English Course Descriptions

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ENGLISH: College Preparatory English

AMERICAN LITERATURE 1-2 (Juniors) 0387 - 0388 Recommended Courses: English 3-4 or Honors Humanities Interest: Required
American Literature 1-2 introduces famous American writers such as Bradford, Dickinson, Whitman, Irving, Poe, Crane, Twain, O’Henry, Hawthorne, Hemingway and Steinbeck, and the philosophical context of the literature. American Literature 2 deals with more modern American writers. Possible choices of authors to be studied include Faulkner, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Albee, O’Neill, Williams, Salinger, Sandburg, Frost, or Fitzgerald. Students will continue to practice the essay format, including research based essay, advanced literary concepts and SAT vocabulary. This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU "B" or "G" requirement.

AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE 1-2 (Juniors) 0372 - 0373 Linked Course AP English Language Seminar 1-2; Grade 11 students; Recommended Courses: Honors Humanities 1-2 or H.S. English 3-4
In this class students will read, discuss, and write about American fiction and non-fiction, from Colonial to modern times, focusing on text analysis, rhetorical strategies, and vocabulary development to prepare them for the AP Language Exam. As an advanced reading and composition course, students should be familiar with the use of concrete details and commentaries to support a thesis driven essay. Students will carefully review the essay form before moving on to develop a more specific understanding of audience and style for persuasive writing. Students will focus on academic writing and the research process. This course also emphasizes the development of research skills and the preparation of a persuasive research paper. This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU “B” or “G” requirement. UC approved for extra honors credit (A=5, B=4, C=3).

AP ENGLISH LITERATURE 1-2 (Seniors) 0370 - 0371 Linked Course AP English Lit Seminar; Grade 12 students Recommended Courses: American Literature or AP English Language;
Interest: College level in depth exploration of Western literacy development
Advanced Placement English 1-2 is a college-level course designed to prepare students to take the Advanced Placement English examination. The course presents examples of Western literary development from the Greeks through the twentieth century, acquainting students with various genres and themes. Emphasis will be placed on a close reading and analysis of the individual literary work. In addition, attention may be given to the historical and philosophical characteristics of the authors, literary movements and genres. Students also will be expected to write expository, researched papers. This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU "B" or "G" requirement. UC approved for extra honors credit (A=5, B=4, C=3).

AP ENGLISH LITERATURE SEMINAR 1703
Recommended Courses: American Literature 1-2 or AP English Language; open to Grade 12 students
Interest: College level in depth exploration of Western literacy development; significant AP exam preparation
This is a 3rd trimester course. It offers the students the opportunity to apply learning acquired during the AP course. Students earn elective credit as they continue to develop their understanding of literary devices, their appreciation of a wide range of literary genres, and their understanding of how literary works are a reflection of historical moment’s values and culture. Students complete a final project.

BRITISH LITERATURE 1-2 (Seniors) 0384 - 0385
Recommended Courses: Amer. Lit or H. Survey of Amer. Lit
Interest: Seek exposure to British Literature
British Literature 1-2 is a course that acquaints students with various genres and themes of literature produced by Irish, English, and Scottish writers as well as, British history and culture. The course will develop students’ techniques in reading, writing, speaking, and presenting. While individual courses may vary, students will generally be expected to read 20-30 pages per night and be able to discuss each night’s reading the following day. This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU "B" or "G" requirement.

ONLINE BRITISH LITERATURE 1-2 (Seniors) 60384 - 60385
Recommended Courses: Amer. Lit or H. Survey of Amer. Lit
Interest: Seek exposure to British Literature; be able to work independently with only one class meeting per week on the campus
British Literature 1-2 is a course that acquaints students with various genres and themes of literature produced by Irish, English, and Scottish writers as well as, British history and culture. The course will develop students’ techniques in reading, writing, speaking, and presenting. While individual courses may vary, students will generally be expected to read 20-30 pages per night and be able to discuss each night’s reading the following day, This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU "B" or "G" requirement.

CSU EXPOSITORY READING AND WRITING 1-2 (Seniors) 0315 - 0316
Recommended Courses: None
Interest: Interest is more advanced and in depth creative writing
Expository Reading and Writing prepares college-bound seniors for the literacy demands of higher education. Students in this rhetoric-based course will become more proficient in expository, analytical, and argumentative reading and writing, increasing their awareness of the rhetorical strategies employed by authors and applying those same strategies to their own writing. This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU "B" or "G" requirement.

ENGLISH

HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH 1-2 (Freshmen) 0301 - 0302
Recommended Courses: None
Interest: Required Course
HS English 1-2 builds on knowledge and skills developed in middle school. Students will continue to develop their thinking-in-writing by practicing a variety of writing modes including description, narration, and literary analysis. Students will learn the basics of the academic essay, developing their understanding of appropriate paragraph structure. Concurrently, they will acquire and use specific skills to read and respond to different genres of literature, including the short story, myths and legends, the novel, and assorted non-fiction. Students will continue to practice descriptive, narrative and analytical writing, while also acquainting themselves with reflective writing and formal academic research. They will develop more sophisticated responses to literature, learning to create and support inferences about characters, moods, themes, etc. They will read literary works of greater complexity and scope, including Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, and thereby prepare themselves for more advanced English courses. This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU "B" or "G" requirement.

HONORS HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH 1-2 (Freshmen) 0303 - 0304
Recommended Courses: None
Interest: Required Course. Students who enjoy and are successful in Language Arts.
Honors HS English 1-2 moves at a more accelerated pace, requires more reading, and deeper critical analysis than High School English 1-2. Honors HS English 1-2 builds on knowledge and skills developed in middle school. Students will continue to develop their thinking-in-writing by practicing a variety of writing modes including description, narration, and literary analysis. Students will learn the basics of the academic essay, developing their understanding of appropriate paragraph structure. Concurrently, they will acquire and use specific skills to read and respond to different genres of literature, including the short story, myths and legends, the novel, and assorted non-fiction. Students will continue to practice descriptive, narrative and analytical writing, while also acquainting themselves with reflective writing and formal academic research. They will develop more sophisticated responses to literature, learning to create and support inferences about characters, moods, themes, etc. They will read literary works of greater complexity and scope, including Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, and thereby prepare themselves for more advanced English courses. This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU "B" or "G" requirement.

HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH 3-4 (Sophomores) 0310 - 0311
Recommended Courses: None
Interest: Required Course
Through a thematic approach to the study of literature and written composition, students in High School English 3-4 will broaden their knowledge of literature and its cultural elements (e.g. art, music, dance, politics, etc.). They will improve their ability to understand their connection to literature, develop writing and thinking skills, master punctuation and grammar skills, and further improve listening and speaking skills. Writing modes addressed will include: reflective, interpretive, and evaluative. Also, a research-based controversial issue essay will be required. This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU "B" or "G" requirement.

HONORS HUMANITIES 1-2 (Sophomores) 0313 - 0314
Recommended Courses: Eng. 1-2 or Honors Eng. 1-2
Interest: Preparing for more rigorous Language Arts
Honors Humanities studies man’s relationship with society, nature and himself. Students write in a variety of essay modes including: interpretive, expository, reflective, and persuasive. The course involves library research, outside reading, peer cooperation and formal public speaking. Students begin a survey of Western culture beginning with the Ancient Greeks and continuing through the Enlightenment in order to understand how the historical context in which a piece of writing, or music or of art is created gives added meaning, as does the cultural or social milieu. This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU "B" or "G" requirement.

LITERATURE & FILM (Seniors) 0389
Recommended Courses: American Lit or AP English Language
Interest: Preparing for more rigorous Language Arts; open to Grades 9-12
Students investigate how and what ideas, values and concepts are connected through film. In analyzing film, students will examine elements of plot, setting, style, and point of view. Class activities include viewing, listening, researching and analyzing film. District film policy requires parental permission before students can participate in the classroom viewing. Goals: identify key elements of a film; analyze themes across film; understand Media Survey, The Reading of a Film, The use of Subjective/Objective techniques in a film; recognize similarities and differences between film and literature; understand key cinematic techniques used by filmmakers; understand key literary techniques used by writers; evaluate the effects of cinematic, literary, and theatrical choices on an audience; apply understanding of cinematic terminology in a storyboard project; apply the standard essay format to an analytical response; recognize traits and evolution of a genre; learn how cultural and historical contexts affect a work’s interpretation; recognize, interpret, and apply critical lens theory to film; understand the ways that nonfiction media influence the reader/viewer; recognize the ways perspective and point of view are manipulated through editing and writing structure.

WORLD LITERATURE 1-2 (Seniors) 0393 - 0394
Recommended Prerequisites: Amer. Lit or H. Survey of Amer. Lit
Interest: Seek exposure to World Literature and cultures
Students will develop their own voices and values on a journey of self-discovery through classic and contemporary World Literature. The course will expose them to literary works from a variety of cultures where they can experience the works of writers who view the world from perspectives different from their own. By visiting distant places and times, students will discover not only the riches of human experience and the universality of the human condition; they will also examine worldly and spiritual themes, all the while coming closer to becoming citizens of the world we live in and thinkers considerate of other peoples and their cultures. This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU "B" or "G" requirement.

WORLD LITERATURE ONLINE 1-2 (Seniors) 60393 - 60394
Recommended Prerequisites: Amer. Lit or H. Survey of Amer. Lit
Interest: Seek exposure to World Literature and cultures;
Students will develop their own voices and values on a journey of self-discovery through classic and contemporary World Literature. The course will expose them to literary works from a variety of cultures where they can experience the works of writers who view the world from perspectives different from their own. By visiting distant places and times, students will discover not only the riches of human experience and the universality of the human condition; they will also examine worldly and spiritual themes, all the while coming closer to becoming citizens of the world we live in and thinkers considerate of other peoples and their cultures. This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU "B" or "G" requirement.

WRITING SEMINAR 1-2 (Seniors) 0363 - 0364
Recommended Courses: High School English 3-4, or H. Humanities, or British Lit., or World Lit.
Interest: Interest in creative writing in any form
Writing Seminar 1 is designed for students with an interest in creative written expression and an interest in the connection between writing and reading. The course has three purposes: 1) to explore and practice various styles of expository and narrative writing, 2) to understand the writing process and the importance of revision to writers, and 3) to read critically various pieces of literature and to apply the techniques of published writers into their own analyses. This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU "G" requirement. NOTE: This course does not meet the UC/CSU English “B” requirement but may be used as Elective credit as it does meet the UC/CSU “G” requirement.

JOURNALISM 1 0355
Recommended Courses: None; open to grade 9-12; suggest grade of “C” or better in previous composition courses
Interest: Interest in exploring and understanding aspects of Mass Media in United States
This course teaches news writing and other aspects of newspaper production. Included are lead writing, news writing, editorial writing, feature writing and headline writing. Also included are the legal aspects of copy reading, layout, makeup and journalism. One trimester of Journalism 1 or 2 has been approved to meet the UC/CSU “G” elective requirement.

JOURNALISM 2 (School Newspaper) 0356
Recommended Courses: Journalism 1
Interest: Interest in writing, editing, producing school newspaper
In Journalism 2, a two term/year-long course, students design and produce the school newspaper. They learn news, feature, review, editorial and sports writing styles. Using a computer desktop publishing program, they design pages and finalize their work. Students also familiarize themselves with the business aspects of newspaper production by handling advertising accounts. This course meets the districts Computer Literacy Requirement. This course may be used to meet the UC/CSU “G” requirement. (No more than two trimesters of Journalism may apply for college admission).