Staples High School--Info--Course Descriptions--

ENGLISH

One full year of English is required in each of the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years.

SUMMER READING

All English courses may have required summer reading. Students are responsible for getting the summer assignment when they register for the course.

Course No. 2003-2004 2004-2005

FRESHMAN COURSES

English 1A 012 x x

English 1B 016 x x

English 1C 018 x x

SOPHOMORE COURSES

English 2A 020 x x

English 2A Collaborative 022 x x

English 2B 024 x x

English 2C 026 x x

JUNIOR RESEARCH COURSES

AP Language & Composition 028 x x

Research & Literature 029,030 x x

English 3 032 x x

Effective Writ. & Research Skills 034 x x

ELECTIVE COURSES FOR JUNIORS AND SENIORS

LITERATURE AND WRITING COURSES

During 11^th and 12^th grade, each student must take 2.0 credits in English. From those credits, each student must take at least 1.5 credits from the courses listed below, including one of the following: Effective Writing & Research Skills, English 3, AP Language & Composition, or Research & Literature.

Reading & Writing Poetry 036 x x

American Lit. & Composition 037 x x

Contemporary American Lit. 040 x x

World Drama 042 x x

Mythology & Bible 043 x x

Shakespeare 045 x x

Images of Women in Literature 048 x x

African-American Literature 050 x x

World Lit.-The Caribbean 051 x x

Introduction to British Literature 053 x x

SPECIFIC AREA COURSES

Students may take only one of the following courses to fulfill the 2.0 credit requirement in English.

Speech 057,058 x x

Film Analysis & Criticism 059,060 x

Reading & Writing Fiction 062 x

Journalism for Publication 063,064 x x

YEAR LONG COURSES FOR SENIORS ONLY

AP English 066 x x

English 4 068 x x

FRESHMAN COURSES

Freshmen must take English 1A, 1B or 1C. Learning outcomes for ninth grade students are similar in A, B, and C levels. Higher level classes assume students are able to work more independently, read more complex literature, complete longer assignments in reading, writing, and vocabulary study, and write more complex essays based on abstract and original thinking.

Ninth grade students are individuals, each maturing at his or her own developmental pace. A student should be placed in the level that is most appropriately challenging for him or her.

BRAVE NEW WORLDS: WESTERN CULTURE & LITERATURE

The ninth grade courses listed below have been developed by both the English and the Social Studies Departments. The curriculum will focus on the evolution and expression of European and American cultural values, as well as specific social and political institutions from classical times until the recent past. Key units will be thematic, and assignments will encourage in-depth inquiry and learning. The progression of subjects will follow chronology in order to teach the relationship between and among events. Frequent references to art, music, and dance will complement the literary and historical perspectives.

The English course will require continual reading of classic and contemporary titles as well as frequent writing assignments. All levels will read The Odyssey, Julius Caesar, Girl With a Pearl Earring, The Color of Water, and Animal Farm. Language study lessons focusing on vocabulary and grammar are also an important feature of the course.

The standards for quality work will be high. In order to accommodate a range of ability among students, the course is offered at all levels, A, B, and C. Additionally, teachers will use differentiated instructional strategies.

ENGLISH 1A (012) 1 credit

Full year

This course focuses on analysis of complex literature, refinement of analytical writing skills, intensive study of vocabulary, refinement of grammar and usage, and development of speaking, listening, and viewing skills.

Students entering this course are expected to assume more independent responsibility for their work and to make a sustained commitment in terms of time and effort to longer, more abstract reading and writing assignments. In addition to the core texts, students are challenged by an additional literature unit taught each quarter, as well as a quarterly independent reading requirement.

This course will be taught in a parallel sequence to Ninth Grade Western Humanities to facilitate students making connections between literature and social studies.

For more detailed information, consult guidance counselor or department chairperson about learning outcomes.

ENGLISH 1B (016) 1 credit

Full year

This course focuses on analysis of literature and the development of analytical writing skills, with special emphasis on organization and supporting evidence. Students engage in a regular and systematic study of vocabulary and grammar and usage. Students develop speaking, listening, and viewing skills. Students will be challenged by choices for their independent reading requirement. Emphasis is placed upon the process of writing, frequent revisions, and conferences with the teacher.

This course will be taught in a parallel sequence to Ninth Grade Western Humanities to facilitate students making connections between literature and social studies.

For more detailed information, consult guidance counselor or department chairperson about learning outcomes.

ENGLISH 1C (018) 1 credit

Full year

This course focuses on additional support and enrichment strategies for understanding literature and writing expository essays. Frequent revision of short pieces and conferences with the teacher provides opportunities to review and master the process of writing and the elements of a good essay: clarity, organization, and support. Students engage in a regular and systematic study of vocabulary and grammar and usage. In a smaller class setting, students are encouraged to review and expand speaking, listening, and viewing skills. Outside reading requirements are personalized for each student. This course will be taught in a parallel sequence to Ninth Grade Western Humanities to facilitate students making connections between literature and social studies.

For more detailed information, consult guidance counselor or department chairperson about learning outcomes.

EVALUATION OF ALL STUDENTS is based on the quality of their work, participation (including attendance) in classroom activities, and consistent effort to meet course outcomes. Daily class work, homework, quizzes, tests, essays, oral work, and project displays or performances are assessed according to criteria and quality rubrics. Individual teachers will communicate to their classes how grades are derived.

SOPHOMORE COURSES

Sophomores must take English 2A, 2B, or 2C. The sophomore curriculum includes interrelated and overlapping areas: writing, literature, vocabulary, grammar and usage, research skills, listening, speaking and viewing skills, strategies for reading non-fiction. Learning outcomes for tenth grade students are similar in A, B, and C levels. Higher level classes assume students are able to work more independently, read more complex adult literature, complete longer assignments in reading, writing, and vocabulary study, and write more complex essays based on abstract and original thinking.

Tenth grade students are individuals, each maturing at his or her own developmental pace. A student should be placed in the level that is most appropriately challenging for him or her.

ENGLISH 2A (020) 1 credit

Full year

English 2A is an advanced class for students who, in their freshman English year, demonstrated a compelling interest in reading and a high degree of proficiency in analytical writing. Students entering this course are expected to assume more independent responsibility for their work and to make a sustained commitment in terms of time and effort to longer, more abstract reading and writing assignments. Students continue to refine and develop analytical writing skills, engage in an intensive study of vocabulary (300-400 new words per year), polish speaking and listening skills, develop research skills, and refine strategies for non-fiction reading. Two outside reading assignments are required per quarter. Typical literary selections may include A Catcher in the Rye, Romeo and Juliet, Great Expectations, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. For more detailed information, consult guidance counselor or department chairperson about learning outcomes.

ENGLISH 2A COLLABORATIVE (022) 1 credit

Full year

Students taking this course are required to take U.S. History Collaborative. Enrollment for this course is limited. This interdisciplinary course will illustrate the connection between literature and history. Units, complementing one another thematically, begin and end with a combined class instructed by both teachers. The two courses will be graded individually, although some assignments may be jointly submitted.

This course is designed for the student who will benefit from a challenging, stimulating environment. Students will be asked to do a variety of writing, ranging from journals to literary essays. In addition, students will read several genres of literature, continually making connections to their work in U.S. History. Titles for the collaborative course might include: Angela’s Ashes, A Gathering of Old Men, Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, The Things They Carried, and Romeo and Juliet or The Merchant of Venice.

ENGLISH 2B (024) 1 credit

Full year

This course focuses on response to literature, both personal and analytical. Special emphasis is placed on writing an analytical essay, with frequent revisions and teacher conferences. Students engage in regular and systematic study of vocabulary (200-300 new words per year) and grammar and usage. Students develop speaking, listening, and viewing skills, develop research skills, and learn strategies for non-fiction reading. One outside reading assignment is required per quarter. Typical literary selections may include The Catcher in the Rye, Romeo and Juliet, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Bean Trees. For more detailed information, consult guidance counselor or department chairperson about learning outcomes.

ENGLISH 2C (026) 1 credit

Full year

This course focuses on additional support and enrichment in strategies for understanding literature, reading non-fiction, and writing expository essays. Frequent revision of short pieces and conferences with the teacher provides opportunities to review and master the process of writing and the elements of a good essay. Students are supported in learning research skills. A smaller class setting allows students to review and develop speaking, listening, and viewing skills. Students engage in a regular and systematic study of vocabulary (150-200 new words per year) and grammar and usage. Outside reading requirements are personalized for each student. Typical literary selections may include The Catcher in the Rye, Romeo and Juliet, and Monster.

For more detailed information, consult guidance counselor or department chairperson about learning outcomes.

JUNIOR RESEARCH CLASSES

Juniors are required to take one of the following courses:

English 3 Full year

Research & Literature One semester

AP Language & Composition Full year

Effective Writ. & Research Skills Full year

If a junior chooses Research and Literature for the required junior year course in English, he or she must choose an additional semester English course to satisfy the junior year English requirement. All students must complete the research paper successfully in order to pass the required junior research course.

AP LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION (028) 1 credit

Prerequisite: Completion of Sophomore English Full year

Guideline: Completion of Soph. English with at least an A-, teacher recommendation, or departmental exam.

Close reading and analysis of at least three texts are required during the summer previous to the course.

The College Board writes that “the AP English Language and Composition course is intended to provide high school students who are interested in studying and writing various kinds of analytic or persuasive essays on nonliterary topics with a college-level English option in language, rhetoric, and expository writing.” This course represents a revision and extension of the junior honors English course. The Staples AP Language course will offer students the opportunity to analyze both works of fiction and non-fiction for ideas and rhetorical structure. The course will be organized thematically. Each quarter students will focus on close analysis of one or two major works of American literature as well as non-fiction essays from various authors and time periods, which are linked thematically to the literature. Students will also read and analyze Shakespeare’s Macbeth and write a research paper with particular emphasis on development of personal voice and effective rhetorical style. Non-fiction readings will serve as models for the students’ own writing. Students will write non-literary essays in the modes of analysis and persuasion. Student work will be assessed using college-level AP standards. Independent reading and research will be a major component of the course. The course will prepare students to take the AP Language and Composition Exam at the end of their junior year.

RESEARCH AND LITERATURE (029,030) 1/2 credit

Either semester

This course is designed for juniors who have a strong foundation in research, writing, critical reading and communication skills. Students will focus their efforts on completing an extensive research paper. In addition, they will read several works of fiction, such as Macbeth and The Great Gatsby, as well as non-fiction works. Students are expected to be self-directed and independent learners who participate effectively in class discussion.

ENGLISH 3 (032) 1 credit

Full year

English 3 is for students who want an academically challenging English course, but without the pressures of English 3 Honors. The course features a comprehensive study of short stories, plays, selected novels, and critical literature. Though the reading is traditionally drawn from American writers such as, Steinbeck, Wharton, Hawthorne, Aiken, Anderson, and Miller, Shakespeare’s Macbeth or Othello is a traditional requirement. Work in writing includes short analytical or responsive papers. Included, too, is work in research skills and research writing. The research work is a requirement of the course and must be punctually and successfully completed for course credit. There is also weekly vocabulary study, grammar and usage review, and out-of-class reading. This course frequently has a summer reading requirement.

EFFECTIVE WRITING AND RESEARCH SKILLS (034) 1 credit

Full year

This course is designed for juniors who want to spend a full year developing their research, writing, critical reading, and communication skills. Students will complete several short research-based projects and one more extensive paper. In addition, students will read and discuss works of fiction and nonfiction drawn from American literature. In this workshop, students will have opportunities to work both individually and in groups. Students will be expected to set goals, monitor their progress and reflect on the products and process of their learning.

ELECTIVE COURSES FOR JUNIORS AND SENIORS

Generally, the English elective courses for juniors and seniors do not have formal prerequisites. In some instances, however, courses are limited to seniors or are recommended for a particular grade/group of students. This is noted within the course description. The Elective Courses have been grouped in three general categories: Writing and Literature, Specific Areas, and Year-Long Courses for Seniors only. Except where noted, semester courses are available to both juniors and seniors. However, not all courses are offered either semester, and not all courses are offered every year.

Juniors and seniors must a take full-year course or two one-semester courses. During 11^th and 12^th grade, each student must take 2.0 credits in English. From these, each student must take at least 1.5 credits from the courses listed below.

1. The following full-year courses will be offered every year:

AP Language & Composition

English 3

Effective Writ. & Research Skills

A.P. English

English 4

2. The following half-year courses are offered each semester every year:

Research and Literature (11)

3. The following half-year courses are offered every year, semester A only:

Shakespeare (11,12)

Myth and Bible (11,12)

World Literature (11,12)

British Literature (11,12)

American Lit and Composition (11,12)

4. The following half-year courses are offered every year, semester B only:

Images of Women in Literature (11,12)

Contemporary American Literature (11,12)

Poetry (11,12)

African American Literature (11,12)

World Drama (11,12)

5. STUDENTS MAY TAKE ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING COURSES TO FULFILL THE 2.0 CREDIT REQUIREMENT IN ENGLISH.

Reading & Writing Fiction (11,12) (2002-03) (offered alternating years, Sem.B)

Film Analysis (11,12) (2003-04) (offered alternating years, Sem.A & B)

Speech (11,12) (offered every year, each sem.)

Journalism for Publication (9,10,11,12) (offered every year, each sem.)

Note: Reading & Writing Fiction (STUDENTS MUST SUBMIT TWO CREATIVE PIECES, TYPED, EACH AT LEAST 500 WORD IN LENGTH TO THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CHAIRPERSON, IN ORDER TO PRE-REGISTER FOR THE COURSE.)

LITERATURE AND WRITING COURSES

READING AND WRITING POETRY (036) 1/2 credit

Second semester

This course is designed for the student interested in poetry in the contemporary style. The course reading will focus on such poets as Walt Whitman, Wallace Stevens, William Carlow Williams, T.S.Elliot, Langston Hughes, e.e. cummings, and Denise Levertov. Some earlier poets such as Donne and Browning will also be discussed. Most classes will consider modern poetic theories and major elements of poetry such as diction, rhythm, and form and their uses, particularly in free verse. All students will be expected to respond to the reading and their learning about the nature of poetry by writing a considerable number of poems, as well as analytical essays about poems. Student writing will be based on either their own ideas or ideas from the poetry read in class.

AMERICAN LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION (037) 1/2 credit

First semester

This course is designed for students who would like to improve their skills in both expository composition and literary interpretation. Through individual and class assignments, this course offers the opportunity for students to read, in depth, novels, short stories, essays and poetry by 20^th century American authors. Students will focus on specific revision techniques to improve their writing. Several formal compositions will be required. Students will be able to improve their writing through written criticism, teacher conferences, and the opportunity to revise. Teacher-directed activities, as well as extensive class discussion, are features of the course.

CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN LIT. (040) 1/2 credit

Second semester

To appreciate literature is to appreciate literature’s role in the construction of the American identity. This course will examine contemporary American texts and the relationship between literature and popular culture. This course will be structured around several themes, including modernism, existentialism, and post-modernism. Participants in this class will engage with a variety of genres and media which reflect the contemporary American experience, including poetry, art and short film. Typical authors include Conrad, Kafka, Kerouac, Krakauer, Kingston, Barth, Auster, Carver, and Oates. Assessment will be based on consistent classroom participation, a formal presentation, class discussions, and critical essays.

WORLD DRAMA (042) 1/2 credit

Second semester

An appreciation of theater and an interest in reading and seeing plays is fundamental to this course. Contemporary World Drama uses films, recordings, and extensive readings to help students explore works of world dramatists such as Albee, Williams, Synge, and Giraudox.

Upon requests of the students, the teacher will arrange and chaperone optional theater trips. Assessment is based on critical and creative essays, classroom discussion, quizzes, and a major project consisting of either extensive study of some aspect of theater (e.g. puppet theater, study of musical theater, Black theater) OR the writing of an original one-act play.

MYTHOLOGY AND BIBLE (043) 1/2 credit

First semester

This course is designed for students interested in the study of mythology and the Bible as literature. They should enjoy written critical analysis. The basic purposes of the course are to provide students with an opportunity to investigate man’s expression of his beliefs and to broaden a student’s background in readings that are important in the understanding of Western literature.

The first quarter will deal with themes, patterns, or mythic archetypes from the ancient world focusing on Greek myths of gods and heroes as well as tragedies such as Oedipus Rex. The second quarter will be a study of the Bible as literature, with emphasis on the Old Testament. Major selections will include Psalms, Genesis, Exodus, Samuel, Job, and Isaiah. The Gospels from the New Testament will be studied as well. Written assignments will vary from critical to creative papers. Quizzes, tests, papers, projects, participation, and attendance contribute to assessment.

SHAKESPEARE (045) 1/2 credit

First semester

This course is recommended for students who enjoy Shakespeare and would like to increase their understanding of his plays as literature and possibly as live theater. It would be to the student’s advantage to have taken Research before taking Shakespeare. The course is designed to help the student understand the plays of Shakespeare and his qualities as a playwright, and will provide background material on Elizabethan history and culture, Shakespeare’s life, the Elizabethan theater and stage, other plays of the time, and the individual works to be studied. Discussions and compositions will deal with plot formation, characterization, style and major themes of plays studied. The schedule and curriculum will be primarily set up by the teacher but will offer some opportunity for individual study.

IMAGES OF WOMEN IN LITERATURE (048) 1/2 credit

Second semester

This course, which will focus on the image of women in literature, is designed to meet a wide range of student interests and abilities. The emphasis will fall on how authors, men and women, have portrayed women in literature from the ancient Greeks through the twentieth century. Students will read novels, short stories, poetry and plays (such as Plath’s The Bell Jar, Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Ibsen’s A Doll House) and write analytical papers that examine the literature. Students will keep personal response journals and will be encouraged to participate actively in class discussion. Young men as well as young women are encouraged to take the course.

AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE (050) 1/2 credit

Second semester

The Harlem Renaissance Poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar wrote: “We wear the mask that grins and lies.” Students in African American Literature attempt to answer the essential question – “Why? Why did African-Americans hide behind a mask?” The course focuses on the development of African American Literature from early poetry and slave narratives to modern short stories and novels. Authors studied include Toni Morrison, Richard Wright, Claude McKay, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker. This course focuses on the connections among these writings and the cultural developments in art, music and dance that influenced them. Assessment will be based on consistent classroom participation and the quality of oral and written work.

TOPICS IN WORLD LITERATURE: THE CARIBBEAN (051) 1/2 credit

First semester

This course is designed as a survey of literature from various areas of the world. Each year the course will focus on a different region. For the 2002-2003 school year, the course will emphasize the Caribbean, including the sociopolitical and cultural factors that influence the development of the literature and the resulting themes. The course will include fiction, poetry, and film. Typical authors include Jamaica Kincaid, Edwidge Danticat, Robert Antoni, V.S. Naipaul, and Derek Walcott. Assessment will be based on consistent classroom participation, a formal presentation, and critical essays.

INTRODUCTION TO BRITISH LITERATURE (053) 1/2 credit

First semester

This course will survey major English authors and various literary genres from the Beowulf poet through the modern period. Students will become familiar with the history of the English language as they trace the development of drama, poetry, comedy, the essay, and the novel through both an analytical and an historical approach. Students will read literature by writers such as Chaucer, Milton, Austen, Swift, Orwell and Shaw, and will understand the time periods that produced such works as Arthurian legends and gothic novels. The course is designed to appeal to a wide range of interests, and students can expect to respond to the literature critically, creatively and personally. Assessment will be based on both written work and classroom performance.

SPECIFIC AREA COURSES

SPEECH (057,058) 1/2 credit

Either semester

Improving communication skills through use of language and other media is the goal of this basic course in speech. The student learns to reach his audience more effectively through a variety of situations, including public speaking, oral interpretation of literature and other mixed media forms of communication. Emphasis is placed on structure and organization and presentation of ideas with poise, self-confidence and skill. Students will have at least one speaking opportunity per week.

FILM ANALYSIS AND CRITICISM (059,060) (Not offered 2004-2005) 1/2 credit

Either Semester

This elective course for juniors and seniors teaches students to become active, critical viewers of film and requires analytical essays reviewing film. Students will be introduced to elements of film analysis (e.g. cinematography, acting and dialogue, sound), an overview of film history, and the rudiments of film theory. Although many films will be shown during class, students will be expected to view films at home on video or at local cinemas. Typical films for analysis are Todd Solondz’s Welcome to the Dollhouse and John Ford’s The Searchers, among others. In addition to viewing film, students will read texts, which aid in activating them as viewers. Possible readings might include screenplays, reviews, director’s notes, articles about the film industry, or a novel or play that has been used as the basis for a film. Students use writing, speaking, and visual texts to prepare for viewing, to think about what they have viewed, and to communicate their ideas to others. Enrollment for this course is limited.

READING AND WRITING FICTION (Not offered 2003-04) 1/2 credit

Second semester

STUDENTS MUST SUBMIT TWO CREATIVE PIECES, TYPED, EACH AT LEAST 500 WORDS IN LENGTH TO THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CHAIRPERSON, IN ORDER TO PRE-REGISTER FOR THE COURSE.

This elective course for juniors and seniors teaches students to write fiction by requiring them to produce between four and six polished stories. Toward that end, students will experiment with various approaches to generating ideas and developing them. They will study devices that fiction writers use, and write several analytical essays, in order to use those devices in their own work. Students will also spend considerable time sharing work with their peers, either in small groups or as a whole class. The readings in this class will serve as models for writing different kinds of fiction. They may be drawn from classical or contemporary literature; for instance, students may read Ernest Hemingway as well as Joyce Carol Oates.

JOURNALISM FOR PUBLICATION (063,064) 1/2 credit

(Open to grades 9 through 12.) Either semester

Designed for students who want to improve their writing skills while publishing work in the school paper and yearbook, this course will teach the conventions and nuances of writing news, features, columns, editorials, reviews, and sports. Students will learn how to write leads, headlines, and captions. They will practice organizing stories, conducting interviews, and editing articles. While working on monthly articles for the paper, students will also study concepts essential to producing a good paper: history of journalism, ethics in the media, balanced reporting, First Amendment rights and responsibilities, newspaper business practices and use of photography.

JOURNALISM FOR PUBLICATION IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOR ALL THOSE SEEKING EDITORIAL POSITIONS ON INKLINGS, THE SCHOOL PAPER.

If a freshman or sophomore elects to take Journalism, he or she must take it in addition to Freshman or Sophomore English.

YEAR LONG COURSES FOR SENIORS ONLY

ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH (066) 1 credit

Prerequisite: Completion of Junior English Full year

Guideline: Completion of Jr. English with at least an A-, teacher recommendation, or departmental exam.

Close reading and analysis of at least three texts are required during the summer previous to the course.

The course is for the proven high school senior who:

is able to read at a level and rate beyond that expected in regular high school course offerings,

writes clear, generally error free prose

enjoys analysis and interpretation of all forms of literature.

Course work emphasizes critical reading and discussion of such works as Elison’s Invisible Man, Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, and Hamlet.

The course includes frequent writing assignments requiring analytical and interpretative skills. A senior Author Paper of three to five thousand words is required. Work is assessed using college-level AP standards.

The course will prepare students to take the AP Literature and Composition exam at the end of the senior year.

ENGLISH 4 (068) 1 credit

Full year

This course focuses on critical reading of classic and contemporary fiction (short stories, novels, and plays) as well as analytical writing. Content may include Shakespeare’s Hamlet as well as authors such as Eugene O’Neill, Jack Kerouac, Toni Morrison, and Paul Auster. Students will write in a variety of modes including journal entries, literary analysis essays, creative pieces and a longer Senior Paper. Students will review and practice the principles of good writing: organization, clarity, fluency, grammatical and mechanical correctness. The course requires summer reading.

This course is closed to students who are taking A.P. English.