Literature of Western Civilization Part One (English 9)
Literature of Western Civilization I is an overview of works of literature from Classical times leading up to the 1600’s. Students will begin their study of the origins of Western literature in ancient Mesopotamia with one of the oldest recorded works of Western literature- The Epic of Gilgamesh. We then continue on to the Classical period, with an examination of Homer’s The Odyssey. Moving into medieval literature, we will study selected works from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tale. The year concludes with a study of two Shakespearean selections- Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet. This is a yearlong course focused on developing skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students in this course will examine literature written in different time periods and from different cultures. The course will focus on writing creatively and critically, researching, and presenting points of view about literature and its connections to life. Students will be challenged to think and develop ideas through critical analysis. In addition, students will make cross-curricular connections with other course, with particular emphasis on historical and Biblical connections.
Literature of Western Civilization Part Two (English 10)
Literature of Western Civilization Part II is an overview of works of literature leading up to the late 1800’s. Students will begin by revisiting Shakespeare with one of his darkest and most moving tragedies, Macbeth. The year continues with a unit on the major poets of the Romantic era (including, but not limited to Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Keats, and Shelley). This will be followed with a study of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The first semester includes with a unit on Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. In their examination of Pride and Prejudice and Great Expectations, students will learn how to analyze and critically examine these works after researching and examining a chosen topic as it relates to literature. The second semester will feature thematically linked works: Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In their study of these three works, students will examine how a single theme is treated across multiple texts. As a continuation of Literature of Western Civilization Part I, Part II will be structurally similar to Part I, but will call upon students to increase the depth and breadth of their analysis and research as well as an increased sophistication of thought, evident in their oral and written communication. A continuing emphasis will be places upon strengthening the cross curricular links established in freshman year.
AP Language and Composition
The AP English Language and Composition course is designed to help students become skilled readers of a variety of texts as well as becoming skilled writers. Students will achieve this through awareness of the interactions among a writer's purposes, audience expectations, and subjects, as well as the ways that writing rules and language use contribute to effective writing.
Skill in writing proceeds from an awareness of one's own composing processes: the way one explores ideas, reconsider strategies, and revises work. This experience of the process of composing is the essence of the first-year college writing course, and the AP English Language and Composition course emphasizes this process. In the course, students will write essays that proceed through several stages or drafts, with revision aided by their teacher and peers. These extended, revised essays are not part of the AP English Language and Composition Exam, but the experience of writing them will help you become a more self-aware and flexible writer (which may help your performance on the AP Exam!).
In addition to engaging in varied writing tasks, students will read and become acquainted with a wide variety of prose styles from many disciplines and historical periods. Due to the increasing importance of graphics and visual images in texts published in print and electronic media, they will learn to analyze images as they relate to written texts and serve as alternative forms of texts themselves.
Using research materials and synthesizing information from various sources are integral parts of the AP English Language and Composition course. Students will learn to evaluate the legitimacy and purpose of sources used. One way to do this is through the researched argument paper, which will require students to sort through various interpretations of information to analyze, reflect upon, and write about a topic. When writers bring the experience and opinions of others into their writing in this way, it opens conversations with other writers and thinkers, which in turn helps their writing become more thoughtful and substantive — just what is required in college and careers!
Skill in writing proceeds from an awareness of one's own composing processes: the way one explores ideas, reconsider strategies, and revises work. This experience of the process of composing is the essence of the first-year college writing course, and the AP English Language and Composition course emphasizes this process. In the course, students will write essays that proceed through several stages or drafts, with revision aided by their teacher and peers. These extended, revised essays are not part of the AP English Language and Composition Exam, but the experience of writing them will help you become a more self-aware and flexible writer (which may help your performance on the AP Exam!).
In addition to engaging in varied writing tasks, students will read and become acquainted with a wide variety of prose styles from many disciplines and historical periods. Due to the increasing importance of graphics and visual images in texts published in print and electronic media, they will learn to analyze images as they relate to written texts and serve as alternative forms of texts themselves.
Using research materials and synthesizing information from various sources are integral parts of the AP English Language and Composition course. Students will learn to evaluate the legitimacy and purpose of sources used. One way to do this is through the researched argument paper, which will require students to sort through various interpretations of information to analyze, reflect upon, and write about a topic. When writers bring the experience and opinions of others into their writing in this way, it opens conversations with other writers and thinkers, which in turn helps their writing become more thoughtful and substantive — just what is required in college and careers!