ENGLISH
Students who
elect courses for the English Department are:
Competent
learners whose academic goals are to:
á Read with understanding and insight.
á Write with clarity and precision.
á Utilize technology in the presentation of
information to others.
á Solve problems critically and
analytically.
Responsible
individuals whose civic goals are to:
á Demonstrate character values and ethical
behavior.
á Understand and appreciate the value of
diversity amongst students and staff.
á Understands and appreciates the Island
community and oneŐs unique connection to MarthaŐs Vineyard.
Complex
thinkers whose social goals are to:
á Become capable of self-reflection.
á Accept and use constructive criticism.
á Take responsible intellectual risks.
á Hold high expectations for their academic
or career decisions.
ENGLISH 9
5 Credits Full Year
Honors
Prerequisite: Advanced standing with
teacher recommendation from the 8th grade. A summer reading and
writing assignment must be completed before entering the course in the fall.
A course for students of advanced
ability in composition, reading comprehensive and critical thinking. Students
who enroll in the course should perform substantially above grade level on
reading and writing assessments. The primary concerns of the course include
literary analysis, oral communication, poetry, drama, research,
vocabulary development, and creative writing. Assignments include
considerable reading, writing, and research to be done by the
student outside of class time.
ENGLISH 9
A course for students planning on attending
college. Students should be able to read and write at or above grade
level. The course reviews basic grammar, the writing process and forms of
writing, and learning skills. Units based on in-class and out-of-class
novel and short story reading are assigned with emphasis on vocabulary development,
comprehension, and literary analysis. Oral and written activities follow units
on the major literary genres. Creative writing, oral presentations and
research projects are assigned each quarter. Students enrolling in this
section should have successfully demonstrated the ability to manage complex
assignments outside of class time.
ENGLISH 9
A course for the student who needs
improvement in the areas of writing mechanics, vocabulary, writing forms,
reading comprehension, and learning skills. Units in each of these areas stress
basic competency, and activities are designed to assist the student
in developing a positive attitude toward language skills. Additional areas
covered are oral presentation, creative writing, and writing the research
paper. As individual needs are identified, students will add supports
in the Reading and Writing lab.
ENGLISH 10
Prerequisite: Recommendation of the
department and a grade of 80% or above in English 9. A summer reading and
writing assignment must be completed before entering the course in the fall.
The sophomore honors course continues the
student's intellectual and verbal development begun in grade 9. It
prepares students for the rigorous language and literature requirements
offered in the 11th and 12th grade AP or Honors sequence. This course is only
appropriate for the student interested in assuming major responsibility
for his/her own learning. The student is expected to assume a dominant role in
class work including writing, discussions, and formal speech presentations.
Although the curriculum coincides with that of the other 10th grade classes,
the expectations and standards will be challenging. Students
with a strong reading background and well-developed thinking and writing skills
should take this course.
ENGLISH 10
This college I course is offered to the
student who has demonstrated more than average ability in reading,
writing, and speaking activities. The format involves an integrated
approach to reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. The student
should expect challenging standards, rigorous homework, and frequent
composition assignments. The course will emphasize a survey of modern literature
and will be organized thematically. Vocabulary development, speech,
and current events are also integral elements of this course as they
pertain to the literature studied.
ENGLISH 10
This course is offered to the student who
has demonstrated average abilities in reading, writing, and speech.
The format involves an integrated program of reading, writing, speaking,
and listening activities. The students should expect frequent homework
assignments and class work designed to improve their Basic English
skills. Literature will be organized around central themes and current events
will be integrated as they pertain to the literature studied.
Informal speech work will also be integrated on an ongoing basis.
AP ENGLISH 11
5 Credits Full Year
Advanced Placement
Prerequisite:
Recommendation of the department and a grade of 85% or above in English Honors
10. *Students are required to take the Advanced Placement exam in May. Payment
for the exam is due to the principal at the end of the first quarter. A summer
reading and writing assignment must be completed successfully before entering
this course in the fall.
This is primarily
a course in effective writing and critical reading and will prepare the student
to take the AP Exam in Language and Composition. Students will learn methods of
rhetorical analysis and civic discourse. In addition, they will learn how to
convey information accurately, without distortion or ambiguity and, where
appropriate, how to use diction, figures of speech, and syntax to make their
writing serve its purpose, mode, and audience. Critical reading will involve
students learning to discern and describe in an appropriate vocabulary how the
arrangement of language shapes meaning. Students will examine the major devices
that control tone and structure, and learn how they serve rhetorical purposes.
ENGLISH 11
5 Credits Full Year
Honors
Prerequisite: Recommendation of the
department and a grade of 80% or above in English 10. A summer reading and
writing assignment must be completed before entering this course in the fall.
The Junior Honors English course is for
students seeking a challenging study of American literature and its principal
authors, themes, and movements. The emphasis of this course will be on
developing critical and creative reading and writing skills. Students
interested in this course should expect a rigorous study of American literature
and a demanding writing experience. A unit on SAT test-taking skills is also
included in this course.
ENGLISH 11
5 Credits Full Year
College I
Prerequisite: English 9
& 10
This course is a chronological survey of
American Literature with units on the Native Americans, the Puritans, the Age
of Reason, the Romantic Era, Realism, the Harlem Renaissance, and the 20th
Century. Readings include selections from such as authors as Hawthorne,
Melville, Whitman, Dickinson, Twain, Stephen Crane, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zora
Neale Hurston, Arthur Miller, and Kurt Vonnegut. Student writing assignments
include reflective writing, literary analysis, interviews, persuasive writing,
and creative writing. A unit on SAT test taking skills is also included in this
course.
ENGLISH 11
This course is also a survey of American Literature, including the same units as the College I level course and many of the same authors will be studied. However, the selections will be shorter and more accessible to the average reader. The writing assignments are also similar although not as lengthy, and there will be more emphasis on sentence structure and the basics of grammar and ongoing vocabulary development.
AP ENGLISH 12
Prerequisite: Recommendation of the
department and a grade of 80% or above in AP English 11 or 85% or higher in
Honors English 11. *Students are required to take the Advanced Placement exam
in May. Payment for the exam is due to the principal at the end of the first
quarter. A summer reading and writing assignment must be completed before
entering this course in the fall.
The AP English course in literature and
composition engages students in the careful reading and critical analysis of
imaginative literature. Through close reading of selected texts, students
deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both
meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students examine a workŐs
structure, style, and themes, as well as the use of figurative language,
imagery, symbolism, and tone.
5 Credits Full Year
Honors
Prerequisite: Recommendation of the
department and a grade of 80% or above in English 11. A summer reading and
writing assignment must be completed before entering the course in the fall.
5/2.5 Credits Full/Semester College I
Prerequisite: English 11
This is a survey course in both British and World Literature. Students will study literature from a variety of cultures and time periods such as the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Enlightenment, Romantic and Victorian Ages. Critical reading and writing skills are developed in the context of the works studies. In addition, students will learn strategies for vocabulary development, and methods for writing the college essay.
5/2.5 Credits Full/Semester College II
Prerequisite: English
11
This course addresses a cross section of
modern fiction and non-fiction while continuing to integrate reading and
writing skills. Stress is placed on further developing the student's ability to
write clear expository prose. The second semester will focus on a historical
survey of British literature from Beowulf through contemporary authors. Within
the context of this overview, students continue to develop writing skills
through frequent writing assignments, including the college essay.
CREATIVE WRITING SEMINAR
5/2.5 Credits Full/Semester College I Prerequisite: None
Are you working on a novel? A book of poems? Song lyrics? A play?
Would you like to learn more about the craft of creative writing so that your
words will make others laugh and cry and sing and more? Then this seminar in
creative writing is for you. While readings will be assigned, copies of student
work will form the basis for most class discussions. At the end of each
semester we will sponsor a coffeehouse public reading of student work. This
public exhibition of student writing, plus a self-selected portfolio of student
work, will serve as the midterm / final exam. This course may fulfill one or
two semesters of the English 12 core requirement for seniors only. For more
information please see Mr. SharkovitzŐs website.
INTRODUCTION
TO FILM
2.5
Credits Semester
College I
Prerequisite: English 9 & 10
Students who take this course will gain a cultural, historic, and critical appreciation for the art of filmmaking. Students will develop critical thinking skills as applied to the analysis, interpretation, and assessment of films and demonstrate sophisticated analytical skills through written and oral communication. Weekly in-class film screenings will be followed by discussion. This course may fulfill one semester of the English 12 core requirement for seniors only.
WRITING
FOR COLLEGE
2.5
Credits Semester
College I
Prerequisite: English 9, 10, 11
This course will focus on the development of language skills necessary to succeed in college, the workplace, and to participate in civic communities. The course is designed to enhance the studentŐs understanding of written communication and give practice in producing clear, well-reasoned arguments. Students will learn to plan, develop, and revise writing into essays that are organized, unified, and coherent. This course may fulfill one semester of the English 12 core requirement for seniors only.
INTRODUCTION
TO PHILOSOPHY
2.5
Credits
Semester
College I
Prerequisite: Seniors Only
Why do we find things beautiful? What is the nature of love? How can the awareness of death influence the way we live? How do we know what we think we know about the world? About other people? By what principles should we conduct our lives? Conducted as a close reading seminar, this course will seek to examine the answers to these and other questions as they occur in major philosophers and schools of the Western Tradition, tracing its development from the Ancient period (Plato, Aristotle), through the Medieval (Aquinas, Augustine), Renaissance, and Enlightenment (Rousseau) schools, to its 19th (Kant, Hegel, Marx), and 20th Century (Existentialism, Deconstructionism) destinations. The aim of this course is to encourage students to acquire a more comprehensive understanding of the world and a greater appreciation for the mysteries that surround us. This course may fulfill one semester of the English core requirement for seniors only.
JOURNALISM
2.5 Credits Semester
Unweighted
Prerequisite: None
Do you have something important to say in your writing? Want a weekly audience of more than 15,000 readers? Then this journalism course is for you. In this course you will learn to write news stories, features, editorials, reviews, and more. In addition, students will study interview strategies, page design, editing, student press law, ethics, and photojournalism. Students will be encouraged to publish their work in our school newspaper and, possibly, and other local and regional newspapers. Finally, students will have the opportunity to use our schoolŐs professional level journalism office with all of its equipment, computers, and specialized software. Some journalism mentorships with local newspapers might be available for interested students.
READING
AND WRITING LAB
2.5 Credits Semester Unweighted Co-Requisite: English 9, 10, 11, 12
This course is primarily for students who
have not mastered basic reading, writing, and learning skills. It is
required of freshmen who are below grade level in reading and writing ability
and is recommended
for any student who has not successfully completed the ELA/MCAS.
5 Credits Full Year Unweighted
Prerequisite:
Recommendation of Special Education Team and parental approval as indicated in
the Individual Educational Plan.
This class focuses on language skills necessary to function in the world of work, community and family. It provides individualized instruction in developing and applying basic language skills for use in practical life and pre-vocational situations.
5
Credits Full Year Unweighted
Prerequisite: Recommendation of Special Education Child
Evaluation Team and parental approval as indicated in the Individual
Educational Plan.
Fulfills
English requirement, continues to focus on basic language skills, if the
studentŐs goals have not yet been reached, and MCAS preparation. The studentŐs challenges in language
are addressed, including the areas of writing, reading, vocabulary, spelling,
and speaking. Basic
competency is stressed and activities are designed to develop independence in
communication skills.
BASIC ENGLISH III/IV
5 Credits Full
Year Unweighted Prerequisite:
Recommendation of Special Education Team and parental approval as indicated in
the Individual Educational Plan.
Fulfills English requirement and
continues to focuses on basic language skills, if the studentŐs goals have not yet
been reached. Activities are designed to develop independence in communication
skills in the areas of writing, reading, vocabulary, spelling and speaking.
Students will learn methods for writing resumes and college essays, as well as
filling out a job application and writing a cover letter.
*Students may be recommended by the
IEP team for mainstream English, at the completion of any of the Language
Skills courses.
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE SUPPORT
Students who require assistance in acquiring English language proficiency are assigned to the English Language Support Center. This program which is under the Reading-Writing Center provides support in language mechanics, writing and reading; the basic grammar of the writing process; and oral and written communication. The center also assists those students with mainstream cultural immersion. The goal of the program is to enable the students to learn English rapidly through the English language immersion process in the schoolŐs ŇMainstreamÓ program. Students are initially assigned to the center and to a variety of courses on an audit basis for the first year. As soon as possible, the student is expected to sustain the full course load on a credit basis. This method has been very successful over the years. The center also cooperates with the administration, the guidance department, and the Island Literacy Program in seeking to inform the parents of these students about the opportunities of American schools, the need for parental support in educating their children, and post high school planning.
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE I
5 Credits Full Year College II
Prerequisite: None
This course is designed for the newly
arrived student with little or no English language skills. The first year of
instruction consists of spoken, speaking, writing, and reading English. This is
not a bilingual program. English is spoken exclusively. Through ESL I, students
learn to listen better, speak, read, and write English. Through the tutorials,
students receive some support for their mainstream classes. The primary focus
of this course is to expose the students to the English language and integrate
the students into the high school and the community.
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE II
This course is designed for the high beginners to low intermediate students whose first language is not English. Students will be placed into a classroom that parallels ESL I. Students will expand their facility with English through reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Upon successful completion of this course, students should be ready for sheltered classes.
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE III
This course is designed for the intermediate to high intermediate students whose first language is not English. Students will be placed into a classroom that parallels ESL II. After completing this course, students will be taking Sheltered English or mainstreamed English classes.
SHELTERED ENGLISH
5 Credits Semester College
II
Prerequisite: None
This course is specifically
designed for the transitioning students who have attained some proficiency in
English but have not yet developed the skills appropriate for a mainstream
English class. The focus is on reading skills and strategies, speaking,
listening and academic writing. Sheltered English offers ESL students a bridge
from their first ESL English classes to mainstream English.
ESL READING AND WRITING
LAB
2.5 Credits
Semester
Unweighted
Prerequisite: None
This course is for all levels of ESL students. The course integrates English language
learning and content material in a language rich environment to help ESL
students meet MCAS objectives and promote studentsŐ English language
development.