuable asset. This course is designed to improve your creative writing skills by giving you lots of writing practice. There are three short stories due in this course as well as several practice writing assignments.

Required Materials

• Points of View:Anthology of Short Stories (ISBN# 978-0-451-62872-5)
• Personal Fiction Writing from Real Life teachers, Students and Writers (ISBN# 978-0-915924-62-2)

Prerequisites: None; Grade level recommendation: 10 or above

Description: Students will examine types of intelligence and learning. They will develop critical thinking strategies and apply them to reading, writing, and listening. Students will apply questioning strategies, engage in reflective thinking, problem-solving, and testing arguments. The course concludes with students researching topics and evaluating the relevance of information collected as they prepare a persuasive essay.

Prerequisites: None; Grade level recommendation: 9 or above

Description: Welcome to English 10A! This 10th grade English course introduces students to core literature skills, readying them for college and career. This course is rich in feedback, allowing you multiple opportunities to develop mastery. The course is first and foremost founded on the readings which range from short stories and poetry to informational articles and essays. You are guided through these readings through activities that allow you to practice by sharing your initial thoughts and ideas on a reading, receive immediate feedback to confirm what you know and learn from mistakes, preparing you as well as possible for quizzes and exams. There will be regular work on vocabulary and grammar as well as writing assignments or presentations for each lesson. Our hope is that you find the work enjoyable, easy to manage, that you feel supported, and that you are able to learn and grow!

Prerequisites: English 9A & 9B or full grade 9 equivalent

Description: Welcome to English 10B! This 10th grade English course builds on the skills introduced in English 9A, 9B, and 10A. The course is first and foremost founded on the readings which range from short stories and poetry to informational articles and essays. You are guided through these readings through activities that allow you to practice by sharing your initial thoughts and ideas on a reading, receive immediate feedback to confirm what you know and learn from mistakes, preparing you as well as possible for quizzes and exams. There will be regular work on vocabulary and grammar as well as writing assignments or presentations for each lesson. Our hope is that you find the work enjoyable, easy to manage, that you feel supported, and that you are able to learn and grow!

Prerequisites: English 10A or grade 10 first semester equivalent

Description: 11th grade English builds on everything you've learned in the past about reading and interpreting literature as well as language and writing.  In 11th grade, there is a major focus on American Literature.  In this first half of the course, we will follow the timeline from Native American literature all the way up to the start of the Civil War.  We will spend a lot of time on active reading strategies for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and historical documents.  In the writing department, you will get regular opportunities to respond to readings and writing assignments will focus on personal connections to the readings.

Prerequisites: English 10A & 10B or full grade 10 equivalent

Description: This course is a continuation of 11th Grade English A Unit. Both courses approach American literature chronologically, but the A unit covered literature from America's earliest days through the Civil War and the romantic period. The second half unit picks up at that point and covers the realism/regionalism movement through the twentieth century. While reading and working with the texts in this course, you will evaluate them with a variety of ways and examine their literary development (plot, characters, figurative language, tone, etc.) and connection to the time periods in which they were written. You will also learn about the authors and their roles in American literature. Students will need a copy of The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts" by Arthur Miller, Penguin Classics, ISBN: 978-0142437339

Prerequisites: English 11A or grade 11 first semester equivalent

Description: 12th grade English builds on everything you've learned in the past about reading and interpreting literature as well as language and writing. In 12th grade, there is a major focus on British Literature. In this first half of the course, we will follow the timeline from Anglo-Saxon literature with "Beowulf" all the way up to Shakespeare's "Macbeth." We will spend a lot of time on active reading strategies for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and historical documents. In the writing department, you will get regular opportunities to respond to readings and writing assignments will focus on analysis the readings.

Prerequisites: English 11A & 11B or full grade 11 credit equivalent

Description: 12th grade English builds on everything you've learned in the past about reading and interpreting literature as well as language and writing. In 12th grade, there is a major focus on British Literature. As the culmination of our high school language arts sequence, English 12B will give you one more opportunity to hone your skills as a reader, writer, thinker, speaker, and listener. Through the lens of British literature, you will explore the common themes that unite us throughout history. We will spend a lot of time on active reading strategies for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and historical documents. In the writing department, you will get regular opportunities to respond to readings and writing assignments will focus on analyzing the readings. As you do, you will consider why your voice matters and how you can use their stories and passions to make a positive difference in the world.

Prerequisites: English 12A or grade 12 first semester equivalent

Description: Welcome to English 9A! This 9th grade English course introduces students to core literature skills, readying them for college and career. This course is rich in feedback, allowing you multiple opportunties to develop mastery. The course is first and foremost founded on the readings which range from short stories and poetry to informational articles and essays. You are guided through these readings through activities that allow you to practice by sharing your initial thoughts and ideas on a reading, receive immediate feedback to confirm what you know and learn from mistakes, preparing you as well as possible for quizzes and exams. There will be regular work on vocabulary and grammar as well as writing assignments or presentations for each lesson. Our hope is that you find the work enjoyable, easy to manage, that you feel supported, and that you are able to learn and grow! Here are the main course objectives: be able to read, interpret, and analyze a variety of texts be able to recognize, understand, and interpret meaning of literary devices such as figurative language, story and poem structure, author's purpose, and structures of different types of writing be able to respond to literature in writing that is well organized with an introduction, body with supporting details, and conclusion

Prerequisites: None

Description: Welcome to English 9B! This 9th grade English course introduces students to core literature skills, readying them for college and career. This course is rich in feedback, allowing you multiple opportunties to develop mastery. The course is first and foremost founded on the readings which range from short stories and poetry to informational articles and essays. You are guided through these readings through activities that allow you to practice by sharing your initial thoughts and ideas on a reading, receive immediate feedback to confirm what you know and learn from mistakes, preparing you as well as possible for quizzes and exams. There will be regular work on vocabulary and grammar as well as writing assignments or presentations for each lesson. Our hope is that you find the work enjoyable, easy to manage, that you feel supported, and that you are able to learn and grow! Here are the main course objectives: be able to read, interpret, and analyze a variety of texts be able to recognize, understand, and interpret meaning of literary devices such as figurative language, story and poem structure, author's purpose, and structures of different types of writing be able to respond to literature in writing that is well organized with an introduction, body with supporting details, and conclusion

Prerequisites: None

Description: In this course, you will learn research skills using the library and online resources. We will practice different search strategies and techniques to evaluate information so that you can use information resources as genuine learning tools and become successful students and researchers.

Prerequisites: None; Grade level recommendation: 9 or above

Description: In Speech 1, you will learn the basics of verbal and nonverbal communication and practice delivering a clear message to an audience. You will review the basics of speech writing and construction. You will deliver a variety of speeches, each with different goals, such as informing, persuading, and entertaining. Your speech performances will be different lengths, have different requirements, and some will incorporate visual aids. The first half of Speech 1 will cover basic terminology and deeply explore verbal and nonverbal communication strategies. There will be two major assignments in the first half of speech one. The first will be a verbal reading demonstration after Lesson 3, where you will creatively interpret and read a text out loud. The second assignment will be the Midterm speech performance, where you will tell your classmates about spectacular travel destinations around the world. The second half of Speech 1 will reinforce the concepts from the first half of the course and expand upon those skills by introducing rhetorical persuasion, the use of visual aids, and building up to a 2 to 4 minute speech where you will demonstrate a topic of your choice. By the end of Speech 1, you will have gained an awareness of many strategies to set you up for public speaking success for years to come! We hope you have a great time in Speech 1 and hope you will continue on through Speech 2!

Prerequisites: None