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REQUIREDCOURSES ENGLISH 9(Grade 9) Fullyear 5 credits Thiscourse is designed to provide students an integrated study of literature,composition, grammar and usage, and vocabulary. Development. and improvement of students’ skills in literal andinferential reading composition, written and oral communication, and abstractand critical thinking are major goals of Grade 9 English. WORLD LITERATURE(Grade 10) Fullyear 5 credits Thiscourse is the English component of our 10th grade Humanities programwhich integrates English and World History in order for students to make betterconnections between the events that have influenced our world today. Students will read literary works of major writers from around the worldfrom 1800 to the present and explore characteristics of the various literaryperiods. This course will integrate grammar, usage, mechanics,vocabulary development, and oral communication. Additionally, students will analyze, criticize, and respond to theirreading through a broad range of writing experiences. AMERICAN LITERATURE (Grade11) Fullyear 5 credits Thiscourse is designed for juniors to strengthen their appreciation andinterpretation of literature, writing ability, understanding of grammar, oralexpression, vocabulary development and research skills. This course provides students with a comprehensive study of outstandingworks of American literature in a variety of genres. Students also review and apply the basic principles of expositorywriting, grammar, and usage to their own compositions. Furthermore, the techniques and skills of clear, logical, and effectiveanalytical writing and thinking are stressed. ENGLISH LITERATURE (Grade12) Fullyear 5 credits Thiscourse is designed as a chronological survey of English literature from Beowulfto the present. Students willbecome familiar with major British writers and genres. Regular reading and frequent analytical writing assignments are required. ADVANCEDPLACEMENT ENGISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION (Grade 12) FullYear 5 credits ThisAdvanced Placement course in English Literature and Composition engages studentsin careful reading and critical analysis of literature originally written inEnglish from the sixteenth century to the present. Through close reading of selected texts, students should deepen theirunderstanding of structure, style, theme, figurative language, symbolism, andtone. Writing is an integral partof the course, and assignments focus on the critical analysis of literature andinclude expository, analytical, and argumentative essays. Students are expected to take the A.P. English Literature andComposition examination in May consisting of a 60-minute multiple-choice sectionand a 120-minute essay portion. LITERATUREELECTIVES (Allelectives are offered at the College level.) LITERARYJOURNEYS (Grades11-12) Onesemester 2.5 credits Thiscourse is a survey of major novelists, short story writers, poets, anddramatists from Asia, Continental Europe, Latin America, and Africa. The selections include works from pre-classical tocontemporary. Students will read,analyze, interpret, and respond to the various genres thus increasing theirawareness of human values, attitudes, and behavior. Students will explore the social, historical, and culturalmilieu of the literature. Requiredwriting assignments will include both expository and creative writing. Outside readings may be assigned from a selected list of novels andplays. SHAKESPEARE(Grades11-12) Onesemester 2.5 credits Nowriter has reflected the Elizabethan Age with greater accuracy than WilliamShakespeare; yet, he created characters, developed incidents, and exploredthemes that are “not of an age, but for all time.” This course provides an in-depth study of several Shakespeareantragedies, comedies, and histories. Studentswill demonstrate their understanding of the universality, structure, and contentof the plays in written analyses, oral discussions, and performance activities. WRITINGELECTIVES ADVANCEDWRITING SEMINAR(Grades 11-12) Onesemester 2.5 credits Thisseminar is designed to expose students to the craft and techniques of collegiatelevel writing. Class participantssurvey several diverse units of composition including but not limited toexpository, analytical and creative writing. In addition to completing the course curriculum, Advanced Writing Seminarstudents are trained to serve as peer tutors and expected to assist in theWriting Center with language arts tutoring. This class is offered both fall and spring semesters. Students may take Advanced Writing Seminar for repeat credit as anindependent study. CREATIVEWRITING WORKSHOP (Grade12) Onesemester 2.5 credits Creativewriting is a workshop aimed at developing the student’s ability to writepoetry and short fiction. Dailywriting is required. The studentmust be willing to revise and share his or her work with classmates in order toevaluate writing techniques and develop the ability to judge effective writing. Emphasis will be placed on the student as editor of his or her own workand that of his or her peers. Thecourse is recommended for any student with a strong commitment to writing. EXPOSITORYAND ANALYTICAL WRITING (Grades11-12) Onesemester 2.5 credits Thiscourse is designed to help students prepare for the type and depth of writingexpected in college. Assignmentsare structured to teach writing as a process. Close attention is paid to gaining analytical skills, sentence andparagraph structure, word choice, organization, and coherence. There is strong emphasis on rewriting for the purpose ofdeveloping clarity and coherence in students’ writing. Students write a variety of essays including, when applicable, thecollege application essay. JOURNALISM(Grades 11-12) 2.5credits OneSemester Studentsin this course will learn the primary facets of print media. Class members will master the principles of reporting andediting by surveying several specific units of study, including: news, feature, editorial, and sports writing. Students will also become proficient with computer publishing tools (forinstance, Adobe Publisher). Participantsin journalism will also organize and publish the MHS newspaper, a publicationshowcasing the current events of the school community. Meeting deadlines, producing a high volume of written work, anddeveloping sound editing and revision strategies will be primary goals for thecourse. YEARBOOK DESIGN AND PUBLISHING(Grades 11-12) OneSemester 2.5 credits Studentsin this course will produce the yearbook during first semester and itssupplement during second semester. Thecourse combines design technology, production training, and writing practice. Students will learn to work within an organizational structure thatincludes student editors. They willbecome proficient in reporting, photography, desktop publishing, andadvertising. Students will be required to solicit funding for the yearbookas part of the advertising unit. Thecourse will be conducted as a workshop with peer editing and cooperativelearning being the norm. Giving andreceiving instructions, meeting deadlines, and striving for a common goal willbe emphasized. ADDITIONALENGLISH ELECTIVES E.M.S.ENRICHMENT(Grade 10) Fullyear 5 credits Thisclass offers academic enrichment to sophomores in English and math. Students will be given independent assignments as well as support intheir courses. The class is taught by a team of teachers, each with aspecialty in one of the academic areas. Theteam approach results in a small teacher-to-student ratio. Individual conferences are held weekly to discuss thestudents’ academic progress and/or concerns. Special emphasis is placed on MCAS preparation and test-takingtechniques. Eligible students willbe selected based on their academic needs. This course is not calculated intothe GPA. SATPREPARATION(Grades 10 and 11) Onesemester 2.5 credits (Fallsemester-Grade 11 only; Spring semester-open to Grades 10 and 11; preferencegiven to Grade 11) Thecourse is designed to prepare students to take college entrance exams. One term will be devoted to preparing for the math portion ofthe exam, and the other will focus on verbal preparation. The course offers more than just review for the SAT -- itbuilds the foundation for life-long strategic processes by teaching students tothink critically, to move forward with confidence, and to apply a variety ofstrategies for solving verbal and math problems. Thiscourse is not calculated into the GPA. SPEECH(Grade 10-12) Onesemester 2.5 credits Thiscourse helps students gain self-confidence in their ability to organize andcommunicate ideas to others. Itaims specifically at helping students feel at ease while talking casually tosmall groups and/or formally to large audiences. During the course students are given opportunities to deliver speecheswith various objectives such as to inform, to persuade, to entertain, and todebate.
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