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English

The English Department offers courses at the regular, Honors and Advanced Placement (AP®) levels. Each department member is dedicated to helping each student take her place as a critical thinker and compassionate leader in a global society. Four credit hours are required for graduation.

The courses in this department are to be taken in sequential order.

  • English 9: Introduction to Literary Genres

    Big Ideas: Students will examine the five genres of literature, communicate effectively in writing and develop their research skills. 
    • Introduce and explore a variety of literary genres (short story, drama, poetry, novel and nonfiction) from American, British and World Literature
    • Develop paragraph and multi-paragraph writing
    • Emphasize 21st-century research skills

  • Honors English 9: Advanced Introduction to Literary Genres

    Prerequisites: While all of our courses prepare students for college, an honors-level course is an advanced college-prep course. There will be a higher level of rigor in reading, writing and research assignments. Additionally, there will be a heavier workload. Those students wishing to take honors-level courses are recommended to have a grade of B or better in their previous English class.
    Big Ideas: Students will examine in greater depth the five genres of literature and develop their research skills. Students will read complex literature and write more intensively focusing on the analysis of literature.
    • Explore and analyze a variety of literary genres (short story, drama, poetry, novel and nonfiction) from American, British and World Literature
    • Develop more sophisticated styles of writing
    • Utilize 21st-century research skills

  • English 10: World Literature

    Big Ideas: Students will explore in greater depth the genres of fiction, nonfiction, short story, novel, poetry, mythology and drama from diverse cultures around the world.
    • Explore the world and its people through a variety of literature
    • Compose writing for a variety of purposes, including analysis, persuasion, reflection and research
    • Clearly present synthesized ideas in original writing

  • Honors English 10: Advanced Studies in World Literature

    Prerequisites: While all of our courses prepare students for college, an Honors level course is an advanced college-prep course. There will be a higher level of rigor in reading, writing and research assignments. Additionally, there will be a heavier workload. Those students wishing to take Honors level courses are recommended to have a grade of B or higher in their previous English class.
    Big Ideas: Delve into greater depth the genres of nonfiction, short story, novel, poetry, mythology and drama from diverse cultures around the world.
    • Explore the world and its people through a variety of literature
    • Continue to improve quality of writing
    • Clearly present synthesized ideas in original writing

  • English 11: American Literature

    Big Ideas: Students will explore American literature from Native American myths and legends through the Modern Period.
    • Analyze selections of literature from the oral traditions of the Native Americans to the literature of the Modern Period
    • Continue to improve the quality of student writing
    • Present synthesized ideas with clarity in original writing

  • Honors English 11: Advanced Studies in American Literature

    Prerequisites: While all of our courses prepare students for college, an Honors level course is an advanced college-prep course. There will be a higher level of rigor in reading, writing and research assignments. Additionally, there will be a heavier workload. Those students wishing to take Honors level courses are recommended to have a grade of B or higher in their previous English class.
    Big Ideas: Research in greater depth the evolution of American literature from Native American myths and legends through the Modern Period. 
    • Explore and analyze the types of literature from the oral traditions of the Native Americans to the literature of the Modern Period
    • Continue to improve the quality of student writing
    • Synthesize ideas with clarity in original writing and present those ideas in a sophisticated manner

  • AP® English Language and Composition

    Prerequisites: Those students wishing to take Advanced Placement (AP®)-level courses will have demonstrated intellectual scholarship in the subject and have received prior written approval from the department chair. It is recommended that a grade of at least a B+ be earned in prior English classes before taking an AP®-level English course .
    Requirement: Taking the AP® English Language and Composition Exam is mandatory. The cost is approximately $95.
    Big Ideas: Students will engage in becoming careful, critical readers of prose and effective, confident writers. Through close reading of selected texts and intensive writing for a variety of purposes, students gain a greater appreciation of the roles of audience, purpose and content in a text.
    • Read prose selections of recognized merit with a concentration on American literature
    • Analyze texts by identifying and evaluating each writer's use of various rhetorical techniques
    • Craft strong arguments using material drawn from research and personal experience, including evidence based on primary and secondary sources
    • Engage each stage of the writing process with increasing maturity
    • Apply effective rhetorical techniques in their own writing
    • Demonstrate mastery of standard English and Stylistic maturity (vocabulary, logic, organization, support, etc)

  • English 12: Survey of Literature

    Big Ideas: Students will examine British and world literature from various time periods.
    •  Analyze fiction and non-fiction through close-reading and student-led discussions
    •  Write confidently and clearly convey thoughts and ideas in a variety of forms of writing
    •  Exhibit a mastery of 21st-century research skills

  • AP® English Literature and Composition

    Prerequisites: Those students wishing to take Advanced Placement (AP®)-level courses will have demonstrated intellectual scholarship in the subject and have received prior written approval from the department chair. It is recommended that a grade of at least B+ be earned in prior English classes before taking an AP® level English course.
    Requirement: Taking the AP® English Literature and Composition Exam is mandatory. The cost is approximately $95.
    Big Ideas: Students will engage in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students consider a work’s structure, style and themes, as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone.
    • Study representative works from various genres and periods, concentrating on works of recognized literary merit
    • Read deliberately and thoroughly, taking time to understand a work’s complexity, to absorb its richness of meaning and to analyze how that meaning is embodied in literary form
    • Reflect on the historical and social values that literature reflects and embodies
    • Write assignments that focus on the critical analysis of literature and include expository, analytical and argumentative essays
    • Increase their ability to explain clearly, cogently, even eloquently, what they understand about literary works and why they interpret them as such

  • Women Leading in the 21st Century

    Big Ideas: Students will develop the skills needed to influence both the local and global community for the common good through studying models and theories of leadership, as well as discussions with female leaders in Northeast Ohio.
    • Study management and leadership principles
    • Examine human relations and self-awareness
    • Improve oral and written communication skills
    • Foster critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making skills
    • Gain awareness and understanding of local organizations and women leaders
    • Design and reflect on service learning experiences

  • Independent Study: Creative Writing

    This is an online course. 
    Big Ideas: Use the creative imagination in the process of writing. Students will submit writing assignments through Google Classroom, complete peer editing through Google Docs and use Schoology to post assignments, share materials and design discussion forums. This class is recommended for students with strong time management skills who enjoy writing. It is also recommended that only students who have a study hall enroll in the course. This is an independent study course, and students will only meet with the teacher during office hours or as needed.
    • Write imaginatively on a daily basis in a journal or a blog
    • Produce writing in each genre: the short story, drama, poetry and non-fiction
    • Share and critique writing with peer writers
    • Revise and rewrite for a Final Portfolio and for publication

  • Honors Independent Study: Advanced Creative Writing

    Independent Study - Online Course
    Prerequisite: The Creative Writing class and Department Chair approval
    Big Ideas:  This class is an online, independent study class for students who have already taken the Creative Writing class offered by the English Department. It is recommended that students with strong time management skills who enjoy creative writing take this class. It is also recommended that only students who have a study hall enroll in the course. This is an independent study course that is designed by the individual student who enrolls in the course and students will only meet with the teacher during office hours or as needed. 
    • Write imaginatively on a daily basis in a journal or a blog
    • Produce writing in the genres of her choice
    • Mentor a student in the Creative Writing course
    • Submit her writing for publication and/or to local and national contests
    • Revise and rewrite for a final portfolio

  • Yearbook (Year-Long Class)

    (Offered Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3:05-3:45, Monday and Friday during Activity Blocks)

    Yearbook may be taken as a Visual Arts course or English elective. Students should work with their guidance counselor and the Yearbook moderator to determine which choice is best for them.

    Yearbook may be taken as a standard letter grade, A-F or Pass/Fail. Students wishing to take the course P/F are required to complete the Pass/Fail Waiver and inform the teacher that they would like to take the course P/F within the first two weeks of the course.
    Big Ideas    : Uses Walsworth Online Design (or Adobe InDesigna nd Adobe Photosho) to produce the school yearbook. Highly self-motivated students are asked to work in an independent, collaborative environment, applying acquired design, journalism, organizational and problem-solving skills to the real world issues involved with printed publications such as fixed deadlines, precise proofreading and shared leadership.
    • Create industry standard layouts
    • Photo enhancement and correction
    • Learn and apply interviewing, writing, editing and proofreading skills
    • Work collaboratively on tight deadlines
    • Yearbook can be taken multiple years for credit

Department Faculty