Course Catalog

English 1 builds upon the skills developed in middle school. Students read from a wide variety of informational texts and analyze the organizational patterns, arguments, and positions advanced. They conduct in depth analyses of recurrent patterns and themes in historically and culturally significant literary texts. As they read, students apply their knowledge of word origins to determine the meaning of new words encountered in reading materials and use those words accurately. Students combine the rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion, and description to produce texts of at least 1,500 words each, and write coherent and focused essays that convey a well-defined perspective and tightly reasoned argument. Students deliver polished formal and extemporaneous presentations that combine the traditional rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion, and description.

In English 2, students expand upon the skills developed in English 1. Students identify and use the literal and figurative meanings of words, understand word derivations, and distinguish between the denotative and connotative meanings of words. They engage in literary criticism by evaluating the aesthetic qualities of style, including the impact of diction and figurative language on tone, mood, and theme, using the terminology of literary criticism, and by analyzing the way in which a work of literature is related to the themes and issues of its historical period. Students generate clear research questions and use suitable research methods to synthesize information from multiple sources, identify complexities and discrepancies in information, and develop the main ideas within the body of their own composition through the use of supporting evidence.

English 3 focuses on American Literature, beginning with early settlers and extending through the modern and contemporary periods. Students continue to develop their vocabulary by tracing the etymology of significant terms used in political science and history, and applying knowledge of Greek, Latin, and Anglo-Saxon roots and affixes to draw inferences concerning the meaning of scientific and mathematical terminology. Students conduct in depth analyses of recurrent themes in historically and culturally significant literature. Additionally, they write fictional, autobiographical, and biographical narratives, responses to literature, reflective compositions, and investigative reports.

By grade twelve, students read two million words annually, including a wide variety of classic and contemporary literature, magazines, newspapers, and online information. English 4 focuses on British literature, beginning with the Anglo-Saxons and extending through modern and contemporary literature. Students analyze both the features and the rhetorical devices of different types of public documents; analyze the way in which clarity of meaning is affected by the patterns of organization, hierarchical structures, repetition of the main ideas, syntax, and word choice in the text; and critique the power, validity, and truthfulness of arguments set forth in public documents. They will write clear, coherent essays that contrast the major literary forms, techniques, and characteristics of the major literary periods; relate literary works and authors to the major themes and issues of their eras; and evaluate the philosophical, political, religious, ethical, and social influences of the historical period that shaped the characters, plots, and settings.

The Creative Writing course imparts the techniques of the writing craft, nurturing creativity and fostering experimentation. Students have the opportunity to explore a variety of prompts and gain insight from samples crafted by prominent contemporary authors.

In our Journalism course, students acquire vital investigative skills and master the art of crafting compelling reports across diverse domains. Through hands-on experience, they learn to gather sources, manage information, and explore outstanding works from the world of journalism.

The AP English Language and Composition course focuses on the development and revision of evidence-based analytic and argumentative writing, the rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts, and the decisions writers make as they compose and revise. Students evaluate, synthesize, and cite research to support their arguments. Additionally, they read and analyze rhetorical elements and their effects in nonfiction texts—including images as forms of text— from a range of disciplines and historical periods. (College Board, 2022)

The AP English Literature and Composition course focuses on reading, analyzing, and writing about imaginative literature (fiction, poetry, drama) from various periods. Students engage in close reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature to deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure. As they read, students consider a work’s structure, style, and themes, as well as its use of figurative language, imagery, and symbolism. Writing assignments include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays that require students to analyze and interpret literary works. (College Board, 2022)

Pre-Algebra serves as a bridge between basic arithmetic and more advanced algebra, preparing students for concepts like linear equations, inequalities, and more complex mathematical operations. It provides a strong mathematical foundation for further studies in algebra and beyond.

The fundamental purpose of the Algebra I course is to formalize and extend the mathematics that students learned in the middle grades. Students will analyze and explain the process of solving an equation, justify the process used in solving a system of equations, and develop fluency in writing, interpreting, and translating among various forms of linear equations and inequalities. Students will learn function notation and develop the concepts of domain and range; focus on linear, quadratic, and exponential functions, including sequences; they will also explore absolute value, step, and piecewise-defined functions. Lastly, students will strengthen their ability to see structure in and create quadratic and exponential expressions by extending the laws of exponents to rational exponents involving square and cube roots.

In Algebra II, students build on their work with linear, quadratic, and exponential functions to include an understanding of logarithmic, polynomial, rational, and radical functions. In this course, students will relate arithmetic of rational expressions to arithmetic of rational numbers; expand understandings of functions and graphing to include trigonometric functions; synthesize and generalize functions and extend understanding of exponential functions to logarithmic functions; and relate data display and summary statistics to probability and explore a variety of data collection methods.

The fundamental purpose of the Geometry course is to formalize and extend students’ geometric experiences from the middle grades. In this Geometry course, students explore more complex geometric situations and deepen their explanations of geometric relationships, presenting and hearing formal mathematical arguments. Students will establish criteria for congruence of triangles based on rigid motions; establish criteria for similarity of triangles based on dilations and proportional reasoning; informally develop explanations of circumference, area, and volume formulas; apply the Pythagorean Theorem to the coordinate plane; and prove basic geometric theorems.