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201 English I
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Grade 9: Full Year |
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In the first year of the English program, students acquire a
background in classical mythology.
Following the study of literary themes
and conventions found in mythology, the
students trace these themes and
conventions chronologically in British
poetry and drama in order to understand
and appreciate the literary traditions
of western civilization. Students
develop language skills in vocabulary,
grammar, writing, and oral
communication. During the second
semester, all ninth graders participate
in a field trip to the National Gallery. (1 credit)
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251 Honors English I |
Grade
9: Full Year |
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Prerequisite: Departmental Approval
In addition to the material covered in English I, the students
read Fitzgerald's translation of The
Odyssey, additional short stories,
and critical evaluations of works under
discussion. They present seminars and
do independent study and research. (1
credit)
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202 English II |
Grade
10: Full Year |
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Students continue the study of British Literature, beginning with
Renaissance Literature and progressing
through modern British Literature. Students explore and examine the
traditions of British Literature through
a study of developing genres, such as
the satiric essay, the novel, the modern
short story, and poetry. Students write
several types of literary analyses and
produce individual and group creative
projects. Students learn and practice
research skills by producing a
well-documented paper and add to their
vocabulary word bank. Students continue
their study of language skills begun in
English I. (1 credit)
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252 Honors English II |
Grade
10: Full Year |
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Prerequisite: Departmental Approval
In an expansion of the material covered in English II, students read
more works by the
representative authors, and also critical
works about these authors. Students
explore additional types of literary
analyses, write more modeling
assignments, and
produce additional individual and group
creative projects. (1 credit)
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203 English III |
Grade
11: Full Year |
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Students examine the development of American Literature and
thought, beginning with colonial
literature and progressing through
contemporary American Literature, and
read selected works representing various
genres. They also write critical
analyses of these works and model poetic
style in writing original poetry and
short stories. (1 credit)
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253 Honors English III |
Grade
11: Full Year |
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Prerequisite: Departmental Approval
See Honors Program
Criteria
In addition to the material covered in English III, students read
more complex and sophisticated
selections that extend their abilities
to analyze and respond to techniques of
language and structure. Students read
Sister Carrie, Huckleberry Finn,
Catcher in the
Rye,
and A Farewell to Arms, as well
as many political, personal, satiric,
and critical essays. Students also
interact with each other through group
work, panels, and seminars and
participate in activities that require
them to use the higher cognitive skills
of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Students produce portfolio work. (1 credit)
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217 Advanced Placement English
Language and Composition |
Grade
11: Full Year |
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Prerequisite: Departmental Approval based upon writing portfolio
from second semester sophomore year
See Honors Program Criteria
A.P. English Language and Composition is the equivalent of a
college-level language and composition
course and could yield college credit
depending on the student's final score
on the official A.P. examination and the
requirements of individual colleges. All students taking the course must take
the external advanced placement
examination in the spring.
Students engage in the careful reading of expository prose in
order to understand and analyze
expository prose passages and recast
sentences. Students also develop their
ability to recall and organize
information in an extensive way and
penetrating manner. Students engage in
the study of American Literature
focusing primarily, but not exclusively,
on expository prose. Students prepare to take the
Advanced Placement Exam in Language and
Composition, which is offered in May. (1 credit)
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218 Advanced Placement English
Literature and Composition |
Grade
12: Full Year |
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Prerequisite: Departmental Approval based upon writing portfolio
from second semester junior year
A.P. English Literature and Composition is the equivalent of a college-level
literature course and could yield
college credit depending on the
student's final score on the official
A.P. examination and the requirements of
individual colleges. All students
taking the course must take the external
advanced placement examination in the
spring.
Students engage in the careful reading of literature and the
careful analyses of these works in order
to sharpen their awareness of language
and their understanding of the writer's
craft. Students read each work and
write about it with the critical
awareness of the full range of its
stylistic features, its structure, and
its meaning. Through units on poetry,
the short story, the novel, the drama,
and the essay, students develop critical
standards essential for the independent
appreciation of any literary work and
increase their appreciation of
literature as a shared experience. Students prepare to take the Advanced
Placement Exam in Literature and
Composition, which is offered in May. (1 credit)
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214 Shakespeare |
Grade
12: 1st Semester |
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Students read at least three of Shakespeare’s plays, including
Hamlet, a comedy, and the play under
production at the Shakespeare Theatre
during the first semester. Students
investigate the complex process of
bringing a play into production. They
research the creation of a
theatrical production and undertake some
of the tasks involved in bringing a play
to life, presenting scenes from at least
two plays. Students read critical
essays written about the works under
discussion, write their own analyses,
and maintain journals reflecting the
study of the plays. All students
purchase at least one theater ticket and
watch at least two feature-length movies
on their own time. (1/2 credit)
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219 Women of Mystery |
Grade 12:
1st Semester |
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Students explore the traditions of the Gothic mystery and the
detective tale introduced in the works
of Edgar Allan Poe and developed and
refined by twentieth century women
writers. Students read short stories,
novels, and plays representative of the
Golden Age of this genre, with
particular emphasis in the first quarter
on the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy
Sayers, and Patricia Highsmith. During
the second quarter, students examine the
works of contemporary writers, such as
Ellis Peters, and P.D. James. Students
write critical analyses of these works,
tracing themes and pattern. The
culminating project of the course
requires students to create a detective
character and write the first chapter of
a mystery novel. (1/2 credit)
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224 Visions of the American Dream |
Grade
12: 1st Semester |
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This course looks at a range of responses, both literary and
cinematic, to the theme of the American
Dream. Texts will include The Great
Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald,
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee
Williams, The Hours by Michael
Cunningham, and Digging to America
by Ann Tyler. Films will include El
Norte and Smoke Signals. (1/2
credit)
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229 Drama Queens |
Grade 12: 1st Semester |
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Drama
Queens is a study of literary plays
depicting the challenges faced by a
variety of female protagonists over
several centuries. The first quarter
examines the Cleopatra plays and
differing portrayals of an historic
woman. The second quarter focuses on
humorous, satirical, and sad studies for
the stage which portray women dealing
with concerns of independence, agency,
and the value of their lives. Required
texts: Antony and Cleopatra by
William Shakespeare; Caesar and
Cleopatra by George Bernard Shaw;
She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver
Goldsmith; A Doll's House by
Henrik Ibsen; Major Barbara by
George Bernard Shaw; A Streetcar
Named Desire by Tennessee Williams;
To Be Young, Gifted and Black by
Lorraine Hansberry. It is possible there
may be a substitution of a play for one
produced on the Washington stage during
the semester of the course. (1/2 credit)
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231 Fantastic Realities |
Grade 12: 1st Semester |
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This
survey course examines the genre of
fantastic fiction including the
sub-genres of science fiction and
fantasy. The main focus is on writers of
the Golden Age of the genre, but will
include selections from more
contemporary writers. Students will
submit both written and oral responses
to works of the fascinating but often
neglected literature. Texts: The
Trial by Franz Kafka; 1984 by
George Orwell; Fahrenheit 451 by
Ray Bradbury; Hard-Boiled Wonderland
and The End of the World or The
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Hiruki
Murakami. (1/2 credit)
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226 Creative Writing |
Grade
12: 2nd Semester |
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Prerequisite: Departmental Approval
Students develop their writing skills by studying the components
of poetry and fiction. Students look at
creative writing as a process that
involves reading, writing, and
revision. Students use contemporary
poems and stories as models for
developing their own sense of craft,
style, and voice. Students discuss
their writing in a workshop
environment. The texts include a poetry
anthology and a fiction anthology. (1/2
credit)
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222 Voices: Women Writing About Women |
Grade
12: 2nd Semester |
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Students discover the richly diverse
voices of international women writers
and their origins through essays,
poetry, short stories, and novels in
order to fully appreciate the creation,
composition, and impact of culture and
ethnicity on styles of writing and forms
of expression. Students read works by
contemporary writers, write essays, and
develop presentations, examining both
the distinctive and common elements
contained within these works. (1/2
credit)
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228 An Age of Innocence |
Grade
12: 2nd Semester |
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Students examine the works of two great American writers, Willa
Cather and Edith Wharton. They explore
the themes, styles, and philosophies of
these women and their importance to
American literature. Students discover
each writer’s gift to the American
Voice. As in any literature course,
emphasis falls on close reading and on
written critical analyses of the texts. Works studied may include Song of the
Lark, My Antonia, O
Pioneers, Age of Innocence,
and House of Mirth, as well as
selected short stories. (1/2 credit)
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244 Literary Journalism |
Grade
12: 2nd Semester |
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The
Journalism course explores those
non-fiction writers and works which have
made the most dramatic impact on the
course of American social and political
crises. Students debate the crucial role
freedom of the press plays in preserving
democracy, and the profound sacrifices
and personal risks journalists have
endured to defend "freedom and justice
for all." Against the drama of election
year 2008, students will contribute
newspaper columns, editorials, feature
stories, critical reviews, letter and
field reports to local newspapers and
Crosscurrents under their own by-lines.
(1/2)
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246 Democratic Thought |
Grade
12: 2nd Semester |
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Students read and study works reflecting
the governing choices available to
individuals and societies. They then
trace the emergence of democratic
thoughts and ideals and examine the
conditions necessary for a viable
democracy through reading late twentieth
century works. The course work includes
worksheets, dramatic presentations, and
seminar presentations. (1/2 credit)
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