The English Department Curriculum
The High School English Department offers a wide variety of courses designed not only to meet the students’ needs but also to encourage them to explore their fields of interest. The program in grades nine, ten, and eleven consists of courses designed to work with students on various levels. It culminates in a number of highly specialized senior electives. We urge students and their parents to read course descriptions carefully, taking particular note of prerequisites and objectives.
All students are required to take a full year of English each of the four years that they attend high school.
Please note that English Department half credit electives are offered both semesters or a single semester. Students should check with their guidance counselors for course availability.
All students in English classes complete research projects. Research skills introduced and practiced at each grade level are developmentally appropriate. Eleventh and twelfth grade English students complete a formal research paper.
The workload in honors English sections is highly challenging, as are the reading selections and schedules. Be sure to note the pre-requisites for entering these courses. Please note that students must complete a writing sample. New York State has identified four standards in English for students to achieve; student will: read, write, listen, and speak for 1) information and understanding; 2) literary response and expression; 3) critical analysis and evaluation; and 4) social interaction. Every English course offered addresses all of these standards.
NINTH YEAR COURSES
ENGLISH 9 - REGENTS (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Prerequisites: Successful completion of English 8. This is a challenging course centered around the hero in literature. The aim is to help students develop critical thinking and clear communication. These goals will be achieved through intensive class study of demanding selections such as Hamilton’s Mythology, Rieu’s translation of the Odyssey and a Shakespearean play. There will also be numerous supplemental reading assignments from recommended lists. High achievement is expected in all areas but especially in reading comprehension and process writing. There is a departmental medial assessment and final examination.
ENGLISH 9 - HONORS (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Recommended for: Students of exceptional ability in English. Prerequisites: Completion of English 8 with a grade of 90 or better AND recommendation of English 8 teacher AND Director’s approval AND consideration of ELA scores AND writing sample. This is the initial course in the program that leads to the Advanced Placement Examination in English. The aim is to have the student develop critical thinking and clear communication as well as to grasp a sound understanding of mythological, legendary, and Biblical culture and stories as preparation for more thorough understanding of literature. The goals are achieved through the study of The Odyssey,a Shakespearean play, as well as novels, short stories and poems by such authors as Sophocles and Golding. Students write frequently and will receive intensive instruction in spelling, grammar, process writing, and oral presentation. Additionally, numerous critical research assignments are required. There is a departmental medial assessment and final examination.
TENTH YEAR COURSES
ENGLISH 10 - REGENTS (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Prerequisites: Successful completion of English 9. English 10 Regents is a challenging course that focuses on Crucial Decisions. It includes much independent reading and frequent writing as assignments. Among the works studied are a Shakespearean play and such novels as A Separate Peace; A Tale of Two Cities; and The Lord of the Flies. Book reports are required and challenging books appear on the recommended lists. High achievement is expected in all areas but especially in reading comprehension and writing. There is a departmental medial assessment and final examination.
ENGLISH 10 - HONORS (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Recommended for: Students of exceptional ability in English. Prerequisites: Completion of English 9 Honors with a grade of 85 or better OR English 9 Regents with grade of 90 or better AND recommendation of English teacher AND Director’s approval AND writing sample. Students transitioning from Regents to Honors are required to take Advanced Composition. This is the second course in the program that leads to the Advanced Placement Examination in English. The aim is to have the student develop critical thinking and clear communication. The syllabus concentrates on American literature with units on short stories, essays, novels, poetry, and drama. The works of Poe, Hawthorne, Twain, Melville, Thoreau, Miller, Morrison, Hurston, and Monk Kidd are studied. There are frequent compositions to develop organization and clarity. Additionally, research in literary criticism is fundamental to the course. There is a departmental medial assessment and students will take the Comprehensive English Regents exam in June as 10th graders.
ELEVENTH YEAR COURSES
ENGLISH 11- REGENTS (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Prerequisites: Successful completion of English 10. English 11 Regents is a challenging course focusing on American literary greats. Research techniques and the research paper are emphasized. High standards of achievement are expected in all areas, particularly in composition. Students read Othello as well as novels such as The Great Gatsby and Ethan Frome. A research paper is required in lieu of a final examination. Students are required to take the ELA Regents in January.
ENGLISH 11- HONORS (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Recommended for: Students of exceptional ability in English. Prerequisites: Completion of 10 Honors with a grade of 85 or better OR completion of 10 Regents with grade of 90 or better and recommendation of English teacher AND Director’s approval AND writing sample. Students transitioning from Regents to Honors are required to take Advanced Composition. This is the third accelerated course in the program that leads to the Advanced Placement Examination in English Literature and Composition. The syllabus concentrates on English literature organized under four literary genres: The essay, the novel, poetry, and drama. Students read works such as, Canterbury Tales, Paradise Lost, King Lear, essays, and poetry. There are frequent written assignments supporting the development of critical thinking and clear communication. A major research paper is required. Students are required to take the ELA Regents if they haven’t already done so as Sophomores.
ENGLISH 11- ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly Recommended for: Students of exceptional ability in English. Prerequisites: Completion of 10 Honors with a grade of 88 or better OR completion of 10 Regents with grade of 92 or better and recommendation of English teacher AND Director’s approval. Students transitioning from Regents to AP are required to take Advanced Composition. Students will also submit an academic writing sample for review. (This course is also open to 12th graders, in fulfillment of 12th grade English requirements if students are coming from English 11 Honors) This college level course features advanced composition and research sills. The syllabus concentrates on English literature, with an emphasis on non-fiction works. Students study a variety of prose pieces to notice variations in style and purpose, ultimately understanding both the implicit and explicit relationships among diction, syntax, tone and content. Through a variety of writing activities, they will apply such conventions and language resources to their own expository, analytical and argumentative writing.Multiple impromptu and formal essays are required. A college level research paper is required. Students must take the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Examination in May. Students are required to take the ELA Regents, in January, if they haven’t already done so as Sophomores.
ADVANCED COMPOSITION (1/2 Year - 1/2 Credit) Alternating Days Offered to: Grades 9-12. This elective is an introduction to literary research and writing in Language Arts. Four styles of writing will be addressed: report writing, analytical writing, persuasive writing, and response to literature. Students will learn to write about literature in meaningful ways, and employ crucial language usage skills. While the course is designed primarily to support students transitioning from Regents into Honors English courses, it is recommended that all AP or honors students take this course sometime before 12th grade.
TWELFTH YEAR & ELECTIVES
In grade 12, students MUST complete one credit of English to satisfy graduation requirements. This requirement can be met by:
- taking English 12 AP Language and Literature(1 credit) OR
- Choosing TWO of the following halfyear courses (one fall and one spring course: FALL SPRING Bible Literature Sports Literature Humanities Creative Writing Multicultural Humanities Literature Film & Short Story Mystery Public Speaking Holocaust in Theater Arts B Literature Holocaust Theater Arts A
ENGLISH 12- ADVANCED PLACEMENT LITERATURE (1 Year -1 Credit) 5 per. weekly. Recommended for: Students of exceptional ability in English. Prerequisite: Completion of 11 AP with a grade of 85 or better, completion of 11 Honors with a grade of 88 or better OR completion of 11 Regents with a grade of 92, recommendation of English teacher AND Director’s approval AND writing sample. English Regents Score 85-100. Students transitioning from Regents to AP are required to take Advanced Composition. The curriculum for this course is designed to foster careful reading and analysis of classical and contemporary literature representative of the world literature canon. Students read and research criticism of selected works, and develop their own critical standards for interpreting a variety of literary genres. The challenging reading list includes works by Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, Allende, Nabakov, Achebe, Atwood, and Garcia-Marquez. Through a careful study of schools of literary criticism, students are exposed to the canon debate, and learn to identify major tensions, formalistic elements and archetypes in literature. Students are also trained to view literature from biographical, historical and culturalist lenses. In addition, language usage skills and vocabulary development are integrated into a series of weekly writing workshops. Students must take the Advanced Placement Exam in May.
BIBLE AS LITERATURE (Fall -1/2 Credit) 5 per. weekly Prerequisite: Successful completion of English during previous year. The Bible as Literature focuses on the Bible itself, its history, its authors, literary forms, techniques, the people, and places introduced through the Bible. Stories are approached in terms of plot, characters, setting, and theme. Poetry is analyzed in terms of imagery and parallelism; drama in terms of conflict and character; prophetic literature is studied for the content of the message and for the style of the individual prophet. Wisdom literature is approached from the universality of its themes and imagery. The Gospels, Acts, and Epistles are studied for the diversity of the narrative style, point of view, and purpose; the Apocalypse for its rich imagery, allusions and symbolism. A research paper is required.
CREATIVE WRITING (Spring -1/2 Credit) 5 per. weekly Recommended for: Students who are highly motivated and competent writers. Prerequisite: Successful completion of English during the previous year. Creative Writing is an exploration of language as a vehicle of self-expression. It allows the students to experience the various forms of writing such as the essay, poetry, short story, children’s story, and oneact play as a means of self-expression and awareness. It considers form and style as part of the awareness that varied writing experiences produce. It includes revision, rewriting and self-evaluation. Students write portfolios frequently. The final examination is a creative writing portfolio, assigned at the beginning of the course.
EXPLORING THE FILM/ SHORT STORY (Spring -1/2 Credit) 5 per. weekly Prerequisite: Successful completion of English during the previous year. Film and Short Story is a thematically focused course pairing leading themes in literature with film. Top films, spanning five decades, noted not only for their cinematic advances but also for their indelible stamp on American culture, will be combined with literature that threads a compatible stitch in theme and genre. Discussion and assignments evolve from both the literature and films. Vocabulary study is integrated with each reading selection. A research project is required on a short story or film director.
HOLOCAUST IN LITERATURE (Fall -1/2 Credit) 5 per. weekly Recommended for: All Juniors and Seniors. This course involves a multi-disciplinary study of the Holocaust as it relates to racism and prejudice. Through the use of literature and historical documents, students comprehend the ramifications of this tragic event as it impacts on the present and future. Works such as The Sunflower and Maus I and II are studied. A term paper and a project are required.
HUMANITIES - Seminar (Spring - 1/2 Credit) 5 per. weekly. Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 11. The Humanities interrelate literature, drama, art, architecture, music, and the philosophies that unify them. The course is built around such general themes as Love and Hate, Good and Evil, and The Question of Identity. The range of material is from the Greeks to the 20th Century, with emphasis on the Italian Renaissance and the Modern Age. Particular emphasis is placed on student involvement, individually and in small groups, and the skills of reading, writing and speaking. A research paper is required.
JOURNALISM (1/2 Year -1/2 Credit) 5 per. weekly NOTE: This course may be taken only once. It may be used to fulfill graduation requirements in English if taken as a senior. Students in grades 9-11 may take this course only as an elective. Journalism is an elective course open to all 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students. Students may contribute to the high school newspaper and share responsibility for its publication. Topics taught in this course include news and editorial writing, page make-up and layout, techniques of the interview, feature writing, problems of the press and a history of journalism. This course is strongly recommended for all students on the DISPATCH editorial staff.
MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE (Fall - 1/2 Credit) 5 per. weekly Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 11. This course traces and examines literature and cross cultural writers who define their positions in history and society. Roles of African-Americans, Native Americans, Arab-Americans, Asian-Americans and Hispanic-Americans are the focal points. It concentrates on reading various forms of literature which reflect these cultures’ roles, backgrounds, positions and feelings. Gender issues and religious culture are also discussed. Authors such as Amy Tan, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Zora Neale Hurston, and Khaled Hossaini are studied. A research paper is required.
MYSTERY LITERATURE (Fall -1/2 Credit) 5 per. weekly Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 11. The course consists of a close reading of a small number of important mystery works. They include The Maltese Falcon; And Then There Were None; Postmortem; A Study in Scarlet, and others. In addition, there is a short story unit, beginning with Edgar Allan Poe’s, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” and other titles. Each student must select three other mystery novels; for each he/she submits a written report. A research paper is required.
PUBLIC SPEAKING (Spring -1/2 Credit) 5 per. weekly NOTE: This course may be taken only once. It may be used to fulfill graduation requirements in English if taken as a senior. Students in grades 9-11 may take this course only as an elective. Public Speaking is a course designed to give the student the techniques and confidence to express himself/herself adequately. The student delivers a variety of formal and informal speeches. She/he learns the processes of structuring a speech, and the physical qualities of posture and projection. This is a course based on individual performances designed to develop the techniques to become an adequate speaker. A final presentation is required. Some speeches are video taped for class viewing.
SPORTS LITERATURE (Spring -1/2 Credit) 5 per. weekly. Prerequisites: Successful completion of English during the previous year. The course will examine the role of sports in literature and America with a view towards understanding its myth and appeal. Students will study novels, short stories, biographies, autobiographies, poems, essays, and films written and directed by men and women. A research paper is required.
THEATER ARTS MODERN DRAMA Seminar (Fall -1/2 Credit) 5 per. weekly NOTE: This course may be taken only once. It may be used to fulfill graduation requirements in English if taken as a senior. Students in grades 9-11 may take this course only as an elective. Modern Drama trains audiences for contemporary theater. Through the examination of plays and the possibility of attending performances, students are brought to the awareness that audience plays a crucial and critical role in bringing a play to life. A final research project is required.
READING PROGRAM
Reading remediation is offered to all students who score a 2 or lower on the grade 8 ELA test, or who are in danger of failing the English Regents.
Reading 9 (1 Year - 0 Credit) 5 per. weekly. Based upon performance in the previous year’s English classes students who would benefit from specific instruction in reading, writing and study skills will also take a period of Reading. This will be offered to help students reach toward the higher standard of the All Regents High School. Students will take this course in addition to English 9. The grade in this class will have an impact on the credit bearing subject class that it is supporting.
Reading 10 (1 Year - 0 Credit) 5 per. weekly. Based upon performance in the previous year’s English classes, students who would benefit from specific instruction in reading, writing, and study skills will also take a period of Reading. This will be offered to help students reach toward the higher standard of the All-Regents High School. Students will take this course in addition to English 10. The grade in this class will have an impact on the credit bearing subject class that it is supporting.
Reading 11 (1 Year - 0 Credit) 5 per. weekly. Based upon performance in the previous year’s English Classes, students who would benefit from specific instruction in reading, writing, and study skills will also take a period of Reading. This will be offered to help students reach toward the higher standard of the All-Regents High School. Students will take this course in addition to English 11. The grade in this class will have an impact on the credit bearing subject class that it is supporting.
CORRECTIVE READING/HORIZONS (1 Year - 0 Credit) 5 per. weekly The aim of the Corrective Reading /Horizons Program is to help students who have struggled with reading in the past to improve their decoding skills and reading fluency.
Middle School Curriculum
The overall goals of the English program in grades seven and eight are linked to the four New York State Standards for English Language Arts. In order to meet these standards, students will listen, speak, read, and write for: 1. Information and Understanding; 2. Literary Response and Expression; 3. Critical Analysis and Evaluation; and 4. Social Interaction. As readers, speakers, listeners, and writers, students are taught to use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information, as well as to demonstrate self-expression, judgment, and social communication.
Students are expected to be active listeners, readers, and writers, since they are essentially involved in the learning process and responsible for their own learning. In addition, eighth grade mini courses offer students opportunities to apply writing skills in word processing, and speaking and listening skills in Public Speaking as well as social interaction skills in Human Relations. English Enrichment is offered as an additional voluntary course to students who have a special interest in literature and writing.
English 7 (40 Weeks) This course is required of all seventh-grade students. The curriculum, linked to the New York State Standards for English Language Arts, focuses on writing and literature. The program emphasizes writing as a process, including pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing. Students are guided in language usage as teachers individualize instruction based on student’s contextualized writing. Literature study emphasizes reading as a process, including reading for aesthetic and personal response, reading for acquisition and interpretation of information, and reading for critical analysis and evaluation. The course includes a formal introduction of the basic types of literature: the novel, short story, poetry, nonfiction, mythology, and folklore. Students keep a writing folder which is transferred to the next grade level after students reflect on their own development as writers. In January, students’ proficiency in the standards will be assessed as they will take the Seventh Grade English Language Arts Assessment, administered to all seventh grade students in New York State. The final examination is departmental, based on the English Language Arts assessment. In addition, there is a grade-level departmental summer reading list, from which students may select works to be read voluntarily.
English 8 (40 Weeks) This course is required of all eighth grade students and is linked to the New York State Standards for English Language Arts. The literature read in eighth grade challenges student to continue building their literary skills in responding to literary works of different genres. Students develop greater sophistication in reading and writing skills, and continue advancing the writing process. The study of grammar zeros in on the parts of speech and evaluation of contextualized writing and proper usage continues using the seventh model. Students prepare for Regents-level reading, writing, speaking, listening, and critical thinking. During the year, students’ proficiency in the standards will be assessed as they will take the Eighth Grade English Language Arts Assessment, administered to all eighth grade students in New York State in mid-January. Please note: All eligible students for our 9th grade Honors English programs will be recommended by a committee. In determining the best placement for the student, reading level, research skills and performance on exams will be reviewed. Students should maintain an “A” average throughout 8th grade and score a high 3 or 4 on the 8th grade ELA Assessment in January to indicate appropriate placement in 9th grade honors. A prorated scale score will be determined by the department as the state scores are usually not available until placement has already been established.
English Enrichment Course (20 weeks) The English Enrichment course is intended to provide a challenging reading, writing, speaking and listening opportunities in addition to the required English 7 or English 8 course. Offered in the fall and spring semesters, students may take one or more of these courses during their scheduled lunch period. Each quarter will focus on a different literary component. Grading in the course will be on a PASS/FAIL basis and A+ basis. A final project will make up a large percentage of the final grade. Students who sign up for the course are expected to attend every session and make a commitment to completing all of the work. This is not a remedial or skills based class, but rather an extra opportunity for students to enhance their enjoyment of literature and writing.
THE FINLEY COMPENSATORY READING PROGRAM Language Arts (40 Weeks – Alternate days or daily) Students at Finley Middle School are scheduled for reading based on scores on the New York State Reading Test, and/or TerraNova Tests. Reading classes are designed to help students become more skillful readers, drawing simultaneously on the knowledge about letters, words, sentences and concepts. Instructional strategies focus on helping students learn to view reading as a search for meaning, and to successfully read a variety of materials for specific purposes, both in the English Language Arts program and in all content areas where reading is used to learn. Students are helped to read for information, to respond personally to content, to form judgments about that content, and to perform more effectively on district wide, state, and national reading tests.