English

English 9 - College Prep

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

Meets UC/CSU Requirements: Area "B"

This course will empower students with the knowledge and skill to analyze, evaluate, and elaborate on what they read and discuss.  Students will work with a variety of texts and genres including short stories, novels, poetry, and digital media..  Students will develop skills in the use of expository, analytical, and creative writing.

English 10 - College Prep

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

Meets UC/CSU Requirements: Area "B"

Sophomore English is the study of other cultures and people through literature.  The purpose of this course is to develop students’ ability to read, write, speak, question, research research and think effectively. The materials, activities, and requirements of this course will help prepare for college requirements. The literature and activities of this course will deal with many thematic topics, such as courage, love, hate, war, friendships, coming of age, racism, and cultural differences. Students will read, analyze, write about and discuss short stories, poetry, plays, essays and novels.

2 Options Available

English 11 - College Prep

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

Meets UC/CSU Requirements: Area "B"

This course focuses on reading, writing, speaking and listening skills as well as critical thinking and cooperative learning.  It is designed to parallel what students learn in their United States History courses by introducing them to American literature..  The materials and assignments presented are intended to immerse students in the selected works to prepare them for a successful high school career and beyond.  The various assignments and assessments are designed to help students move into, through and beyond the chosen literature to gain a better understanding of the works as well as make connections to their own lives.  The selected pieces focus on the importance of reading and understanding the literature written by Americans of different races, gender and religion.  The themes are built around the central questions of American identity—freedom, equality, diversity, opportunity, the allure of the “American Dream,” and the tension between material success and democracy.

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

Meets UC/CSU Requirements: Area "B"

This college-level course is designed to engage students in becoming skilled readers in prose written in a variety of time periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Both will make students aware of the writer’s purposes, audience expectations, subjects, and argumentative styles at a professional level. The intense concentration on language use should enhance the students’ sophistication   and ability to analyze and compose mature, stylistic prose.  Students may earn college credit by successfully passing this course and the AP College Board Exam. The course prepares students for the AP exam and students are strongly encouraged to take the exam. Summer work may be a requirement of this course.

3 Options Available

Expository Reading/Writing - College Prep

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

Meets UC/CSU Requirements: Area "B"

ERWC is based on a course developed by the California State University system to help high school students develop the high level literacy they need to succeed in college and beyond. Students explore contemporary issues through a variety of expository texts and practice literacy activities to strengthen reading and writing skills.

Film as Literature - College Prep

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

Meets UC/CSU Requirements: Area "B"

Film as Literature is a senior level college preparation English course, where film is used as the major text.  Novels, short stories, poems, and articles are still analyzed and used to gain a greater understanding of the ideas and vocabulary used within the film.  We will analyze the ways in which filmmakers create meaning and resonance followed by a close analysis of the ways in which authors do the same within literature.  This yearlong course will be divided into thematic units.  The thematic unit will be the arena in which the students will engage with both technical and stylistic choices of the storytellers.  Students will demonstrate their understanding and critical thinking skills through written response, discussion, and major culminating projects.

Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

Meets UC/CSU Requirements: Area "B"

Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition is a senior English class for students interested in reading and analyzing literature in-depth.   Students will read novels, plays and poetry from the 16^th to the 21^st century.  Writing assignments will vary from short in-class writing to formal essays. This class will sharpen students’ interpretive skills as well as prepare them for college level work.  Due to the intellectual rigor of the course, students must be prepared to work hard and participate in all aspects of the class. The course prepares students for the AP exam and students are strongly encouraged to take the exam. Summer work may be a requirement of this course.

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

In Designated ELD 1, based on the language needs of students learning English, teachers support students in the acquisition of the English language using the CA ELD standards as a framework for their instruction. Students in ELD I work on the language skills needed to progress through the emerging stage of language acquisition. Through the application of ELD instructional strategies, students develop skills necessary to make gains towards proficiency of the four language domains through a variety of performance-based tasks. Instruction is given at the emerging level of English.

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

In Designated ELD 2, based on the language needs of students learning English, teachers support students in the acquisition of the English language using the CA ELD standards as a framework for their instruction. Students in ELD 2 work on the language skills needed to progress into the expanding stage of language acquisition. Through the application of ELD instructional strategies, students develop skills necessary to make gains towards proficiency of the four language domains through a variety of performance-based tasks. Instruction is given at the expanding level of English.

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

In Designated ELD 3, based on the language needs of students learning English, teachers support students in the acquisition of the English language using the CA ELD standards as a framework for their instruction. Students in ELD 3 work on the language skills needed to progress from the expanding stage into the bridging state of language acquisition. Through the application of ELD instructional strategies, students develop skills necessary to make gains towards proficiency of the four language domains through a variety of performance-based tasks. Instruction moves from the expanding to bridging level of English.

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

In Integrated ELA 1, based on the language needs of students learning English, teachers support students in the acquisition of the English language using the Common Core English State Standards (grade 9/10) as a framework for their instruction. Students in ELD I work on the language skills needed to progress through the emerging stage of language acquisition. Through the application of ELD instructional strategies, students develop skills necessary to make gains towards proficiency of the four language domains through a variety of performance-based tasks. Instruction is given at the emerging level of English

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

In Integrated ELA 2, based on the language needs of students learning English, teachers support students in the acquisition of the English language using the Common Core English State Standards (grade 9/10) as a framework for their instruction. Students in ELD 2 work on the language skills needed to progress into the expanding stage of language acquisition. Through the application of ELD instructional strategies, students develop skills necessary to make gains towards proficiency of the four language domains through a variety of performance-based tasks. Instruction is given at the expanding level of English.

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

Meets UC/CSU Requirements: Area "B"

In Integrated ELA 3, based on the language needs of students learning English, teachers support students in the acquisition of the English language using the Common Core English State Standards (grade 9/10) as a framework for their instruction. Students in ELD 3 work on the language skills needed to progress from the expanding stage into the bridging state of language acquisition. Through the application of ELD instructional strategies, students develop skills necessary to make gains towards proficiency of the four language domains through a variety of performance-based tasks. Instruction moves from the expanding to bridging level of English.

Examining Diversity through Media- College Prep

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

Grades 9 - 12

Meets UC/CSU Requirements: Area "G"

In this course, students will be provided with the opportunity to study how issues associated with diversity are represented in media- each unit will ask students to explore how media continues to shape beliefs around race, class, ethnicity, gender, and national origin. Through a study of content such as Disney, sports advertising, and social media, students will become proficient in analyzing various types of media including texts, music, images, advertisements, television, and film.  The approach to the various media will be interpretive, analytical, comparative, and critical from a cultural, social, and historical point of view. Through reading, writing, and oral reflection on the material, students will demonstrate an understanding of the construction of meaning through media and how they reflect and create culture, via unique and collective expression.

Ghost Stories in Literature and Film - College Prep

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

Grades 9 - 12

Meets UC/CSU Requirements: Area "G"

Through the lenses of the novel, short fiction, nonfiction, and film, this course explores the widely varied realms of ghost fiction ranging from archetypal haunted houses, ghosts of generations past, to modern thrillers. These texts and films will explore how fear, belief, and deeper philosophies of life and death manifest in stories about ghosts from all around the world. In this spooky course, we seek answers to questions such as: When are ghosts more than shadowy spirits of the departed? Are ghosts merely mirrors of our subconscious emotions, such as guilt, terror, and frustration? In evaluating the implications of ghost stories, students will explore how gender, race, and religion intersect in time and history. The course will require students to develop their formal writing and analytical skills, but also foster opportunities to create and explore their own interpretations of ghost stories.

Graphic Novels and Identity- College Prep

Credits: 10 credits total (5 credits per quarter)

Grades 9 - 12

Meets UC/CSU Requirements: Area "G"

This course explores the distinct features that make “comics” a dynamic literary medium, and through analysis of sequential storytelling techniques, students will discover the language with which pop culture and personal narratives are told using words and images. Specific emphasis will be focused on how comics reflect the conflicts and growth of society, ranging from politics and wars to power fantasies and ethnic identity. By analyzing works such as Persepolis and American Born Chinese, students will critically interpret and reflect on the way comics explore widely-diverse identities and experiences. The primary objectives of this course are for students to develop and practice analytical writing skills, and to foster a continuing appreciation for graphic narratives of any genre.