Curriculum » English Department

English Department

Course sections in English are available to meet the needs of various student abilities. Assignment to special course sections will be made by counselors and department personnel with final approval given by the Assistant Principal-Academics.

 

Research Paper Policy: Failure to produce an acceptable research paper means that the student loses course credit for the semester, so he/she must enroll in summer school, AND the student must write said paper before he/she can be enrolled in English for the subsequent school year at St. Pius X High School.

This course is designed to teach students the process of reading and writing as a “real” experience that is continuous and consistently evaluated. Students are introduced to two different writing structures: the five-paragraph critique and the compare/contrast essay. Vocabulary is a fundamental and weekly experience. Grammar is taught formally from the text and in relation to mythology, The Odyssey, short stories, poetry, drama, and novels. Students must pass the research paper section of this course to pass the course.
Prerequisite: None - A course open to freshmen. Required for graduation.
Students read extensively in multiple genres such as short stories, dramas, novels, poems, and non-fiction selections drawn from world literature. Students apply literary analysis techniques to determine the reasoning and expression of ideas in selections of prose, poetry, novels and plays and demonstrate their skill in composition by writing essays in various rhetorical modes as well as critical and analytical essays. Students will be required to purchase various paperback texts. Students must pass the research paper section of this course to gain semester credit.
Prerequisite: Entrance to this class is determined by high entrance exam scores, former teacher recommendations, and grades. In addition, a letter of application and review of a writing sample prior to acceptance.
This course emphasizes the writing process as a continuous and integrated experience that encourages agile writers who are prepared for 21st century writing. Course work focuses on writing in different genres with audience analysis. Emphasis is on style, fluency, and real-world writing. This course will explore a wide range of literatures to enhance the different genres: novels, non-fiction, memoirs, short stories, and poetry will reinforce the genres of writing. Vocabulary and grammatical standards are reinforced throughout the school year. A non-literary research paper is required and must be passed to gain credit and pass the course.
Prerequisite: None - A course open to sophomores. Required for graduation.
This course is designed with higher expectations of the student in terms of both quantity and quality in the skills outlined in the regular English II course. Students apply more complex literary analysis techniques to determine the reasoning and expression of ideas in selections of prose, poetry, novels and plays and demonstrate their skill in composition by writing with greater emphasis on style and fluency as ingredients of unified and coherent themes. The student is taken into more complex writing tasks with greater emphasis on style and fluency as ingredients of unified and coherent themes. Students will be required to purchase various paperback texts. Students must pass the research paper section of this course to gain semester credit.
Prerequisite: Application required and department approval.
This course uses American literature as a springboard for critical thinking and writing. It will guide the students through the development of American literature and the significant literary movements of the United States using non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. Students will continue using the previous genres studied and will add cause and effect and definition essay format. This year a literary research paper is studied and written to learn how to use literary criticism. Vocabulary and grammatical standards are emphasized in relation to the reading and the writing. ACT prep will be done to help prepare students for the ACT exam for college entrance. A literary research paper is required and must be passed to gain credit and pass the course.
Prerequisite: None - A course open to juniors. Required for graduation.
Students are challenged to become skilled readers of novels, dramas, and poetry written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts. Students will read extensively and compose advanced analysis of works by William Shakespeare, American and European authors, and 20th century Latin American writers. Students will write a minimum of eight essays and a literary research paper. Timed-writes and AP exam preparation will also be included. Material is college level and students are required to take the AP Literature Examination in May. The course requires a course fee for the purchase of required texts. Students must pass the research paper section of this course to gain semester credit.
Prerequisite: Application required and department approval.
This course is designed for critical writing based on great works of world literature by Sophocles, Plato, Dante, Camus, Shakespeare, Greene, Kafka, and others. All rhetorical modes of expository writing are reviewed and reinforced. Students are introduced to the personal essay, college application essay, and the argumentation essay, which includes antithetical arguments and refutations. A minimum of eight essays and a literary research paper are required. Students must pass the research paper section of this course to gain semester credit.
Prerequisite: None - A course open to seniors. Required for graduation.
This course is designed to instruct students in rhetorical analysis, an approach to literature that most students will encounter at the college level. Students read literature and non-fiction from a range of historical periods and cultural contexts. Students also compose myriad analytical, personal, and argumentative essays using a variety of rhetorical techniques and modes. Material is college level, and students are required to take the AP English Language and Composition Examination in May. Students must pass the research paper section of this course to gain semester credit.
Prerequisite: Application required and department approval.
Students will explore both assigned and self-selected forms of writing including journal, personal narrative, poetry, script writing, and short fiction. The class will be conducted in a workshop format combined with occasional lecture. Students will also work together to create and publish the school literary magazine. This course may be repeated with instructor’s consent. THIS COURSE FULFILS THE FINE ARTS REQUIREMENT.
Prerequisite: Recommendation of the English teacher and final approval from instructor. An elective course open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
This course is offered for creative students interested in producing the school yearbook. Students will receive training in all facets of yearbook production with emphasis on story, headline, and caption writing, interviewing, and reporting, layout, editing, digital photography, and In-Design Year Tech software program usage. Basic computer skills are necessary. Students may elect to take this course for three years and will receive one credit for each year taken. The workload of students will be the same as in any other academic course.
Prerequisite: Two positive, highly ranked written recommendations from the student’s current English teacher and another teacher of the student’s choice. A writing sample from the applicant is also required.
8th Grade
This combined literature and language course is designed to introduce students to the English language as an experience involving reading, writing, speaking, and listening in order to develop effective communicators and thinkers. Students are introduced to various writing structures, such as the five-paragraph critique and written narrative. Vocabulary and grammar are fundamental experiences. Reading for comprehension involves short stories, poetry, drama, and novels. A speech component is an essential part of the whole language experience. Students must compose a research paper section of this course. Students will receive two separate grades: one for Language and one for Literature.
Prerequisite: None - A course open to eighth graders.
This advanced, combined literature and language course is designed to introduce students to the English language as an experience involving analytical reading, critical thought, articulate writing and speaking, and astute listening in order to develop effective communicators and thinkers. Students are introduced to various writing structures, such as the five-paragraph critique and written narrative.. Vocabulary and grammar are fundamental experiences. Reading for analysis involves short stories, poetry, drama, and novels. A speech component is an essential part of the whole language experience. Students must compose a literary research paper section of this course. Students will receive two separate grades: one for Language and one for Literature.
Prerequisite: Entrance to this class is determined by high entrance exam scores, former teacher recommendations, and grades. In addition, a letter of application and review of a writing sample prior to acceptance.