English
The English Department contributes to the students' intellectual development and teaches him essential language skills. In our English classes, literature is used as a means for exploring issues in the world, but the literary work is also treated as an object of study in itself; we teach students about the meanings of works and how those meanings are created. In the teaching of writing, we draw from a variety of approaches to meet students' individual needs. We teach essential elements of good writing, such as grammar and essay structure, but we also emphasize that writing is a way of exploring and developing one's ideas.
2009 Summer Reading
Courses
|
EN001 EN050 EN101 EN106 EN201 EN301 EN401 EN403 EN404 EN605 EN602 |
English 07 |
EN001 English 07 6cr {07} RQ
Seventh grade English begins with the premise that good thinking skills are most central to the fulfillment and success of our students at Delbarton and beyond. Related to this assertion is the conviction that thinking, reading, speaking, and writing are closely related. The focus of this student-centered class is on experiencing language as writer, speaker, and reader, with an emphasis on the students' developing writing skills. The aim is to make literature a lively part of the student's academic and personal life. The class encourages the students to think interpretively and explore the written word as a living entity, full of mystery and wonder. The texts for the course cover a wide range, while maintaining a central theme of character development. Literary works such as, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Christmas Carol, The Old Man and the Sea and The Hobbit form the core of works studied. In addition, students will explore poetry and selected short stories throughout the year as they begin to learn the particular aspects of each genre. Expanding each student’s vocabulary and understanding the basic elements of grammar usage are integral parts of the seventh grade curriculum.
EN050 English 08 6cr {08} RQ
English 8 provides an introduction to different genres, including the novel, the short story, poetry and drama. While studying each literary form, students focus on improving reading comprehension skills, following character development, looking at structural aspects of the texts, and examining thematic trends. Alongside this study of literature, students focus upon learning the art of formal writing, examining both expository and narrative writing. Students study the writing process and work to develop solid paragraphs and analytical essays in the five-paragraph format. As a part of the writing process, students also study basic elements of English grammar and usage (Sadler-Oxford’s Grammar for Writing)andstudy vocabulary from Vocabulary for the College Bound, level green. Literary works may include the following, with possible additions: Animal Farm (Orwell), Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck), The Chosen (Potok), Lord of the Flies (Golding), Much Ado about Nothing (Shakespeare), American Short Stories: 1920 to the Present (Perfection Learning), Diary of a Young Girl (Frank), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain), and How to Eat a Poem (The American Poetry and Literacy Project).
EN101 English 09 6cr {09} RQ
Ninth grade English concentrates on developing fundamental language skills. The teaching of composition in ninth grade focuses on clear and logical written expression using the process approach. Attention is paid to learning prewriting techniques, developing a thesis, creating unity and coherence in a paragraph, linking ideas logically in a longer essay and drafting and revising. Grammar instruction will review and reinforce the importance of correct punctuation, word choice, and sentence variety. By the end of the year, students will demonstrate competence in a five-paragraph analytical essay. Writing assignments may also include descriptive, narrative, and personal writing.
In the study of literature, attention is paid to developing close reading skills, understanding important literary terms, understanding formal aspects of the literary work, and examining themes. Class discussion and writing will focus on the literary work itself and on making connections between the text and students’ own lives as they begin to recognize the universality of the themes of the classic texts studied. Vocabulary study encompasses word attack skills and vocabulary from the literary context.
Students will study the elements of short stories and poetry. The course will also focus on the heroic archetype in literature, including the classical, tragic, and modern hero. Literary works studied may include, but not be limited to the following: selected short stories and poetry, The Odyssey (Homer), Oedipus Rex (Sophocles), Julius Caesar (Shakespeare), Great Expectations (Dickens), and Greek Gods and Heroes (Graves).
EN106 Language Arts 2cr {09} RQ
So that students may become better communicators, they are required in the freshman year to take one term of language arts and speech. Students will study English grammar, usage, sentence structure, and writing as well as different forms of public speaking. In addition, students will create a variety of projects which will be designed to broaden each students’ understanding of technology.
EN201 English 10 6cr {10}
n tenth grade English, students focus closely on the detailed characteristics of genre through reading and studying poetry, short stories, dramatic works, novels, and nonfiction. Themes explored in the sophomore year include “coming of age” and family relationships (texts may include The Catcher in the Rye, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Romeo and Juliet) and issues in European History (texts may include A Tale of Two Cities, 1984, and Maus I).
Instruction in writing stresses such skills as assembling, organizing, outlining, and revising the multi-paragraph expository essay. Most of the writing in the sophomore year consists of literary analysis. Students will also learn to write different types of essays, which may include the narrative, descriptive, and compare/contrast essay. Students continue to develop the ability to write clearly, cogently, and correctly. Additionally, emphasis is placed on appropriate word choice, MLA format, and transitional devices as students strive to achieve clarity in their writing. In-class writing to encourage the development of voice and student thinking is an important part of the sophomore year. Also integral to the curriculum is continued work on developing the students’ vocabulary.
EN301 English 11: American Literature 6cr {11} RQ
The eleventh grade curriculum stresses close reading skills, extensive reading of major works of American literature, and analytical writing. As the students read selected works from 19th and 20th century authors, they will explore some of the complex, often contradictory, themes which make up the American identity. They will develop critical thinking skills as they examine closely the context of the ideas behind these works and our cultural identity. Much of the reading, both classic and contemporary, reflect a range of the American experience. Classic texts include, but are not limited to, works by: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Thoreau, Edgar Allan Poe, Frederick Douglass, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway. Students will also read related contemporary texts by such authors as Jon Krakauer and Sherman Alexie, among others, as they explore the contemporary relevance of themes concerning the American identity. Poetry by Dickinson, Frost, and T. S. Eliot, among others and selected short stories by Crane, Chopin, Freeman, among others, are also studied.
In writing, juniors will continue the development of their skills in writing the structured analytical essay, the persuasive, and the compare/contrast essay. They will also focus on close-reading explications using textual support to integrate their understanding of the reading into their writing. Emphasis on MLA format, vocabulary development, and shorter, in-class responses will also be integral aspects of the junior year curriculum.
English 401 English 12: Literary Masterpieces 6 cr.
In 12th grade, students will study great works of world literature to learn more about themselves and what it means to be human and alive in a specific place and time. This exploration will focus on many literary forms – the novel, drama, and poetry. From the Elizabethan age to the post-modern era, class readings will encourage students to understand multiple human perspectives. A central theme students will explore is man’s “search for identity” as it has been conveyed through literature. Students will read Dante’s Inferno, Shakespeare’s Othello, Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Other readings may include existentialist works by Kafka, and contemporary voices, such as Tim O’Brien and Philip Roth, to provide opportunities for students to examine man’s living circumstances in the modern world. Throughout the year, writing instruction will focus on expressing views effectively, and on interpreting each text with the author’s perspective in mind. Continual development and refinement of students’ critical and analytical writing will be emphasized.
EN403 Theatre Studies 6cr [12} EL FA [DptRec]
This course is an introduction to the study of drama and live theater performance. Students will use the Fine Arts Center stage as a focal point for much of their work, while reading diverse scripts and learning to appreciate the structure and history of dramatic art. Students will learn about historical changes in dramatic presentation, and the history of the actor’s changing preparation methods. The course will introduce Ancient Greek tragedy, Roman comedy, and the formal Elizabethan stage. As well, students will encounter Modern theater, 20th Century American dramatists and contemporary stagecraft. Students will act, direct, and produce staged readings and other scripted dramas. Students will interpret and deliver monologues, soliloquies, and act in extended dialogues with other actors. Participation in this class will expose students to performance preparation techniques which they can use in everyday situations in order to assume leadership roles in small and large groups.
EN404 Creative Writing 6cr {11-12} EL FA
This course is offered as an elective to seniors who enjoy writing and wish to develop their skills by experimenting with different forms of writing. Students will be given the opportunity to write a variety of creative pieces (short stories, poems, plays); to learn to evaluate and revise their work; to share with one another in a small workshop-style class and to assemble individual portfolios.
EN605 AP English Language and Composition 6cr {11} EL {DptRec}
In eleventh grade, Advanced Placement English Language and Composition is available to qualified individuals who are outstanding readers, writers and students of literature. The course, in addition to covering much of the same material as the standard eleventh grade American Literature course, also focuses on the study of a diverse selection of prose writing styles--literary criticism, personal essays, fiction, editorial pieces, etc. The nature of the course is designed to integrate the close examination of texts with the student's own experimentation with writing. A successful AP student will not only enjoy reading, but also have a strong desire to explore the possibilities of the written word. At the completion of this program, the student takes the AP English Language and Composition examination administered by the College Board in order to achieve college credit and/or placement in higher-level college English courses.
EN602 AP English Literature and Composition 6cr {12} EL [DptRec]
In twelfth grade, Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition is available to qualified students who are ready for a more specialized English course. This program is intended to offer challenging college-level material and to engage the student in the critical reading and analysis of literature. Students should be expected to be assigned approximately one hour of homework per night. In addition, frequent writing assignments will require the student to respond analytically and in depth to the literature he reads. At the completion of this program, the student takes the AP English Literature and Composition Examination administered by the College Board in order to achieve college credit and/or placement in higher-level college English courses.