High School 9-12
Contact Information
Nancy Fuchs
Secondary Curriculum Coordinator
Email
314-983-5315
The English Department seeks to provide students a balanced experience of different genres of literature and modes of writing. The flowchart shows a sequential list of courses, and it is coded to help students create a schedule that balances literature and writing each semester and over four years.
While each course develops reading and writing skills, the courses are coded with (L) to indicate a focus on literature and fiction. The courses coded with (W) include more nonfiction texts to teach expository writing. Courses with (S) add the objective of speaking.
Grades 9-12
- Public Speaking
- Introduction to Journalistic Writing, Design, and Leadership
- Communication and the Human Experience
Public Speaking
Public Speaking (9, 10, 11, 12) (W/S) is a traditional public speaking course with a non-traditional approach. Students’ work will progress from short impromptu, extemporaneous speeches to longer informative and persuasive speeches. Minor presentations will include speaking for special occasions. Students will set their own individual goals for improvement and work to achieve those goals. The overall grade will be based on preparation for, presentation of, and critique of oral presentations. Writing Assignments: Students will construct outlines and manuscripts before presenting a variety of speeches. Students will also write personal reflections and construct written critiques of various presentations. Speaking Assignments: Students will present a variety of speeches ranging from short impromptus and special occasion talks to extemporaneous speeches in addition to longer informative and persuasive speeches.
Introduction to Journalistic Writing, Design, and Leadership
Introduction to Journalistic Writing, Design, and Leadership (9, 10, 11, 12) (L/W/S) is a year-long course where students will learn how to design the school newspaper and yearbook, write news stories, and work together in a highly collaborative environment. Students enrolled in this course will gain insight into the journalism field as well as skills for interviewing, story-crafting, editing, social media, and boosting audience engagement. Students will work with professional design software, such as Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, to design publishable content. Students will also practice editing material for publication and leadership skills. This course prepares students to be on the newspaper and/or yearbook staff after completion. Students will also walk away with real-world problem-solving skills and communication tools that will help them in life after high school. This course is a prerequisite for Newspaper I and Yearbook I. This course does not meet the requirements for an NCAA core course in English.
Communication and the Human Experience
Communications & the Human Experience (9, 10, 11, 12) (W/S) is a survey course exploring the field of communication and our experience as humans navigating the messy process of communication. Students will focus on developing their communication skills in our ever-changing world. As we seek to discover what makes competent communicators in our world, we will also explore miscommunication and how it happens. This is a hands-on course that will involve active participation in daily activities and simulations, as well as written and oral presentations. The gradebook will be broken into the following five essential skills:
- Discussion & Engagement
- Presentation Skills
- Writing Process & Performance
- Research Skills
- Reading Comprehension
Discussion & Engagement and Presentation Skills weigh the most heavily on the gradebook in this course.
Reading Assignments: Students will read the course textbook Looking Out, Looking In. Students will also read selected articles to practice applying our concepts and selections from Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers.
Writing Assignments: Students will write responses of various lengths to texts we read and in-class discussions. Students will also present projects regarding various aspects of communication.
Grade 9 (Only)
Grade 9: English Core Course Offerings
English 9 (9) (L/W) is a survey course that studies the genres of short story, poetry, novel, drama, and nonfiction. Students will write multi-paragraph argumentative, analytical, and creative responses as we investigate various themes and essential questions.
Reading Assignments: Students will read thematically linked texts as a class and independently. Titles may include the play She Kills Monsters, Fahrenheit 451, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, an independent nonfiction book, two book club books, Speak, and at least two independent novels. The reading component of this class promotes how readers can use a text to better understand themselves and the world while developing close reading and comprehension skills appropriate to the high school level.
Writing Assignments: Students will use the writing process and teacher conferences to develop their literary analysis, organizational, research, and argumentative skills. The composition component of the class develops a student’s organizational strategies, fluency, diction, and knowledge of grammar while promoting the habits of mind essential for evidence-based argument.
Priority Standards
Units of Study
- Unit 1 | Personal Things
- Unit 2 | She Kills Monsters
- Unit 3 | Fahrenheit 451
- Unit 4 | Rebellion Book Clubs
- Unit 5 | The Power of the Poetic Text
- Unit 6 | Shakespeare/Drama
- Unit 7 | Suspense
- Unit 8 | Nonfiction/Research
Unit 1 | Personal Things
Enduring Understanding
Students will understand that:
- One’s beliefs are a part of one’s identity.
- One must learn to communicate their beliefs to be a productive member of society.
- Self-reflection on strengths and weaknesses can lead to future success.
Essential Questions
- How can stories help me understand myself and others?
- How can I use writing to discover who I am and what I need?
- How can I use my voice to communicate who I am (becoming)?
- Can we create who we become? Or is there a destiny we must fulfill?
- What’s the difference between a goal and a dream?
- How do our fears hold us back?
Unit 2 | She Kills Monsters
Enduring Understanding
Students will understand that:
- Good readers question the text as they read.
- A strong argument about a text requires strong evidence.
- Authors intentionally show readers what is important in a text.
Essential Questions
- How do authors create tone in their writing?
- How can readers/directors influence the tone of the piece?
- How can students support judgments/inferences about characters, setting, and tone with evidence from a text?
Unit 3 | Fahrenheit 451
Enduring Understanding
Students will understand that:
- Good readers have strategies to comprehend difficult texts.
- Propaganda is used through media to control a society and its individuals.
- Authors write purposefully to communicate an agenda.
Essential Questions
-
Can we target/tailor a message/idea for an audience?
-
What makes people more susceptible to influence?
-
What is the role of propaganda in society?
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How does misinformation affect society?
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How/why does a society restrict and encourage free thinking of its members?
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What makes me care? (Connection to Unit 4 Book Club, small group)
Unit 4 | Rebellion Book Clubs
Enduring Understanding
Students will understand that:
- An author creates characters in conflict to produce a theme about life.
- A writer intentionally organizes an argument and chooses persuasive evidence to provide clarity of message.
- Our identity influences our need and desire to advocate for societal change.
- Authors write purposefully to communicate an agenda.
Essential Questions
-
What happens when I don’t fit into my world?
-
How do individuals and groups respond to societal oppression?
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How do I react to obstacles?
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What would I change about the world if I could? How would I accomplish that?
Unit 5 | The Power of the Poetic Text
Enduring Understanding
Students will understand that:
- Authors carefully choose words and techniques to create purpose and meaning in their writing.
- Poetry is a genre unto itself and utilizes rules that set it apart from other genres.
- Poetry exists both in short and long-form.
Essential Questions
- How does poetry allow an individual to express emotions differently than other forms of literature?
- How does verse function in both long and short forms?
- How can poetry help me share my voice, perspective, and ideas?
Unit 6 | Shakespeare/Drama
Enduring Understanding
Students will understand that:
- Drama is a form of communication and entertainment.
- Plot and conflicts of classic literature often reflect common human experiences still relevant today.
- Shakespeare’s language, like other complex texts, can be comprehended when intentionally applying reading strategies.
Essential Questions
- How much free will do we really have? How do fate, destiny, and laws affect our free will and decisions?
- What is love? How is love formed? What are the different types of love we experience in life?
- How do we read challenging texts?
Unit 7 | Suspense
Enduring Understanding
Students will understand that:
- Readers adapt their reading strategies to fit a genre.
- Writers write with an audience/ reader in mind.
Essential Questions
- Why do people like horror and scary stories?
- What craft moves do writers use to create suspense?
- Why do I personally connect to scary stories or not?
- When are our fears healthy, and how do we deal with them?
Unit 8 | Nonfiction/Research
Enduring Understanding
Students will understand that:
- Some sources are credible and trustworthy, while others are not.
- All people have the power to affect change with their voices.
- Every controversial topic has multiple perspectives, and knowledge of all sides of an issue results in a more comprehensive understanding of the topic overall.
- A researched-based position is an effective strategy in an argument.
Essential Questions
- How do I persuade a target audience using research-based evidence?
- How can I determine the validity of evidence from a viewpoint?
- How do I better understand real-world problems?
- Why do problems in the world matter to me?
Grade 10 (Only)
Grade 10: English Core Course Offerings
Semester 1
Composition
Composition (10) (W) is the tenth-grade writing course where students learn discussion skills, reading skills, research skills, writing skills such as paragraph development, thesis formation, organizational and stylistic techniques, and multiple paragraph essays.
Students will study grammar including parts of speech and basal parts, phrases and clauses, usage, and sentence structure and punctuation. The course consists of a variety of writing assignments, reading assignments, discussion, activities, and tests.
Reading Assignments: Students will study and analyze a variety of student and professional writing samples. Students will also read two non-fiction independent/choice books. Writing Assignments: Students will study a variety of writing modes and strategies and compose four formative writing assignments. In addition, students will write two formal essays, including a multi-genre research-based essay with variation in organization and style. Writing Skills: Lessons will focus on the formation of thesis statements and development of descriptive details. Units will provide students with multiple organizational options along with various stylistic techniques for composing formal paragraphs. Grammar Skills: Lessons will review and build upon the 9th grade foundation with emphasis on the whole sentence in areas of structure, variety, agreement, and complexity. Practice includes activities covering phrases and clauses; usage, parallel structure; punctuation.
Semester 2
Literary Analysis
Literary Analysis (10) (L) is designed to reinforce the skills taught in Composition with an emphasis on literary analysis. The course will include the study of plot, characterization, setting, point of view, atmosphere, symbolism, irony, and imagery to help the student discover theme in a piece of fiction. The course consists of participating in seminar discussions and activities, reading and analyzing short stories, poetry, and a novel. Assessment will include short writing assignments, exams, and major essays.
- Reading Assignments: Students will read poetry, short stories, and a novel which may include Lord of the Flies or Black Boy. The reading component focuses on analyzing the use of literary elements in a written work and synthesizing the information into thematic Ideas.
- Writing Assignments: Students will complete one formal literary analysis paragraph, two formal literary analysis essays, and one in-class essay. The composition component involves thesis formation, organization, presentation and analysis of quoted evidence as well as mechanics and style.
Advance Literary Analysis
Advanced Literary Analysis (10) (L) addresses the analytical process of reading and writing and enhances an array of criticism skills including thesis formation, organization, presentation and analysis of quoted evidence, mechanics and style, and library research. This course is designed to offer greater depth and a quicker pace for students requesting a more rigorous curriculum in reading and writing. This course is open to any student who desires this challenge.
- Reading Assignments: Students will read poetry, short stories, and novels, which may include Radiance of Tomorrow and Frankenstein. The reading component focuses on analyzing the use of literary elements in a written work and synthesizing the information into thematic ideas.
- Writing Assignments: Students will complete three formal writing assignments including two multi-paragraph essays and one in-class essay. The composition component involves thesis formation, organization, presentation and analysis of quoted evidence, as well as mechanics and style.
Units of Study
Unit 1 | Self and Passions
Enduring Understanding
- Students will understand their own growing identity as it relates to their physical development
- Students will understand that their environment (physical, social, digital, etc) influences their identity and development
- Students will understand that their own choices have the power to shape themselves and others
- Students will understand that writers should consider which writing strategies would help communicate their argument/ideas when exploring a topic. (Narrative, Informative, Comparison-Contrast).
Essential Questions
- How do you define yourself?
- How does your brain development affect who you are? How does your physical self affect your emotional and spiritual self? (reword)
- How does your environment influence your identity?
- What sparks passion?
- How do our passions influence who we become?
- How can writing strategies help me communicate my ideas?
Unit 2 | Passing of Time
Enduring Understanding
Students will understand that:
- The way that people use their time communicates what they value, therefore people must be intentional with how they use their time.
- Timed writing, like other writing practices, utilizes a process that includes brainstorming, pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing.
- Researching a topic should include seeking multiple perspectives, which results in a
more comprehensive understanding of the topic overall. - Writers should consider which writing strategies would help communicate their argument/ideas when exploring a topic. (Process Analysis, Cause-Effect, Definition)
Essential Questions
- How do I better understand the value of time?
- How can I be more intentional about how I use/spend my time?
- How can writing strategies help me communicate my ideas?
- How do I persuade an authentic audience using valid research-based evidence?
Unit 3 | Social Issues
Enduring Understanding
Students will understand that:
- All people have the power to affect change with their voices by communicating to an authentic audience.
- Every controversial topic has multiple perspectives, and knowledge of all sides of an issue results in a
- more comprehensive understanding of the topic overall.
- Writing is a process that incorporates both independent and collaborative thought and execution
- (planning, editing, revising, conferencing)
- An effective research-based position/argument must include a variety of writing strategies and reliable sources.
- Writers should consider which writing strategies would help communicate their argument/ideas when exploring a topic. (argument, definition)
Essential Questions
-
How do I better understand real-world problems?
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Why do problems in the world matter to/impact me?
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How do I persuade an authentic audience using valid research-based evidence?
Grades 11-12
- Advanced Composition | Expository Writing
- American Literature
- Analytical Reading
- Heroes | Biblical and Mythological
- Black Studies I and II
- Creative Writing
- Culture and Identity in Sport Literature
- Film Analysis and Composition
- Media Literacy and Composition
- Philosophy in Literature
- Science Fiction and Satire
Advanced Composition | Expository Writing
Advanced Composition: Expository Writing (11, 12) (W) is designed to prepare students for college composition courses emphasizing writing in the areas of persuasion, personal narrative, and rhetorical analysis. While juniors can enroll, many students find it most beneficial to take the course in the first semester of their senior year. Students will complete several short personal narrative pieces and a persuasive essay/project, along with a college application essay. In addition to writing, students will also read nonfiction articles and hone their research skills.
- Reading Assignments: Students will read nonfiction essays and articles, as well as a choice nonfiction book. The reading component of this course focuses on studying an author’s purpose, style, and rhetoric.
- Writing Assignments: In addition to the college essay, students will write a number of personal narratives, persuasive pieces, and complete a persuasive essay/project. The composition component of this class focuses on implementing various strategies, appeals, and styles to convey a purposeful message.
American Literature
American Literature (11, 12) (L) is a course that explores the American perspective on our continuing need to define ourselves according to personal, communal, and societal expectations. This course utilizes a multi-genre approach to explore classic themes that have defined the American self throughout our nation’s attempt to form a more perfect union. Students should expect to encounter short fiction, poetry, nonfiction essays, drama, and novels from diverse voices, time periods, and perspectives. Students should expect to write in a variety of modes for a variety of audiences as they seek to form a better understanding of who they each are and how they fit into the fabric of the nation.
Analytical Reading
Analytical Reading ( 11, 12) (L) is a course for students wishing to broaden their reading and thinking abilities in preparation for upper level and college course work. Students will work as a class with a variety of short fiction selections and work independently on self-selected readings.
- Reading Assignments: Students read fiction and nonfiction selections as well as a self-selected novel. Emphasis is placed on reading comprehension, independent analysis, and study skills to help improve reading and thinking abilities in preparation for post-secondary work.
- Writing Assignments: Students write regular responses to assigned readings in addition to two essays.
Heroes | Biblical and Mythological
Heroes: Biblical & Mythological (11, 12) (L) examines the intersection between myths of Ancient Greece and the Old and New Testaments, and cultures from around the world. The course will focus on multicultural myth archetypes and heroes archetypes to understand the connections that humans of all cultures have when it comes to heroes and mythology.
- Reading Assignments: Readings could include excerpts from Edith Hamilton’s Mythology and Olivia Coolidge’s Greek Myths, the Bible and scholarly commentaries on these works. Students will also read various stories and myths from cultures all over the world.
- Summative Assignments: In this course students will have experiences creating essays, presentations, personal reflections, and multimedia projects.
Black Studies I and II
Black Studies I (11, 12) (L) is a semester course that provides students an opportunity to study Black literature and history in an interdisciplinary setting. Combining literature and history allows students to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the Black culture, intellectual, and historical experience. This course may be taken for English or Social Studies credit.
Creative Writing
Creative Writing (11, 12) (W) concentrates on poetry and fiction writing and techniques for developing creativity. The course provides the student the opportunity to develop fluency, style, and craftsmanship in their own creative work, to respond to a wide range of writing assignments, and to act as an editor of their own work and the work of classmates. Students produce a major final project/portfolio.
- Reading Assignments: Readings include various short stories and poems from students and professionals as well as one choice fiction novel.
- Writing Assignments: Students will participate in at least 2 formal writing workshops along with daily writing exercises. Students will apply use of literary devices discussed to write short stories. In addition to formal writing assessments, students may have alternative assessments including a video production project and a poetry slam presentation, providing students with the opportunity to develop fluency, style, and craftsmanship in their own creative work.
Culture and Identity in Sport Literature
Culture & Identity in Sports Literature (11,12) (L) is a course that takes a critical approach to the study of sports in society. Students will examine literary depictions of athletes and sports in novels, memoirs, essays, and multimedia platforms in order to better understand the cultural significance of sportsmen and women in society. Students will examine concepts such as: What does sports mean to me as an individual? How does socialization within sports impact an individual? What is the impact of sports and athletes as agents of change? What is the influential relationship between sports in our society?
- Reading Assignments: Students will read a complete novel and a complete non-fiction book. Additionally, students will read a variety of nonfiction excerpts from various biographies, memoirs, scholarly articles, news articles, and view documentaries.
- Summative Assignments: In this course, students will have experiences creating essays, presentations, personal reflections, and multimedia projects.
Film Analysis and Composition
Film Analysis and Composition (11, 12) (W) This course provides a framework to improve your writing, reading, speaking, viewing, and listening skills. Using film, students will build vocabulary, keep journals, and write creatively, analytically, and persuasively. The course will apply textual analysis to contemporary short animated, live-action, and full-length films. The class will explore the questions: how do films express meaning, how do filmmakers tell stories, and how are films and society interconnected?
Media Literacy and Composition
Media Literacy and Composition (11/12) (W) This course provides a framework to improve your writing, reading, speaking, viewing, and listening skills. Using film students will build vocabulary, keep journals, and write creatively, analytically, and persuasively. The course will apply textual analysis to contemporary short animated, live action, and full-length films. The class will explore the questions: how do films express meaning, how do filmmakers tell stories, and how are films and society interconnected?
Philosophy in Literature
Philosophy and Literature (11, 12) (L) offers students the opportunity to compare their own values to those of the world’s great thinkers as well as their own peers. The class will introduce a variety of philosophical voices, and students will study works of literature that further explore these ideas. Activities include personal and artistic responses to the ideas presented, Socratic Seminars, research, presentations, and a personal exploration of the meaning of life. Students work with high levels of abstraction in reading, writing, speaking, and thinking.
- Reading Assignments: Class readings offer students the ability to hear from many different voices and perspectives. Class readings are often updated, but authors explored may include Plato, Aristotle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, Yann Martel, Donald Hall, Emily Esfahani Smith, and many others.
- Written Assignments: Essays include a series of short, personal essays. The course ends with a Meaning of Life final project that incorporates writing.
Science Fiction and Satire
Science Fiction & Satire (11, 12) (L) examines the interconnections between science fiction and satire. This course seeks to explore science fiction’s hope for the future, satire’s humorous criticism, and the cautionary themes that both genres share. This course includes a satirical film, two novels, and various short stories. This course seeks to explore science fiction’s hope for the future, satire’s humorous criticism, and the cautionary themes that both genres share.
- Reading Assignments: Students will read a variety of short stories and 2 novels to examine the interconnections between science fiction and satire. Authors studied might include Swift, Twain, Vonnegut, Dick, Adams, Ellison, and Card.
- Writing Assignments: Students write regular responses to assigned readings in addition to an original short story, an essay, and 2 creative projects.
Grades 11-12 (Advanced Placement)
Advanced Placement | English Language
Advanced Placement English Language (11, 12) (L/W) will prepare students to become analytical readers and writers by showing them how to apply critical reading skills to various modes of writing. This course will offer advice on planning, writing, and revising. Varied in subject, style, and cultural perspectives, reading selections will prepare students for the AP Language and Composition exam, where students will be required to synthesize information, analyze rhetorical strategies, and argue issues within their writing.
Reading Assignments: Students will develop critical reading skills using a variety of texts. These may include: In Cold Blood, Hunger of Memory, Merchant of Venice, Desert Solitaire, 100 Great Essays, Everyday Use. Along with these major texts, students will read essays and articles from varied sources and publications throughout the year.
Writing Assignments: Students compose essays in three modes:
- Two (2) major analysis essays,
- Two (2) major argument essays, and
- Two to three (2-3) personal narratives; students also write in-class essays as practice for the AP exam in May.
Advanced Placement | English Literature
Advanced Placement English Literature (11, 12) (L) emphasizes the skills of close reading and detailed analytical writing. Students read sophisticated, challenging literature drawn from various time periods and countries. Discussions emphasize the author’s use of literary techniques and theme. Students write analytical essays based on the literature and timed in-class essays similar to those on the Advanced Placement exam. Students may receive college credit for this course by taking the Advanced Placement exam.
Reading Assignments: Students will develop close reading and analysis skills through the study of short stories, poetry, novels, and drama. Authors studied may include Flannery O’Connor, Zora Neale Hurston, Seamus Heaney, Elizabeth Bishop, John Patrick Shanley, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Toni Morrison.
Writing Assignments: Students will write in a variety of analytical modes and practice in-class essays similar to those on the AP exam.