English Language Arts

Full year 1 unit Grade 9

Essentials English is a Regents course designed to prepare students to take the Common Core Regents Exam during their junior year.  The class is paced in such a way to provide students extra time to plan, organize, and draft their essays, and, in some cases, uses abridged or modified texts to facilitate reading and understanding.

Full Year 1 unit Grade 9

English 9R is a Regents course designed to prepare students to take the Common Core Regents Exam during their junior year. The class reinforces reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Some examples of literature studied in this course includes selections from novels, short stories, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.

Full Year 1 unit Grade 9

Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation, an 8th grade ELA assessment score of 3 or 4, and an 8th grade class average of 90 or above.

This is a Pre-AP/IB course

English 9 Honors will offer students interested in taking accelerated English classes the opportunity to begin an intensive study of American and British authors that will continue in English 10 Honors. Successful in English 9 Honors students are highly motivated and have demonstrated mastery of basic reading and writing skills as evidenced by strong scores in 8th grade English, on the grade-8 ELA, and on the 8th grade benchmark assessments. Students successful in 9 Honors will have the option of taking English 10 Honors—a class in which students eventually sit for the New York State Regents—during their sophomore year. Students then have the option of taking IB, AP, or elective classes during their junior and senior years.

English 10R

Full Year 1 unit Grade 10

Prerequisite: English 9

English 10R is designed to prepare students for success on the Common Core Regents Examination in English that they will take during their junior year. This course will strengthen students’ reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through the study of short fiction, poetry, a research project and full length works like Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Macbeth and Medea.

Full Year 1 unit Grade 10

Prerequisite: English 9 teacher recommendation.

This is a Pre-AP/IB Gemini Course

English 10 Honors will allow students interested in taking accelerated English classes to complete the English 11 American Literature course in 10th grade. Students will sit for the Common Core English Regents Examination in January. The curriculum will consist of the English 11 Regents program, plus some additional readings and assessments found in college-level courses. After completing this course, students will enter into one of the AP English classes, the elective program, the IB program, or College Writing 101/103

Full Year 1 unit Grade 11

Prerequisite: Students who have successfully completed English 10H cannot take this course

English 11R will allow students to continue to develop and apply their skills in reading and writing during a year-long study of American authors who reflect the rich diversity of our culture and heritage. Works studied could include The Great Gatsby, The Crucible, Death of a Salesman, and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, among others. Students will sit for the Common Core Regents Examination in English in January.

Possible 3 college credits

Cost: Approximately $97

Full Year 1 unit Grades 11-12

Prerequisite: English 10 Honors, English 10 (with teacher recommendation)

This course will prepare students for the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition exam. Students will read literature from a variety of eras, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and write diverse responses through the lens of argumentation and rhetorical analysis. As an AP class, the course is reading/writing intensive and will reflect college-level texts and content. Students have the option of taking the AP exam in May, but the exam grade will not be reflected in the final grade for the course. Students who receive a 3 or higher on the AP exam may be eligible for college credit, depending on each college’s admissions standards. (Be aware that students who receive college credit for AP Language and Composition may not be able to earn additional college credit for English 101, should they choose to take both.)

Possible 3 college credits

Cost: Approximately $97

Full Year 1 unit Grades 11-12

Advanced Placement Literature and Composition is designed to provide capable and dedicated students with a challenging study of literature, language, and composition. It is a reading and writing-intensive course that will prepare students to sit for the AP Literature examination in May. Students will study a wide variety of literature, including a summer read from a list of options; a Romanticism unit with choices of Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, or The Scarlet Letter; a mental health unit with choices of The Bell Jar, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, or The Thirteenth Tale; racial equity choices of Song of Solomon or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Death of a Salesman, Hamlet, and The Handmaid’s Tale.
As a culminating assessment, students will prepare a 12-15 minute analytical speech on multiple works by an author they have independently chosen and studied throughout the year. Students who receive a 3 or higher on the AP test may be eligible for six Gemini credits for English 101 and 102 through FLCC. As a result, students who have completed AP Literature and Composition are not eligible for English 102.

. 0040 Theater Arts and Drama

Full Year 1 unit Grades 10-12

*Please note these courses are not approved English courses through the NCAA clearinghouse

Drama students will read, analyze and interpret selected plays that represent major historical movements in theatre from the Greeks to the present. Selections include Sophocles’ Oedipus’s Rex, Everyman by anonymous, Shakespeare’s King Lear, Wilde’s Importance of Being Earnest, Wilder’s Our Town and Sheppard’s True West. Students will research, write and present a speech about theatre history. Students will perform improvisations, music interpretations, character developments, monologues and small scenes. Students are required to participate in a class production at the end of the course and to spend ten out-of-class hours in stage production each semester.

The focus of Drama II will be to read and analyze Shakespearean histories and comedies, modern drama, and contemporary examples of theatre. Selections include Shakespeare’s Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, and Twelfth Night; Ibsen’s Enemy of the People, Strindberg’s Ghost Sonata and Shaffer’s Equus. Students are required to direct (co-direct) a production in the spring and to spend ten hours out of class on stage productions each semester.

0065 Creative Writing

Half Year ½ unit Grades 11-12

This course which is designed to meet the needs of students with an interest in and a talent for creative writing, will focus on instruction in creative non-fiction and the fictional short story, and children’s literature. If there is time, a poetry unit will also be included. Flexible time for in-class writing will be provided. Students will present two of their favorite stories, once each quarter.

The final exam is to write a five page story in which students use all of the techniques learned throughout the semester.  This will be 20% of the final grade.

0067 Arthurian Legends

Half Year ½ unit Grades 11-12

Arthurian Legends and Romances will provide students with the chance to explore the development and progression of the legend of King Arthur and his knights of the round table. Students will study a variety of texts in chronological order to see how this legend has evolved over the years. After looking at the historical texts from which the legend of King Arthur began, students will read Sword in the Stone to establish Arthur’s upbringing, followed by Queen of Air and Darkness and the Ill-Made Knight to learn about the childhood environment of several knights, as well as the apply the impact of that environment to their adult decision-making process as members of the Round Table. Students will view films, such as Merlin, Lancelot, and Camelot to aid in knowledge of characterization, plot development, and themes. In addition students will read and analyze how stories such as Merlin, The Death of King Arthur, Parzival, Tristan, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, “Lanval,” and “Culhwch and Olwen” add onto the Arthurian Legend, noting the changes through time and culture.

Can earn college credit upon completion (can earn 6 credits for the 2-year course, depending on the student’s final score)

IB English 11 and 12 is a 2-year course designed to provide dedicated and capable students a challenging study of literature, composition, and language. The literature selections aim to promote an appreciation of texts that present a global perspective, immersing students in diverse cultures. At the same time, these selections are tied together by the students’ own interests, i.e. if a student is interested in the treatment of women around the world, they may use that concept as the way to link the texts that are read in class. Students will also explore the methods and literary techniques authors use to convey meaning across cultures and throughout the ages.

The vast majority of homework for the class is reading, and most essays are timed writings completed in class. Students also keep an IB portfolio where they record their thoughts and reactions to the texts that they read. This can include sketches, quotations, reflective writing, and more.

Official IB assessments include an IB oral at the end of the junior year, a Higher Level (HL) essay in January of the senior year, and two days of testing in May of the senior year. Details about each assessment can be found in the reading list below.

The current reading list is as follows:

• The Handmaid’s Tale  (Margaret Atwood)
• The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
• Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
• Poetry by Robert Frost

The following are all works in translation (not originally written in English)

• The Assault (Harry Mulisch)
• Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Dario Fo)
• Cyrano de Bergerac  (Edmond Rostand)
• Chronicle of a Death Foretold  (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

Individual Oral Assessment

IB Assessment: Individual Oral (May/June of junior year) 20%:

15 minutes (10-minute presentation, 5-minute Q&A with the teacher)

Discuss one of these global topics using two different extracts:

• culture, identity and community: the ways that family, class, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexuality, migration, colonialism and nationalism impact individuals and society

• beliefs, values, and education: and the tensions that can arise when there are conflicts in these aspects of society

• politics, power and justice: the rights and responsibilities of individuals, the structures and workings of governments and institutions, hierarchies of power, distribution of wealth and resources, limits of law and justice, equality and inequality among peoples, human rights, peace and conflict.

• art, creativity and imagination: aspects of inspiration, creation, craft and beauty; the shaping of perception through art; and the function, value and effects of art in society

• science, technology and the environment: the relationship between humans and their environments; the implications of technology and media for society; the idea of scientific development and progress.

One extract must be from a work in translation

One extract must be from a work originally written in English

An extract must not be more than 40 lines in length

The two texts you choose for this task cannot be used again for any other IB assessments

Texts for first Semester of Senior Year

• Song of Solomon (Toni Morrison)
• The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare)
• The Things They Carried (Tim O’Brien)

IB Assessment: HL Essay (January of senior year) 20%: Each student will write a formal essay (1200-1500 words), which develops a particular line of inquiry of the student’s choice in connection with a literary text previously studied in class. Each student needs to construct a focused, analytical argument, examining the work from a broad literary perspective. Must use citations and references.

Focus on one of these aspects:

• identity: the way the characters and their voices (or the voice of the author) are presented in the piece

• culture: as represented in the piece by place, institution or groups of people, or the way the piece relates to a particular culture

• creativity: as represented in the piece, or the way in which the piece represents the creativity of the writer

• communication: how the characters in the piece, or the piece itself, represents communication; or how the author reaches out to, and connects with, the audience

• transformation: how the characters in the piece change, or how the work itself represents change either for the author or the world

• perspective: how the piece represents the views of the author, or reflects the views of the reader, and whether those perspectives can, do or should change

• representation: how the piece represents different themes, or the extent to which the piece represents reality and discuss a literary aspect of any one work – choose one work in English or in translation

The text you choose for this essay may not be used for any other IB assessments

Texts read the second Semester of Senior Year (all are plays)

• Death of a Salesman  (Arthur Miller)
• A Streetcar Named Desire  (Tennessee Williams)
• “Master Harold” . . . and the boys   (Athol Fugard)
• A Doll’s House (Henrik Ibsen)

IB Assessments (May of senior year):

Paper 1: (Guided literary analysis) 2 hours, 15 minutes 35%

Two passages are provided from two different forms (genres) from among fiction (novel & short story), non-fiction, poetry and drama

Each passage is accompanied by 1 question

Write two separate analyses, one for each passage

Paper 2: (Comparative essay) 1 hour, 45 minutes 25%

Four general questions are provided

Students choose only one question to answer

Write a comparative essay using any two works studied that have not been used for any other IB assessments.  These can be works in translation

Possible 3 college credits from FLCC per course

Cost: $15 per course

Half Year 1/2 unit each Grade 12

Prerequisites: 80% or higher on the Comprehensive Regents Examination and passing average on the benchmarks. Students must have an 80% average in English 11 or 10 Honors to qualify for English 101/103. In order to take 102 or 103 for Gemini credit, a student must have successfully completed English 101 (C- / 70%) or AP Language and Composition.

Students will work to develop critical-reasoning skills, which they will apply in their readings, writings, and discussions. And, whether through Socratic seminars, in-class writings, or research, all students will be expected to participate actively. The primary focus in English 101 is learning to write in college-level and professional situations. Students will learn to engage in a writing process that will produce college-level work. During this course, we will explore three writing situations (personal narrative, analysis, informative). At the end of the semester, students will have written four major essays. As part of the course, students are expected to revise essays and to maintain a portfolio of their writing.

English 103 is a continuation of English 101. The class will explore four major writing situations: evaluation, analysis, argumentation and research. As in English 101, students must demonstrate their writing process through four major essays and a portfolio of their written work.

English 102 invites students to learn, practice, and develop the critical reading skills that enable one to understand, interpret, and engage with a variety of literary, academic, and popular texts. Through the study of literature, students will explicitly develop critical reading skills that transfer across disciplines. Students will compose a variety of textual analyses that assert a central interpretive claim supported by direct textual evidence. Students will analyze prose, poetry, & a play, as well as applying critical approaches (Formalism, Feminism, Marxism, & Mythological-Archetypal) to texts. Additionally, they will reflect on their reading, writing, thinking, and discussion experiences to better understand themselves as learners and readers.

Placement/Prerequisite:
Students must have earned a passing grade in ENG 101 OR AP Language and Composition to be eligible to register for ENG 102.
Students achieving a 4 or 5 on the AP English Literature and Composition examination should refrain from enrolling in English 102, as colleges will not allow both courses for credit.
Students earning a 3 or lower on the AP English Literature exam may take ENG 102 for college credit, as many colleges do not offer credit for a 3 or lower on the exam.

Half Year ½ unit Grades 11-12

From “ I Have a Dream” to JFK’s Inaugural Address” – from informative speech topics such as The Loch Ness Monster to the History of Canandaigua - Students will learn how to write and deliver effective speeches, critique and analyze published speeches, and critique and analyze speeches of their peers. They will participate in a research-based debate and engage in story-telling and reader’s theater exercises. Students will also work through the job interview process and participate in a mock interview in which other students serve as an interview committee. We will frequently use improv as a method through which we develop our comfort in front of a group. Students can expect to write research-based speeches, deliver these speeches, write peer-review papers, create and develop characters by means of various exercises, and speak extemporaneously. Students will finish the semester with an impromptu speech; the skills involved in such are wide-reaching, setting students up for success in a variety of future fields, situations, and circumstances.

Half Year ½ unit Grades 11-12

Mythology and allusion will trace the journey of the classic hero and other mythic archetypes in ancient texts to which modern works of Western literature allude. Students will study selected works from Edith Hamilton’s Mythology and Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, as well as readings from An Introduction to Biblical literature, specifically selections from Genesis, Exodus, and the Book of Job. The study of these ancient texts will focus on a literary analysis of mythic patterns in sacred stories. Students will then trace these archetypal patterns in Homer’s The Odyssey, George Lucas’s Star Wars, and Faulkner’s modern epic, As I Lay Dying.

Half Year ½ unit Grades 11-12

Irish Literature will take students on a tour through Ireland’s rich storytelling tradition. After looking closely at Irish mythology and traditional poetry, students will study the short stories and poems that have evolved from the country’s long struggle to maintain and celebrate its unique and colorful culture. Authors studied include James Joyce, W. B. Yeats, Seamus Heaney, Lady Gregory, J. M. Synge, Oscar Wild, Maurice O’Sullivan, Peig Sayers, Roddy Doyle, Brendan Behan, and Frank McCourt.

0081 Short Stories

Half Year ½ unit Grades 11-12

This course focuses on reading and studying the genre of classic short stories from around the world. Integrated into the course will be the analysis of the short story form, wherein a variety of critical approaches to reading literature will be explored. Students will compare these critical approaches, as well as the authors’ various literary styles. A comparative look at the cinema as it interprets selected short stories will also be explored. As a part of the course assessment, students will participate in group discussions as well as complete creative written and oral projects (short story talks, performances, short story pieces, and oral interpretation).

Half Year ½ unit each Grades 11-12

Prerequisite: Harry Potter I is required before students enter Harry Potter II

*Please note these courses are not approved English courses through the NCAA clearinghouse.

Harry Potter I and II are courses designed to examine the many facets of the magical world created by J.K. Rowling. As a foundational study, the courses will explore the role of mythology in the series. Although the novels lay the groundwork for the course, a study of the books from a literary standpoint will be only part of the overall course work. Students will be required to research, analyze, and create a variety of works in both oral and written assessments. Culminating assessments in HP I include creative assignments and a persuasive research presentation. Students will read the first four books of the series if taking HP I only.

HP II consists of reading the rest of the books of the series, including Tales of Beedle the Bard. As students study the books, they will be required to apply critical perspectives, such as Feminist, Psychological, Historical/Biographical, and Marxist approaches, to their reading. Students will learn about Jung’s psychological concepts of good and evil and explore how this contributes to the allure of these novels. As the books have proven both popular and controversial, students will examine censorship issues surrounding the Harry Potter books. We will also explore allegorical readings of the series. Culminating assessments in HP II include storytelling, the creation of a fictional Hogwarts student’s journal, and a final examination essay.

Science Fiction and the Shaping of American Pop Culture will take a look at literature, film, art, television, music, dance, sports, and other pop culture pieces as a reflection of the time period they came out of. Part I of this course will specifically look at the 1920s-1950s, while Part II of this course will look at the 1960s-2000. Students will complete reading of 2 main texts, along with a myriad of accompanying articles, and they will also watch films and complete a minimum of 2 projects/presentations to prove their understanding of the connection between social and historical events and the pop culture of the era they came from. ​

Half Year ½ unit Grades 11-12

This course is a study of Shakespeare’s comedies and tragi-comedies like Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, and The Winter’s Tale. We will read and view each of the plays to discuss characterization, humor, women’s roles, and theme. Students can expect to write papers, memorize lines, and discuss the plays in an open forum.

Half Year 1/2 unit Grades 11-12

Positivity in Prose: Exploring the Mindset of a Champion is a senior English elective designed to explore the connection between developing mental fortitude and finding success, as exemplified in literary works. Through close reading, analysis, and discussion of various texts, students will examine the role of mindset in the lives of both fictional and real-life figures. In addition to developing critical reading and analytical skills, students will also develop their writing and presentation skills. They will have opportunities to research, write evidence-based essays and deliver presentations on their findings. Assessments in this course are designed to evaluate New York State ELA standards for 11-12 grade students. These standards include the ability to analyze complex literary texts, evaluate multiple perspectives, and effectively communicate ideas through writing and speaking. Students will be evaluated through a variety of assessments, including essays, presentations, and class participation. By the end of this course, students will have a deeper understanding of the role of mindset in achieving lifelong success, as well as a greater appreciation for the power of literature to illuminate important themes and ideas. They will also have honed their critical reading, analytical, writing, and presentation skills, preparing them for success in college and beyond.