English

Suggested Course Sequence

English Foundations (M10130) Grade 7

This year long course is project-based to accommodate all learning styles. Several long-term and short-term projects will include reading, research, writing, visual, and oral/presentational components. Study habits and strategies, organization, and research skills will be developed and practiced throughout the year with the aid of assignment books and a three-ring binder in which to keep handouts, notes, and assignments. The Vermont State Portfolio Writing rubrics are used to focus on elements that improve writing skills. Students are expected to write multiple drafts and type a final copy of writing pieces that use grade-level conventions and rhetorical effectiveness in the following categories: Response to Text, Narrative, Report, and Personal Essay. Students keep a writing portfolio of their work. The literature focus is on “The Evolution of the Story,” starting with the tradition of oral story telling, Greek and Roman myths and multicultural fables. Students explore the elements of narrative poetry, short stories, plays, and novels. The overarching theme for the study of literature is “The Origin and Nature of the Use of a Scapegoat; Its Results and Remedies.” The Salem Witch Trials and the Holocaust are contextual settings for the novels. In addition, students read a minimum of two novels of their choice and write a five-paragraph Response to Literature each semester.

Literature and Writing: Insights and Strategies (M10140) Grade 8            

This course is a survey of strategies for improving reading comprehension in both fiction and nonfiction. In fiction, students learn to identify the basic elements of story grammar. In nonfiction, students learn to identify the basic patterns of organization: sequence, comparison/contrast, description, cause and effect, and problem/solution. Eighth graders continue to create a portfolio of diverse writing, learn how prefixes, roots, and suffixes are the foundation of English vocabulary, and study more advanced topics in grammar, such as appositives, direct and indirect objects, and compound and complex sentences.

Exploring the World Through Literature (H10105) 1 credit Grade 9 English credit

Prerequisite(s): Concurrent enrollment in Introductory Physics, Chemistry and Astronomy

Students travel back in time and traverse the globe, through the study and exploration of world literature. Students examine a range of literary texts from the culture, history and artistic endeavors of people living in Elizabethan/ Shakespearean England, to the heritage of America's great writers post-1945. Students engage in reflective writing, narrative writing, and responses to text. They use enhanced and new vocabulary in writing, literary devices and participate in grammar and standardized test practices. Students read fiction and nonfiction assignments independently. Class reading involves all genres of literature. Students are taught to question, to clarify, and to think critically and analytically on all material. The classroom is a safe environment for each and every student’s voice to be heard and respected. Students engage in a variety of speaking and listening activities that include discussion, debate, presentations, and recitations.

Atlantic Crossing: Beowulf to Dickens (H10220) 1 credit Grade 10, Level I English credit

After reading the quintessential American novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, students explore poetry from a variety of periods in the history of British literature. Focusing on Beowulf, selected Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Dickens’ Great Expectations, they then extrapolate the historic and literary significance of each, as well as the rich development of figurative language from old English to contemporary. Writing assignments and skills-development work focus on grammar, organization and style in literary analysis, research, reflective essays, narratives and responses to text – all required for the Vermont Writing Portfolio. Themes examined include heroism, honor, individuality, and adherence to a moral code.

Atlantic Crossing: Britain and America Read (H10210) 1 credit Grade 10, Level 2 English credit

Students make real-world, authentic connections to the theme of identity during the first quarter and to power in the second quarter. In writing, students explore the origins of words’identity, power, andassociated synonyms, to determine their connotative and denotative meanings. Students write for a variety of purposes in the following genres: reflective, narrative and response to texts. In reading, students bring their individualized, assigned reading book to class each day for personal reading. During the first quarter, whole class readings focus on contemporary biographical texts, poetry, essays, and articles connected to identity. In the second quarter, whole class readings focus on the narrative poem, dystopian literature, drama, and real-world reports connected to the theme of power. In thinking, student’s question, clarify, think critically, analytically, and proficiently in reflecting and evaluating all material. In speaking and listening, the classroom is a safe environment for eachstudent’s voice to be heard and respected. Students engage in a wide variety of speaking and listening activities from reciting poetry to engaging in lively debate.

Twentieth Century American Literature (H10300) 1 credit Grade 11, Level 1 English credit          

Prerequisite(s): Concurrent enrollment in US History, Level 1

Classic novels, plays, stories and poems by American authors of the twentieth century are chosen to coordinate with the U.S. History curriculum and two extensive research papers are completed as joint projects for the two classes. Writing instruction emphasizes construction and defense of a strong thesis and the mastery of MLA style. Reading assignments are extensive and demanding. Intensive discussion and writing of extended literary analysis are activities intended to prepare students for college level work. Readings may include Ragtime, The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath, A Raisin in the Sun, The Crucible, and various works of contemporary American fiction.

Twentieth Century American Literature (H10310) 1 credit Grade 11, Level 2 English credit          

Prerequisite(s): Concurrent enrollment in US History, Level 2            

This class focuses on reading novels, plays, poetry and short stories by famous American authors in order to deepen students’ understanding of American history and culture. Literature is selected with a view toward real world connections and has included Seabiscuit, Night, A Raisin in the Sun, Fallen Angels, and The Secret Life of Bees. Emphasis is placed on vocabulary studies, increased independent reading, and the improvement of essay writing skills. In collaboration with the U.S. History class, students complete two research papers.

World Literature from Sophocles to Vonnegut (H10400) 1 credit Grade 12, Level 1 English credit

In this course, the last in the regular four-year English sequence, reading and writing assignments are designed to prepare students for advancement in the workplace and for college-level study. Students read texts by American, British and world authors generating discussion and writing focused on analysis of readings for historic and literary merit and in comparison to each other.

Writing assignments focus on grammar, organization, and style in literary analysis, in reflective essays (helpful for college applications), and in responses to text. Themes examined in reading such texts as Oedipus Rex, Hamlet and Slaughterhouse Five include identity, appearance versus reality, social and political commentary, fate versus free will.

World Literature from Sophocles to Vonnegut (H10410) 1 credit Grade 12, Level 2 English credit

In this course, the last in the regular four-year English sequence, reading and writing assignments are designed to prepare students for advancement in the workplace and for college-level study. Students read texts by American, British, and world authors generating discussion and writing focused on the texts’ historic and literary merit and on the relevance of their themes in students’ own lives. Writing assignments focus on grammar, organization and style in literary analysis, in reflective essays (helpful for college and work applications) and in responses to text. Themes examined in reading such texts as Oedipus Rex, Hamlet and Siddhartha include identity, appearance versus reality, social and political commentary, fate versus free will.

AP English Literature and Composition (H10500) 1½ credits Grade 12  English credit

Prerequisite(s): Minimum grade of 85% in English 11-1 or teacher recommendation

Advanced Placement English is equivalent to a first-year college English course and is designed to fulfill the requirements of the AP English Course Description of The College Board. The course emphasizes close reading of a broad range of texts, genres, and literary movements as well as the clear and concise writing of timed and untimed analytical essays. AP English is designed for motivated, curious students who have demonstrated their commitment to academics. AP students are required to take the AP exam given in May by The College Board and may earn college course credit and/or advanced course status by scoring well on this exam.

Creative Writing (H11100) 1 credit Grades 9-12  English credit

“You’ve got to sell your heart, your strongest reactions. Not the minor little things that only touch you lightly, the experiences you tell at dinner. This is especially true when you begin to write, when you have not developed the tricks of interesting people on paper, when you have none of the techniques which it takes to learn. When, in short, you have only your emotions to sell.”                                  - F. Scott Fitzgerald, in a letter to a Radcliffe College student

Creative writing is a process that takes patience, energy, thoughtfulness and dedication. This class is an opportunity for students to be open to the joys of writing and to be willing to take risks. The class offers collaborative teaching and learning and is focused on developing original writing for a variety of audiences and interests. Though informal in the outset when students write purely from emotion and the heart, the course offers students a rigorous and varied curriculum. Many forms of poetry, storytelling across cultures, characterization, theme, setting and plot are studied. Students may participate in local and national writing projects and competitions. The curriculum is theme-based. Each week presents different writers, scenarios and topics to explore and comment on. Students keep an ideas notebook and collate all work in a creative writing portfolio. At the end of the course, the portfolios are exhibited in the community room of the Dover Free Library.

Writing for Publication (H11200)  ½ or 1 credit Grades 9-12 English credit

The course focuses on succinct, correct and effective writing in a variety of formats: features, news reports, reviews, profiles, essays, interviews, and commentary. Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style and the AP Style Book are the primary texts for the class. Course requirements include submission of one polished article per week and production of the Leland and Gray student paper, VOX, which is published on a regular basis.

Introduction to Film Studies (H12200) 1 credit Grades 10-12English credit

The movies have become a beloved and powerful art form in American culture. This class introduces the “language” of film and offers the tools to fully appreciate the art of moviemaking by viewing films with skilled, critical eyes and understanding the rich history of the movies. The main focus is the great classic films of Hollywood; the work of independent filmmakers and foreign directors may also be included. Students read and write about films and complete independent research projects. Some films contain mature subject matter.

Theatre Arts (H14100) ½ or 1 credit Grades 9-12 English credit

This class covers the full spectrum of theatre arts from plays and playwriting, to design and technical production, to actual performance. Students work on acting and presentation skills and gain experience through improvisation exercises, character studies, monologues and scenes. Students also learn the basics of directing and design: stage movement, use of color and texture, types of stages, styles of design, and interpretation of a script as they read several plays together and explore different periods in the long, rich history of theatre.

Public Speaking (H14200) ½ credit Grades 9-12  English credit

Public Speaking introduces the student to a variety of speaking skills that can be put to practical use in adult life and develop confidence and competence in various speaking situations. Students study and perform informative, persuasive, and entertaining speeches. They practice skills in reading from a manuscript, memorization, impromptu, and extemporaneous deliveries, as well as interviewing and argumentation.