Upon completion of the English Language Arts program, students will have experienced integrated instruction in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, as they relate to national and NYS standards. In addition, students will have acquired the skills to transmit information, to understand relationships, and to communicate ideas, opinions, and values to others. Students will have experienced the power and beauty of the English language as a reflection of the human condition as well. Furthermore, they will be taught how to become well-informed lifelong readers and writers instilled with a sensitivity, awareness, and appreciation for the written word. Lastly, but certainly not least in importance, students will have been taught how to apply the standards of written English in their writing and in their speaking.

English 7
Grade 7 
The seventh-grade English curriculum focuses on meeting NYS Standards through the study of literature and nonfiction texts and composition and argument. Through the instruction of academic and contextual vocabulary and grammar and usage when writing or speaking, students will become more effective communicators and hone their reading, writing, and research skills.

English 8
Grade 8 
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an eighth-grade English education in accordance with  NYS standards. They will learn how to access, interpret, and write about literature and informational texts in class and at home. In addition, they will acquire skills to look beyond the literal meaning of written pieces and to identify an author’s deeper purpose. Students will learn to articulate their interpretations in well-written compositions and arguments. Students will study both grammar and vocabulary in context of reading and writing.

English 8 Honors
Grade 8
This course serves as the first honors course offered in the English department and uses a Humanities based approach, asking students to grapple with historical events and topics, while incorporating all needed literacy and language skills. Thematic units focusing on the exploration of the human condition allow for deep analysis of classic and contemporary texts of varying genres. Writing workshops address all grade-level standards, with a focus on nonfiction writing. 

Prerequisite: Students must have an overall A average of 90% or higher in their previous English class or have earned the approval of the English Committee, based on samples of student writing indicative of strong style, including voice, insight, development, precision, and clarity. Additionally, students must meet the standards of The Work Habits Rubric. Please note that an 85% average must be maintained throughout the course of the year to be considered for admittance to the next honors course. 

English 9
Grade 9, 1 Credit 
Students at this level work on developing sophisticated thinking, reading, writing and speaking skills associated with the NYS standards. During freshman year, students are taught to respond insightfully with respect to the content and craft of both informational and literary texts. Academic vocabulary is taught to foster college preparedness. Additionally, students will continue to hone their writing skills, with a concentrated focus on providing and evaluating evidence to support their claims or arguments to a variety of genres. *NCAAApproved

English 9  Honors
Grade 9, 1 Credit
This course permits the highly motivated student to conduct a deeper study of informational texts, literary genres, and effective communication skills as outlined by the NYS Standards. This will be accomplished through the exploration of texts through a Humanities based lens, rooted in interdisciplinary reading material. Consequently, students will study classic and contemporary texts from around the globe. Prerequisite: Students must have an overall average of 90% or higher in their previous English class or have earned the approval of the English Committee, based on samples of student writing indicative of strong style including voice, insight, development, precision, and clarity. Please note that an 85% average must be maintained throughout the course of the year to be considered for admittance to the next honors course. Additionally, students must meet the standards of The Work Habits Rubric. *NCAA Approved 

English 10
Grade 10, 1 Credit
Students will engage in close readings of both literary and informational texts with the purpose of analyzing content and style with an ever-advancing critical perspective. Reading and writing assignments reflect the constant emphasis on the employment of text-based evidence to support assertions, as well as in the focus on building and strengthening students’ analytic and persuasive skills. Argumentative writing and research skills are further developed through informational genre studies. Most importantly, the art of essay writing will be honed and discussed in terms of focus, clarity, transition-making, logic of structure, and organization of ideas. Grammar, mechanics, and usage will be reviewed in preparation for the PSAT, SAT, and the NYS English Regents, which will be administered in the students’ junior year. *NCAA Approved

AP Seminar/English 10 Honors
Grade 10, 1 Credit
AP Seminar is a foundational course that engages students in cross-curricular conversations that explore the complexities of academic and real-world topics and issues by analyzing divergent perspectives. Using an inquiry framework, students practice reading and analyzing articles, research studies, and foundational, literary, and philosophical texts; listening to and viewing speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances. Students learn to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual presentations, both individually and as part of a team. Ultimately, the course aims to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in-order-to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments.
 

Prerequisite: Students must have an overall average of 90% or higher in their previous English class or have earned the approval of the English Committee, based on samples of student writing indicative of strong style including voice, insight, development, precision, and clarity. Please note that an 85% average must be maintained throughout the course of the year to be considered for admittance to the next honors course. Additionally, students must meet the standards of The Work Habits Rubric. *NCAA Approved 
 
English 11
Grade 11, 1 Credit 
This course is based upon the NYS Standards for the eleventh grade. It provides a strong background and review in academic vocabulary, conventions of standard English, and skills associated with multiple genres of reading and writing. Both informational and literary texts are employed to meet these needs as suggested by the NYS Standards and the New York State Education Department. The major examination is the NYS English Regents which students must pass to graduate. Students are also responsible to seriously prepare for a midterm and college entrance examinations as well. *NCAA Approved 

Senior English
Grade 12, 1 Credit 
This course aims to prepare students for their college and career paths. Through the essential question: What forces shape an individual’s identity? students will explore one of the most widely recognized themes in literature. Students will quickly find that the search for identity has long been a universal theme of literature and a quest that unites the experience of all of humanity. This course aims to use this high interest angle to foster an exploration of self as an individual, learner, reader, researcher, speaker, and writer. *NCAA Approved 
 
The Evolution of Storytelling in Video Games
Grades 9-12,  1 Credit
This elective course draws upon critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication, and intends to investigate the role of traditional storytelling and the evolution of the immersive gaming experience. It will look at the history, cultural significance, and future of the field of gaming. Great games are simply great stories and narratives that immerse their players in carefully created digital, text-rich worlds. In a broad sense, gaming is comprised of four types of storytelling (Textbook, Cut-scenes, Dialogue, and Environmental Storytelling). This course aims to look at each and how these have created one of the most interactive and rich literary experiences in today's digital world, all while drawing upon the classical story elements that have been long analyzed in the traditional English classroom. The beginning of the course will be dedicated to tracing the history and steps gaming has taken over the better part of the last century. The course will then shift and look to the elements that have made video games into a diverse medium of literacy and art. Students will then create their own narrative for an original game. While this course will look briefly at the rise of eSports and the industry’s rise to the top of the entertainment world, it will culminate with a look to the future of storytelling and its immersive experiences, in which students grapple with complex analyses and arguments regarding gaming, its role in society, and its future.
 
Broadcast/Communications
Grades 10-12, ½ Credit 
This elective runs for a half year and meets every other day. The course is open to 10th-12th graders who want to gain confidence as presenters for a mass audience and learn current technology for broadcast communications. Embedded in the curriculum is the art of public speaking, in which students will gradually hone their public speaking skill, learning the fundamentals of both verbal and nonverbal communication. While working on a digital platform, students will write, speak, and create media to inform and engaging an audience.
 

Digital Communications: Establishing a Positive On-Line Presence
Grades 10-12, 1 Credit
This full year elective course will teach students the skills to create high-quality on-line content. Over the course of the year, students will create content for: a webpage, a YouTube channel, a podcast, and a blog. The course teaches students to establish a personal on-line presence that highlights one’s interests, knowledge, and talents to contribute positive and helpful content to the web. More than ever, one’s on-line presence serves as a resume that may serve students well as they enter college and/or show potential employers who they are and what they can do. Strong computer and writing skills suggested, but not required.

A Dream Deferred: American Immigrant Experience through Multiple Lenses     
Grades 10-12,  ½ Credit
This course seeks to examine the American immigrant experience through multiple lenses, with the analysis of various literary texts at the core of this work. Immigration is an integral and complicated part of American history, and it continues to be both controversial and a point of pride, distinguishing us from any other nation around the world. The course will be structured around a series of literature circles where students will be able to choose with which texts they would like to engage. Each literature circle will culminate in project-based assessments that will give students an opportunity to share the insights they gleaned from their chosen text. As a whole class, students will also read various shorter texts: short stories, poems, articles, etc. that will illuminate the motifs and themes that both differentiate and bind these experiences together. 

Short Story/Creative Writing
Grade 12, 1 Credit 
This elective runs as a full year Senior English course with the first half of the year focused on Short Story. Short Story prepares college-bound students who enjoy reading short stories from a variety of styles, time periods, genres, gender perspectives, and cultures. Selections from such authors as Tolstoy, Crane, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Chopin, Hawthorne, King, and others portray this wide variety. Assigned stories will be primarily from the Norton Anthology of Short Fiction; however, selections from other texts, such as a recent edition of the annual contemporary anthology, The Best American Short Stories, will offer students both a curriculum of the classics as well as the best of contemporary authors. Students will read and write assignments very likely to be revisited in college. The second half of the year focuses on Creative Writing, which teaches the writer’s craft and explores the nuances of language that establish voice and style. Through scaffolded instruction, students will employ both literary and rhetorical tools of the craft through practice and guided instruction. Students will model and evaluate exemplum works. In addition, students will also learn how to be creative when writing for a specific purpose, such as research papers and creative nonfiction essays. All students are expected to share, present, and publish writing. All grades will be determined from the quantity and quality of formal written pieces, in addition to homework and classwork assignments. 
 
Advanced Placement English: Language and Composition                                
Grade 11, 1 Credit
This AP college-level course is designed to provide instruction and assignments which require students to read critically and carefully analyze a wide variety of challenging non-fiction selections. Through close reading and frequent writing, students deepen their understanding of rhetoric and language, while strengthening their own ability to write for a variety of purposes and audiences. To maintain the standards required for success on the AP Exam in May, students must maintain an average of 85% or above. If a quarter grade falls below 85, a conference will be held to discuss current or alternate placement. AP Courses offer students an opportunity to take a course taught on a college level. Both enrichment and college credit are available to the dedicated student. Intensive classroom work, independent study and research are an integral part of the classroom. Students must take the AP exam to receive weighted course credit: If a student doesn’t take the exam, it’s not possible to tell if he/she learned the content one would expect of an AP course. Requiring a student to take the exam ensures that the grade in the class is aligned with the student’s mastery of the course content knowledge. Students are expected to pay the associated College Board for fee for the exam. *NCAA Approved 

Prerequisites: The student must earn at least a 90% average for the year in English 10H or a 90% average in English 10. Please note that an 85% average must be maintained throughout the course of the year in to be considered for admittance to the next AP course. The student must be recommended for AP English by his or her teacher according to the Work Habits Rubric. The student’s writing must exceed the Rubric for a Regents based class and meet the standards of an AP rubric. The student must have demonstrated a high interest and aptitude in reading. The student must receive approval of his/her writing sample(s) and records from the AP Committee. Students are required to read three texts related to their course of study. A letter will be sent home specifying the reading list and outlining the written assignment. 

Advanced Placement English: Literature and Composition                                    
Grade 12, 1 Credit
The AP college-level course in English Literature and Composition engages students in careful reading of literary works. Through such study, they sharpen their awareness of language and their understanding of the writer’s craft. They develop critical standards for the independent appreciation of any literary work, and they increase their sensitivity to literature as shared experiences. Students study the individual work, its language, characters, actions, and themes. They consider its structure, meaning and value, and its relationship to contemporary experience, as well as to the time in which it was written. To maintain the standards required for success on the AP Exam in May, students must maintain an average of 85% or above. If a quarter grade falls below 85, a conference will be held to discuss current or alternate placement. AP Courses offer students an opportunity to take a course taught on a college level. Both enrichment and college credit are available to the dedicated student. Intensive classroom work, independent study and research are an integral part of the classroom. Students must take the AP exam to receive weighted course credit: If a student doesn’t take the exam, it’s not possible to tell if he/she learned the content one would expect of an AP course. Requiring a student to take the exam ensures that the grade in the class is aligned with the student’s mastery of the course content knowledge. Students are expected to pay the associated College Board for fee for the exam. *NCAA Approved 

Prerequisites: The student must earn at least an 85% average for the year in 11th Grade AP Language & Composition or a 90% average in English 11. Please note that an 85% average must be maintained throughout the course of the year to remain in the course. The student must be recommended for AP English by his or her teacher according to the Work Habits Rubric. The student’s writing must exceed the Rubric for a Regents based class and meet the standards of an AP rubric. The student must have demonstrated a high interest and aptitude in reading. The student must receive approval of his/her writing sample(s) and records from the AP Committee. Students are required to read three texts related to their course of study. A letter will be sent home specifying the reading list and outlining the written assignment.