English 9: Foundations of Western Literature
The ninth grade course in English serves as an introduction to Western literature. Careful analysis of works such as Oedipus, Antigone, and Jane Eyre involves students in an examination of Western civilization. The writing curriculum emphasizes organization and articulation beginning at the paragraph level. All writing projects, both critical and creative, depend heavily on teacher and peer feedback and writer revision. Studied systematically, new vocabulary words enhance a student's writing style and reading comprehension.
English 9: Grammar
This supplementary course is designed to aid writers, especially in the revision process. Students are taught the basic building blocks of a sophisticated sentence, including phrases, clauses, and punctuation, and are encouraged to incorporate these skills in their own writing. They are also trained to spot errors in their writing and find ways to correct them.
English 10: Introduction to British Literature
This course involves the students in a systematic study of literature and language. They study the works of major authors from Anglo-Saxon England through the Renaissance to post-colonial Africa and India and grow in their ability to write with precision about and insight into literature. The chief aim of the course is to teach students how to write persuasively and respond intelligently to their reading. They learn how to formulate a thesis and develop it into a coherent essay, to review syntax, and to acquire new vocabulary.
English 10 Honors: British Literature
Students who show particular promise in English 9 may be eligible for English 10 Honors as sophomores. In this course, students cover a variety of classic texts, including The Canterbury Tales, Macbeth, Pride and Prejudice, and Wuthering Heights. There is a strong emphasis on developing original theories, both in conversation and on paper in this rigorous seminar-style class.
English 11: American Literature
This course presents the works of major American authors. Students deepen their understanding of concepts such as theme, role of the narrator, irony, and moral conflict. The course offers intensive work in composition. Students learn to adapt the basic five-paragraph essay to literary analysis and to expand that structure into a longer paper. Particular attention is given to developing the ability to use concrete evidence to support generalizations in a cohesive essay. Grammar is reviewed.
English 11: Advanced Placement English Language
Open to students who have demonstrated outstanding ability in their English studies, AP English Language provides students with a historical survey of American literature as it is taught at the college level. Close textual reading and critical analysis, and training in advanced composition and rhetoric prepare students for the Advanced Placement English Language Examination.
English 12: Themes in Literature
This course focuses on European literature in translation as well as contemporary works of fiction. Reading and class discussion focus on theme and technique as reflections of motive, conflict, and values. Students learn to take initiative by leading seminar-style class discussions and working to formulate incisive questions. Written assignments are longer than those in previous courses and continue to develop students' skills in independent thinking and revision.
English 12: Advanced Placement English Literature
This course provides highly motivated students with the opportunity to discuss and write about literature at a deeper and more mature level than is possible in a standard course. In order to help prepare students to take the Advanced Placement English Literature Examination, many assignments are similar to the open-ended questions on the Advanced Placement English Literature Examination. Students complete an average of one essay per week and several lengthier papers per term.
Oratory
Oratory is open to students in grades nine through twelve and is designed to help develop competency and self-confidence in public-speaking through analysis and performance of prose and poetry, and original oratory.
Creative Writing
This course offers students the opportunity to write in a variety of genres including poetry, short fiction, and creative non-fiction. Emphasis is placed on the process of bringing an idea from inception to publication. The work of a wide range of professional writers serves as a model for each writing experience. Texts, for example include the Paris Review's Interviews with Writers, Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, and Mary Oliver's A Poetry Handbook.