Strategies in Reading/Writing 1-2;    Course #1305-1306
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: Teacher Approval

This two-block course is strongly recommended for students who wish to improve their reading skills.  It is strongly recommended for any senior who has failed the reading or writing portion of the proficiency exam.  The course will emphasize increasing comprehension through the use of reading strategies.  Both fiction and non-fiction works will be used for the literature-based writing assignments.  Emphasis will be on usage, spelling and sentence paragraph structures.  The class will use peer tutoring, vocabulary development, textbook analysis, word study and other methods.  Under certain conditions, this course may be used to satisfy English credit requirement(s).

English;    Course #1000
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: None

This course focuses on the study of the writing process, a proficiency-testing requirement.  Emphasis will be placed on sentence structure and paragraph development.  Students learn to structure and apply their writing in a variety of settings.  Students choose from a wide variety of non-fiction sources as basis for their writing.

Language and Grammar;    Course #1660
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: None

This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to develop and refine grammar skills and apply these to the writing.  It stresses the structure of language, analysis of grammar, comprehension in reading, and various approaches to writing.  It is designed to develop and improve English language skills of grammar, reading, spelling, speaking and writing.

The Short Story;    Course #1850-1851
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: None

In this two-block course, the student will read numerous popular short literary works.  The emphasis will be six-step analysis for each story, poems and dramatic work.  Literary pieces may include The Crucible, Twelve Angry Men, and Death of a Salesman.   This course can be taken to satisfy a Humanities requirement.

Creative Writing;    Course #1595
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: None

Descriptive writing through concrete and figurative language is explored in reading, writing, and graphics.  Students can choose from the following project choices:  an autobiographical piece, a short story, or poetry.  Listening and speaking skills are explored as part of the storytelling tradition.

Mythology;    Course #1700
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: None

This course features review and practice in the writing process with emphasis placed on formal modes of writing:  exposition and persuasion.  Mythology and worl literature provides the basis for the review of literary genre.  Students choose a genre of interest on which to write and give oral presentations.  Some of the genre possibilities include horror, science fiction, fantasy, westerns, and detective fiction.  This course can be taken to satisfy a Humanities requirement.

English 1-2;    Course #1121-1122
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: None

This two-block course will provide the fundamentals of communication skills – reading, writing, speaking and listening, and research – necessary for school and career.  The course will address language skills such as usage and sentence design.  Students will write paragraphs, multi-paragraphs essays, and business communications, focusing on the six-trait model.  Reading comprehension skills and reading strategies will be refined through readings in literature and non-fiction.  Students will understand literary terminology and apply it to a variety of texts.  There will be a research component in the course.  The course will be taught using a variety of teaching techniques from direct instruction to small group work.

Popular Literature and Film;    Course #1670
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: English 1-2

Literature and the writing process are explored through the film media.  Students analyze films, use textbooks, classic films and literature as a basis for discussions, presentations, vocabulary study and compositions.  At least 10 pages of an adapted or an original story in screenplay format is required by the end of the block.

Career English 1-2;    Course #1555-1556
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: English 1-2

This class focuses on strengthening the student’s basic tools of communication:  vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and style.  Students will read a variety of materials including newspapers, magazines, informational materials, and novels.  Students learn how to write effective business letters, memos, resumes and other business related writings.  Some instruction will utilize the Internet; students will use computer skills to prepare some assignments.  They also have the opportunity to explore possible career options for themselves.

English 3-4;    Course #1221-1222
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: English 1-2

This two-block course will continue to develop skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and research.  It will continue to focus on language skills while expanding composition skills to include a variety of writing modes and audiences.  Using the reading process, students will read and comprehend increasingly difficult texts, both fiction and non-fiction.  There will be a research component in the course.  The course will be taught using a variety of teaching techniques from direct instruction to small group work.

Composition;    Course #1590
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: English 3-4

This course is designed to improve the student’s composition, discussion and reading comprehension skills.  Student writing will be developed through the use of facts and examples, comparison and contrast, using transitional devices, definition, explanation, argument, description using sense appeals, vivid personal experiences, and reveling character through dialogue.  Attention will be paid to grammar and usage.

Early American Literature;    Course #1630
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: English 3-4

This course includes works from famous American authors to include, but not limited to Washington Irving, Herman Melville, Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau.  There will be a focus on continued improvement of student’s basic English skills, with particular emphasis on developing the student’s writing and editing skills.

English 5-6;    Course #1321-1322
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: English 3-4

This two-block course will strengthen and expand skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and research.  The focus will be on increasingly sophisticated language skills such as complex sentence structures and word choice.  Writing and reading assignments will incorporate higher level thinking skills such as synthesis and analysis.  Literature and non-fiction will focus primarily on American authors.  There will be a research component in the course.  The course will be taught using a variety of teaching techniques from direct instruction to small group work.

English 7-8;    Course #1421-1422
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: English 5-6

This two-block course will reflect the culmination of skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and research.  The language skills will focus on mastery of standard usage issues and experimentation with style.  The writing strand will integrate with speaking and listening and research strands to produce a multi-media presentation that will serve as a capstone for the
course.  Students will read, analyze, and critique a variety of texts both fiction and non-fiction.  Literature and non-fiction will focus primarily on British and world authors.  The course will be taught using a variety of teaching techniques from direct instruction to small group work.
 

Introduction to Shakespeare;    Course #1855
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: English 5-6

This class will begin with a study of periods leading up to the Elizabethan Period.  Course content may include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, and a variety of Shakespearean sonnets.  Students will gain an introduction and an understanding of Shakespeare through reading, discussing and writing about his plays and his sonnets.  Students will be expected to memorize and recite a sonnet and other dialogues and monologues.

Shakespeare;    Course #1860
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: Intro to Shakespeare

This course is a continuation of Intro to Shakespeare; students will memorize and recite.  Literary works will include Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar, and Hamlet, as well as further work with Shakespeare’s sonnets.  Class activities include reading, discussing, analyzing and writing about Shakespeare’s works.

English 7-8:  Senior Project;    Course #1423-1424
.50 Credit

Prerequisite: Teacher Approval

This Block 5 course is offered to students who are interested in planning the ICDA prom.  Emphasis will be placed on:  Leadership skills, project development, fundraising, community service projects, developing basic business skills, financial planning, business correspondence, and communication skills, pubic relations and collaborative efforts, marketing and advertising, project implementation and follow-through.  Several guest speakers/community leaders are an integral a part of this class and field trips to various businesses are planned.  The students are required to put in many hours of their own time.