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Advanced Placement English is designed for highly motivated college-bound seniors who have demonstrated academic excellence and who can master an advanced program of study. This accelerated literature course is taught at the freshman and sophomore college levels. All students will be expected to read American, British, and other World Literature to develop a personal canon that extends beyond the world they think they already know. Students will also be expected to effectively respond to written and oral literature in a way that is meaningful to themselves and the world around them. Often, the question “Why did the author write this?” is just as important as “What is the author showing us about the world?” Student writing will be varied in structure, length, and formality, and students will receive feedback from their instructor and peers in various formats. Students will also be expected to hone their verbal communication skills through formal and informal discussions and various projects and presentations. Effective word choice, interesting sentence structure, effectiveness of argument, and overall ability to be concise, while also being astute and elegant, will all be emphasized, practiced, and mastered in preparation for the AP Exam and college. 

Sophomores: 

Tenth grade English emphasizes learning to think critically and analytically, and to speak and write persuasively.  Success depends in large part on the active participation of each class member in daily work and in class discussion. Obviously, if students are not prepared, and do not participate, they will not develop the skills necessary to be successful in sophomore English and beyond.  This year we will read literary and informational texts as well as study of rhetoric and persuasion through thematically connected content.  Writing will give most attention to argumentative and informative/explanatory writing and literary explication.   Other content will include academic and domain-specific vocabulary lists to build reading comprehension for higher level academics and the SAT and ACT.  The course will also promote speaking and listening skills through class discussions and presentations.

Speech Students - Oral and Written Communication - 

Oral and Written Communications 450-451 (aka Speech) is an academic elective designed to help students learn best practices in public speaking, writing, formal, and informal communication.  This class is fun, interesting, and is a class that will certainly help students in other areas of academics and in college and careers.  The class will be centered on Informational Speaking 1^st semester and Persuasive Speaking 2^nd semester.  We will complete learning and practice activities, formal speaking activities, hear from guest speakers, and participate in collaborative projects with peers.