The English Department offers a college preparatory curriculum and an Advanced Placement curriculum.
College Prep Course Offerings and Sequence
9th grade: English 1
10th grade: English 2
11th grade: English 3
12th grade: English 4
Advanced Placement Offerings and Sequence
9th grade: English 1 Honors
10th grade: English 2 Honors
11th grade: English 3 AP Language and Composition
12th grade: English 4 AP Literature and Composition
The English Department is committed to preparing our students for success in college. We focus on all genres of literature, the writing process, the study of vocabulary, the study of Shakespeare, grammar review when applicable, and research format according to the MLA Handbook, which is extensively studied. Preparation for the ACT and SAT tests is a focus throughout each year, but is especially important during the sophomore and junior years.
Faculty Members
Mrs. Gretchen Boyle
Mrs. Gina Bludau
Mr. Brett Hager
English 1
1 Credit ~ 2 Semesters ~ Prerequisite: None
This course encompasses a detailed study of grammar and vocabulary, the basic skills of writing, the fundamentals of Greek and Roman mythology, an introduction to library science, and MLA Handbook rules, and exposure to the genres of literature.
English 1 - Honors
1 Credit ~ 2 Semesters ~ Prerequisite: Requires registration and summer assignment – Freshman level
This course is the first of two courses, which are the foundation for the material covered in English III AP and English IV AP. Students will be introduced to terminology necessary for rhetorical and literary analysis and two types of texts - fiction and nonfiction, with intense study of grammar, rhetoric, writing, and vocabulary. Students will also be introduced to library science and research skills.
English 2
1 Credit ~ 2 Semesters ~ Prerequisite: Completion of English 1
This course intensifies the study of grammar, vocabulary, and literature begun in English I. Students also practice techniques of writing, especially the five-paragraph essay.
English 2 – Honors
1 Credit ~ 2 Semesters ~ Prerequisite: Completion of English 1 – Honors
This course includes and intensifies the work of English 1 - Honors. By the end of this course the students will complete the vocabulary program.
English 3
1 Credit ~ 2 Semesters ~ Prerequisite: Completion of English 2
This course provides a brief review of grammar, continues the study of vocabulary, focuses on the context of literature and nonfiction, and develops writing skills through study of rhetorical strategies.
English 3 AP
1 Credit ~ 2 Semesters ~ Prerequisite: Completion of English 2 – Honors
Advanced Placement in Language and Composition - a college-level course which engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and in becoming prose writers who compose for a variety of purposes. This course emphasizes expository, analytical, and argumentative writing and enables students to read complex, mature texts with understanding, to analyze them rhetorically, and to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively with mature readers. Students will be expected to be highly independent learners and responsible time managers.
English 4
1 Credit ~ 2 Semesters ~ Prerequisite: Completion of English 3
This course includes a brief review of grammar when necessary, focuses on British and World Literature, refines advanced writing skills, and completes the vocabulary study program.
English 4 AP
1 Credit ~ 2 Semesters ~ Prerequisite: Completion of English 3 - AP
Literature and Composition. The content of this course is college level English material. This course will "engage students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature" (from the College Board's Advanced Placement Program Course Description May 2000). From their intensive study of texts, students will have a deep understand of the way writers use language to accomplish their ends. Students will become extremely knowledgeable in recognizing and understanding the tools of writers, from the larger scale literary elements such as structure, style, theme, and point of view to the smaller scale elements such as tone, imagery, and figurative language. The works taught in the course demand careful and deliberate reading, and the writing assignments will focus on the critical analysis of literature. Students will be expected to be highly independent learners and responsible time managers. Summer reading will be required. This course uses actual college texts and materials, with the content of the materials correspondingly mature and complex.