English
Program
Successful completion of a four-year English program is a requirement of Concord-Carlisle High School. The freshman and sophomore courses must be scheduled during grades 9 and 10. Elective courses are available for juniors and seniors. All courses are designed to strengthen skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and an appreciation of our own cultural heritage and those of other peoples. Areas of major emphasis are language development, composition, reading literature, drama, and media.
During the freshman and sophomore years, each student will, following a review of the previous year’s performance and the recommendation of the current English teacher, be placed in the more appropriate level. A student who fails Freshman or Sophomore English must either repeat the course or take an appropriate summer school alternative that both covers the same general literary themes and requires the student to continue improving writing skills in a manner consistent with the expectations of our courses.
Any junior or senior who has successfully completed the freshman and sophomore English requirements may select courses from the English Electives. Any student who intends to select more than one English course for a semester will have to wait until course enrollments are complete and courses in which space is available have been identified. The English teachers will recommend what courses are appropriate for the student.
Many colleges continue to assume that their entering freshmen have taken courses in American and British literature. Students with college aspirations should be aware of this expectation and, if not intending to select American and British literature electives, should consult with their guidance counselor and the department chairperson.
Courses offered by the English
Department are:
Freshman English (Full Year) Sophomore English (Full Year)
American Literature Survey British & American Novel
American Writers British Literature Survey
Contemporary Literature British Writers
European Literature Contemporary Literature
Media Studies Exploring Issues Through Literature*
Writing Workshop The Performing Arts
Rhetoric & Advanced Language
Writing Workshop
* not offered in 2003-04
Freshman English Full Year English 111 Course
#111
English 112 Course #112
For Students in grade
9 (Required)
Prerequisites: (See descriptions for level placement)
Description: Freshman English is divided into English 111 and English 112. Students are placed in the appropriate level based upon the recommendation of their eighth grade teacher. The Freshman Program concentrates on the study of the characteristics of the following major genre: the novel, drama, poetry, and
non-fiction.
Written expression is emphasized throughout the year, with the focus on the sentence, the paragraph, and/or the longer composition, as is appropriate. The course will also stress systematic vocabulary building, the development of oral expression, and grammar review. Student must earn credit in Freshman English in order to take Sophomore English.
English 111: This class assumes that students on their own initiative are able to be responsible for note-taking, class participation, and punctual completion of homework. They should be familiar with grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, and correct spelling as foundations for writing multi-paragraph compositions. Students are expected to exhibit the ability to work independently at a consistently high level of performance. Examples of works typically read in this course are: Great Expectations, To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Glass Menagerie, Jane Eyre, A Night to Remember, and Into Thin Air.
English 112: This class reviews grammar, spelling, and paragraph structure as foundations for good writing. Attention will also be given to correct usage and mechanics and to the development of a good paragraph. Students will read various forms of literature, concentrating on comprehension and attention to detail. Students should exhibit the ability to work productively with teacher support. Examples of works typically read in this course are: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Glass Menagerie, Miracle Worker, A Raisin in the Sun, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Romeo and Juliet, Hiroshima, and Warriner’s Short Stories.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on class participation, quizzes, tests, oral presentations, short papers, long compositions, and a semester examinations.
Sophomore English Full Year English
121 Course #121
For students in grade
10 (Required)
Prerequisites:
Successful completion of Freshman English
Description: Students are placed in the appropriate class (121 or 122) upon recommendation of the ninth grade English teacher. This recommendation will be based on performance in the Freshman English Program, particularly on skill in writing. The Sophomore Program has a dual emphasis: For two quarters the student will have the same teacher for work in composition and the development of good expository prose. The student also has the opportunity to review basic grammar and usage, to continue learning techniques involved in writing a documented essay, and to prepare for the S.A.T. Students also work to improve reading skills and vocabulary.
The second area is the study of literature. For each of the last two quarters students elect literature courses in which he or she will probably have a different teacher. These courses further develop knowledge of the genres introduced in the freshman course, but the sophomore courses are organized thematically; the understanding of common themes is emphasized through an exploration of the various genres of literature. Regular writing assignments and vocabulary work support this thematic study.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based upon class participation, small group presentations, quizzes, tests, short essays, longer compositions, critical essays, and the semester examinations.
Writing Workshop Semester I – 2.50 credits Course #153
Writing Workshop Semester II – 2.50
credits Course
#154
For students in
grades 11 & 12
Description: This is a writing course designed to reinforce previously taught writing skills. The course, which meets in the Writing Center, concentrates on the process and techniques of effective rewriting. Units include exercises and writing assignments on diction, the audience point of view, sentence strategy, kinds of statements, paragraphing, and essay writing. Individual journals may be kept for daily writing by each student. In addition to the primary focus of the course, brief learning experience will be provided in the following areas: interviewing, biography, letter writing, and college application essays.
Evaluation: Evaluation will based on progress made commensurate with ability and take into account the quality of all writing assignments, the improvement in writing achieved by thorough and thoughtful rewriting, journal writing, class participation, tests, and a semester exam.
American Literature Survey Semester I – 2.50 credits Course #131
For students in
grades 11 & 12
Prerequisites: See
Description
Description: This course is for juniors and seniors of average to above-average reading ability and is strongly recommended as a background for British/American Novel (Course #135) or European Literature (Course #144). The course will stress American literature from seventeenth century beginnings through the early twentieth century and focus upon representative writers and major trends of these centuries. Both an anthology and selected novels will constitute the reading of this course, and students will write critical and analytical papers based on their reading. In addition to the major focus of the course, learning experiences will be provided in the following areas: language (usage, common errors, vocabulary), composition, speech, and media presentations.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on class discussion, quizzes, tests, oral reports, essays, and a semester exam.
American Writers Semester I –
2.50 credits Course
#130
For students in grades 11 & 12
Prerequisites: See
Description
Description: This course covers much the same material as that of the Survey course (#131) but at a slower pace, in less depth, and with more teacher direction. The course will stress American literature from seventeenth century beginnings through the early twentieth century. Students read a play, poetry, a short novel, and excerpts from longer works. Writing assignments tend to be shorter and more teacher-directed than those assigned in the Survey course. In addition to the major focus of the course, learning experiences will be provided in the following areas: language (usage, common errors, vocabulary), composition, speech, and media presentations.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on class discussions, quizzes, tests, oral reports, essays, and a semester exam.
Contemporary Literature Semester I – 2.50 credits Course #136
Semester
II – 2.50 credits Course
#137
For students in
grades 11 & 12
Prerequisites: See
Description
Description: This course is for any junior or senior of average reading ability. It stresses the techniques and themes of literature of the twentieth century and emphasizes the understanding of contemporary society in both fiction and non-fiction literature. Works read during the semester may include Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, Walker’s The Color Purple, and Hoffman’s Seventh Heaven. Some of the common themes explored include search for identity, alienation and repression, and regional/cultural awareness including a comparative analysis of the mores and issues of the 50’s and 60’s. Works will be read in their entirety, and students will write critical papers based on course topics and readings.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on class participation, quizzes, tests, essays, oral reports, and a semester exam.
Media Studies Semester
1- 2.50 credits Course
#172
For students in
grades 11 & 12
Prerequisites: See
Description
Description: This course offers a hands-on approach to the study of the characteristics, history, and potential of media. Areas of study include advertising, print media, propaganda, news media, television, radio, and film. Students receive specific assignments from textbook reading, which are also supplemented by a wide range of materials, including articles, short stories and novels, as well as slides, videotapes, and films. The course is designed to help students understand the far-reaching impact of media. In addition to the primary focus of the course, learning experience will be provided in the following areas: language (usage and common errors), composition, speech, and study skills.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on participation in class discussion, homework, quizzes, tests, projects, essays, and a semester exam.
European Literature Semester 1 – 2.50 credits Course #144
For students in grade
12
Prerequisites: See
Description
Description: This course is designed for students who have a solid foundation in literature, an above-average reading ability, and a desire to study nineteenth and twentieth century European literature in translation. The course will include representative works primarily from France, Germany, and Russia. The student considers these works in conjunction with pertinent critical material and their historical and social backgrounds. This is a lecture, reading, and writing course with class discussion. Students are expected to synthesize material in many critical and analytical essays. There are also independent projects, which are evaluated in personal conferences.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on class participation, quizzes, tests, essays, independent projects, and a semester exam.
The Performing Arts Semester
II – 2.50 Credits Course
#184
For students in
grades 11 & 12
Prerequisites: None
Description: This course focuses on the development of drama from ancient Greece to the modern era with emphasis on both the literary and performance/production aspects of theatrical arts. Students study examples of drama from the Golden Age of Greece, Shakespearean England, modern Europe, and contemporary America. The course also includes units on character interpretation, set design/construction, lighting, costuming/make-up, direction, and production – all of which culminate in the production of a short play. Students will also have the opportunity to learn the rudiments of such other performing arts as oral interpretation, interviewing, and debate.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on written literary analyses, effective participation in all dramatic and oral activities, performance on quizzes, and a semester exam.
British Literature Survey Semester II – 2.50 Credits Course #134
For students in
grades 11 & 12
Prerequisites: See
Description
Description: This course is for juniors and seniors of average to above-average reading ability. The course will examine major authors from the Medieval to the modern periods of British literature, such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Keats, Wordsworth, Hardy, Conrad, and Orwell. The course will emphasize close reading and analyses of the literature and present the writings in their social, cultural, and historical contexts. Students will write critical essays based upon the course readings.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on class discussion, quizzes, tests, oral work, essays, independent projects, and a semester exam.
British Writers Semester
II – 2.50 credits Course #133
For students in grades 11 & 12
Prerequisites: See
Description
Description: This course covers much the same materials as the Survey course (#134) but at a slower pace and with more teacher direction. The course will cover major British writers from the Medieval to the modern periods. Writing assignments are shorter and more teacher-directed than those assigned in the Survey course, and students will at times read excerpts rather than entire works. In addition to the major focus of the course, learning experience will be provided in the following areas: language (usage, common errors, vocabulary), composition, and speech.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on class discussion, quizzes, tests, oral reports, essays, and a semester exam.
Rhetoric & Advanced Language Semester II – 2.50 credits
Course
#162
For students in grade
12
Prerequisites: See
Description
Description: This course is for students of average to above-average ability who have an extensive background in literature. The course will stress effective and persuasive writing and speaking and presumes skill in the uses of correct expression. The students of rhetoric will learn the methods and patterns of clear organization, the function of detail, and the rhetorical quality of words and sentences. They will also learn and practice basic forensics and formally debate contemporary issues.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on contribution to class discussion, written assignments, quizzes, tests, projects and presentations, and a semester exam.
Exploring Issues through Literature* Semester II – 2.50 credits Course #176
For students in grades
11 & 12
Description: This course is designed to offer student of all reading abilities a thematic approach to literary study. The class will read a variety of genres, from several cultures and centuries that discusses such universal issues and concerns as family interaction, materialism, heroism, racism, sexism, and the darker side of human nature. Students will read several core works together and complete outside readings determined by their personal interests and skills.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on class
participation, daily preparation of assignments, essays, quizzes, tests,
projects and presentations, and a semester examination.
*Note: This course is not offered in 2003-04
The British & American Novel Semester II – 2.50
Credits Course
#135
For students in grades 11 & 12
Prerequisites: See
Description
Description: This course is for juniors and seniors of average to above-average reading ability. It considers American and British works by such representative writers as Austen, Bronte, Cather, Crane, Dickens, Faulkner, Hemingway, and Woolf and emphasizes the novel as an art form. Assigned works are read in their entirety, and students will write critical and analytical essays based on their reading.
Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on class notes, class discussion, quizzes, tests, oral presentations, essays, and a semester examination.