Language arts Grades and Honors

COURSE TITLE LANGUAGE ARTS 9
GRADE LEVEL 9

MAJOR CONCEPTS/CONTENT: The ninth grade Language Arts course studies the following kinds of literature: short story, novel, poetry, plays, etc. Students will write compositions and learn usage from the literature and their own writing. Vocabulary is taken from the literature, and speaking and listening practices also come out of the reading selections.

COURSE TITLE LANGUAGE ARTS 10
GRADE LEVEL 10

MAJOR CONCEPTS/CONTENT : From a traditional approach, this course emphasizes skills to improve the proficiency in reading, interpreting and writing coherently and correctly. The short story, the novel, and drama will compromise the core of the literature studied. Using literature as a basis for writing experience, students begin with the paragraph before developing the one page expository composition. Grammar skills are reviewed with emphasis on punctuation, verb, pronoun, coherence, and diction problems.

COURSE TITLE LANGUAGE ARTS 11
GRADE LEVEL 11

MAJOR CONCEPTS/CONTENT: The curriculum is a study of literature, composition, and language. The content includes increasingly comprehensive vocabulary in writing, conversation and discussion. The writing will focus on essays responding to social, political, and literary concepts, critical analysis, and a research paper. The student will experience a wide range of literary works written in the United States by writers of the major ethnic groups, including both classic and modern works.

COURSE TITLE LANGUAGE ARTS 12
LENGTH OF COURSE 36 WEEKS

MAJOR CONCEPTS/CONTENT: The curriculum is based on strengthening students' skills in listening, speaking, writing, literature, and language. Its focus is on British literature, and it is designed to heighten appreciation of literature and to improve the individual's reading, writing, and study skills. The content will include comprehensive vocabulary designed for post-secondary experience; writing in a clear and specific style; recognizing literary masterpieces that are common heritage of all people; and engaging in perceptive reading and critical analysis of British literature.

COURSE TITLE HONORS LANGUAGE ARTS 9
HONORS LANGUAGE ARTS 10
HONORS LANGUAGE ARTS 11
GRADE LEVEL 9, 10, 11

RECOMMENDATIONS: Indicators the English Department will consider in recommending students
include:
A: demonstrated success in previous English classes with grades of A's or B's
B: recommendation to take honors level class from a previous English teacher
C: scores of 90th percentile or above on the Total Language section of the Terra Nova or
equivalent standardized achievement test
D: writing sample accepted by the English Department

MAJOR CONCEPTS/CONTENT : The instructional objectives for Honors English encompass all those identified for English 9-11. Students in these honors courses, however, pursue these objectives to greater depth and with generally more challenging materials. To supplement and reinforce regular class work, students in honors sections do extensive outside reading. A comprehensive study of the literature will require students to use the higher cognitive skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. There is a more demanding writing requirement in these courses.

COURSE TITLE AP ENGLISH, LIT AND COMP
GRADE LEVEL 12

MAJOR CONCEPTS/CONTENT: The description for Honors English 9-11 also applies for this course. There is a heavy emphasis on the student's own writing. Students enrolled in this course are encouraged to take the Advanced Placement Examination in May. The student must pay the cost of the examination, currently at about $60. Based on the student's score, college credit may be earned which may save substantially more than the examination cost. Students planning on the Advanced Placement examination should plan to take Honors English II prior to AP English 12. The AP examination includes English Literature (American and British) and the analytical concepts covered in these two courses.

Click the links on the right to explore the Language Arts categories.