ENGLISH

Mindhunter star and 2004 Analy alum Cameron Britton shares his journey from Analy to Hollywood and does a Q&A with Drama, Video, and Film & Literature students.

Staff Information

COURSE OFFERINGS

#A11009-ENGLISH 9 - Grades 9

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: English

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • Prerequisites: None. Students are concurrently enrolled in Global Studies

In this college preparatory class, students learn foundational skills of reading, writing, and speaking/listening. English 9 students read The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Night, Kindred, and Tuesdays with Morrie as well as poetry, short stories, and essays. Independent reading and multicultural literature circles are hallmarks. Writing instruction includes narration (autobiographical), literary analysis and argumentation (advocacy). Autobiographical essays focus on sensory details to enrich the narrative. The argumentative and literary essays focus on effective thesis sentences, cohesive body paragraphs with supporting details, cited quotations followed by analysis. Students write a letter to an authentic audience. The 9th grade year includes introduction to research, Modern Language Association (MLA) documentation, and media literacy, specifically digital citizenry and plagiarism. Ninth graders participate in Socratic seminars and oral presentations.

#A11109-ENGLISH 9 SUPPORT - Grades 9

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: English

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • Prerequisites: None.

Designed to support struggling readers, the course follows the English 9 curriculum at a slower pace. The class size is reduced to increase teacher to student ratio, so students receive more one-on-one instruction. Focus of the course is on the fundamentals of English: reading comprehension and writing development.

#A12010-ENGLISH 10 - Grades 10

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: English

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • Prerequisites: None.

Tenth grade English builds from the previous year in reading and writing. This course will provide students with a deeper dive into writing and literature analysis, building off what was learned in ninth grade. Through various assignments, discussions, and activities, written and oral communication skills will grow as well. The literature assignments promote the development of reading comprehension and skill, as well as application to real-world experiences. English 10 students continue to focus on analysis, argumentative, and citation of supporting details in their writing practice. Core literary selections include: Fahrenheit 451, Into the Wild, Animal Farm, Life of Pi, a Shakespearean play, (Julius Caesar or A Midsummer’s Night Dream), various texts through the use of literary circles; and various short stories, essays & poems concurrent with the curriculum. Students will also complete an argumentative research project using Modern Language Association (MLA) format and documentation as shown in the Handbook of Written English. Review of the 9th grade essays precedes introduction of the sophomore core essays: speculation of causes and/or effects, the reflective or evaluative essay & the persuasive essay. Oral presentations, informal & formal, are extended from the 9th grade level.

#A12120-ENGLISH 10H - Grades 10

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: English

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • Prerequisites: "B" or higher in both semesters of English 9 or by special recommendation.

English 10 Honors is a rigorous English course designed for sophomore students to more deeply engage literary and rhetorical study. Curriculum content and expectations in this class are pre-AP level and are significantly more rigorous than what was expected in English 9. Literary analysis and development of the essay will be emphasized while students read fiction novels, short stories, poetry, and nonfiction essays and articles. Students in English Honors are expected to take an active and constructive part in class activities and discussions. Students will be expected to deliver an analysis of poetry to the class over the course of the first semester. Additionally, students will be writing several formal, multi-draft and in-class essays that focus on literary and rhetorical analysis. The many writing assignments over the course of the year will culminate in a major 4th quarter final writing project.

#A13011-ENGLISH 11 - Grades 11

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: English

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • Prerequisites: None

English 11 is a rigorous college prep English class designed to build on literary study and analysis from 10th grade level. Readings focus on the multitude of American identities and experiences. Over the course of this year, students will be utilizing several class texts to meet the requirements set forth in the California Common Core Standards for English. There is an increased focus on rhetorical analysis through the study of texts, speeches, and contemporary argument in addition to American literature, which may include The Crucible, The Great Gatsby, The Things They Carried, Handmaid’s Tale, The Road, 1984, and shorter works. Students will practice writing both literary and research essays as well as persuasive speeches, informative presentations, and on-demand writing.

#A14112-ENGLISH 12 EXPOSITORY READING & WRITING - Grades 12

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: English

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • Prerequisites: None

Writing of a personal statement, synthesized argument, and original poetry are focal points of the course.In addition to short fiction pieces and poetry, students will read three long-format texts: a Shakespearean play, non-fiction work and fictional novel. As an Expository Reading, Writing and Composition (ERWC)course, students are prepared to meet the reading and writing demands of college. Students read a variety of expository, analytical and argumentative texts, and study the link between authors’ arguments, their audience and their purpose.

#A17200-FILM AND LITERATURE- Grades 11-12

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: English

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • Prerequisites: None

This college preparatory English course focuses on the role of media; film, television, news, media, and technology, in the world today and uses seminal texts of literature to further analyze media and media influence. Literature is used as the source material along with new media as the basis for the study of literary devices such as theme, satire, point of view, tone, as well as the use of figurative devices. Advanced reading, writing and speaking and listening Skills are covered. This course may be taken one time in lieu of English 11 or English 12.

#A15023-AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION- Grades 11-12

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: English

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • Prerequisites: Recommended "B" or better in current English

The AP English Language and Composition course targets evidence-based analytic and argumentative writing and the rhetorical analysis of fiction and nonfiction texts such as articles, essays, speeches, and contemporary media. Students learn the basics of argument analysis and construction while researching contemporary issues and current events in preparation for classroom debates and symposiums. In addition, students are coached on how to be successful in on-demand writing situations such as SAT and AP exams. Non-fiction readings are complemented by the study of two or more works of fiction. Students are required to take the AP Language and Composition test (or AP style spring final) in May. If passed, the test provides students with college credit in English at the discretion of the evaluating college or university. This course may be taken one time in lieu of English 11 or English 12.

#A15023-AP ENGLISH LITERATURE- Grades 12

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: English

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • Prerequisites: Recommended "B" or better in current English

This course is designed to instruct students in the basics of formal written and oral literary analysis through application and analysis of literary strategies and modes. Students will explore different types of writing: poetry, short fiction, the novel, and plays. Some possible texts to read include Invisible Man, The Heart of Darkness, The Handmaid’s Tale, The importance of Being Earnest, and a Shakespearian play.

#A18000-ENGLISH CULTURE-FOOD AND LITERATURE & CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'- Grades 11-12

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: English

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • Prerequisites: Recommended "B" or better in current English

First course will focus on food in literature and the human relationship with food. Over the course of the year the class will read literature and write on topics that deal with our physiological, personal, cultural, social, historical, agricultural, and economic relationship to food. This course may be taken one time in lieu of one semester of English 11 or English 12.

Second will be two perspectives of CA: one focuses on California as a tropical paradise, the end point of Manifest Destiny, the land of sunshine and surf, a place where people find stardom, where people reinvent themselves, a place of refuge and sanctuary, of cultural synthesis, and a place of ideal opportunity. In contrast, another perspective views California as a dystopia, a site of earthquakes, El Nino, environmental pollution, race riots, unwanted immigration, poor public education, superficial celebrities, fiscal irresponsibility, overcrowded prisons, and popular fads that come and go like the next one-hit wonder. We will examine the expression of these contrasting views primarily in the field of literature, but also within the realms of history, geography, politics, urban development, public policy, popular culture, food, language, advertising, television, and film. In addition to these two major perspectives, this course has more recently evolved into an ongoing examination of the newer experiences and definitions of California as manifested in the changing voices, places, myths, policies, and trends of our golden state. This course may be taken one time in lieu of one semester of English 11 or English 12.

#A18001-ENGLISH CREATIVITY-VILLAINY IN LITERATURE AND CREATIVE WRITING - Grades 11-12

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: English

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • Prerequisites: Recommended "B" or better in current English

First course is Villainy in Literature which will explore the “dark side” of the human character. In this course, we will read novels, plays, poetry, short stories and essays as a way to speak and write about the nature of evil. We will explore society and the human mind in order to discover what makes people do wrong, and we will study the impact of retribution, both individual and societal, for wrongs done. What does it take to be a villain? What is the source of evil? Who is to blame if one engages in villainous activities—the individual? Society? The family/ neighborhood/ environment in which the person is raised? Are we villains if we do not actively confront evil? Is redemption possible? Texts may include The Inferno, Hamlet, Crime and Punishment, Heart of Darkness, Native Son and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. This course may be taken one time in lieu of one semester of English 11 or English 12.

Second course will introduce students to the fundamentals of crafting poetry and fiction through a combination of literary analysis, workshop, and class discussions. Students will develop their unique writing voice and then apply it across genres. This is a course for experimentation, exploration, and for cultivating an appreciation for the nuances of written language–a course for those interested in writing as an artform. At the end of the semester, all students will have completed a literary analysis essay, a craft essay, a thoroughly edited short story, and a themed poetry collection. There will also be ample opportunities for literary journal and contest submissions, as well an opportunity to read completed work out loud at a formal, public event. This course may be taken one time in lieu of one semester of English 11 or English 12.

#A18004-ENGLISH SOCIETY-RACE, CLASS, & GENDER IN MODERN AMERICAN LITERATURE & CRITICAL THINKING- Grades 11-12

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: English

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • Prerequisites: Recommended "B" or better in current English

First course will be American literature that examines the complex interdependence of three categories of analysis: race, class, and gender. Beginning in 1954 with the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education and continuing through the present day, students consider issues such as affirmative action, migrant worker rights, gender discrimination in education and the workplace, gay marriage, and the plight of the working poor via fiction and non-fiction readings. This course may be taken one time in lieu of one semester of English 11 or English 12.

Second course is designed to examine how a sequence of thought is well organized or chaotic, sound or flawed, and what the real-life consequences of a certain trajectory of assumptions and conclusions are. In this course we will focus on the history of thinking surrounding contemporary issues and concepts such as crime and punishment, and the philosophical principles behind the construction of the modern prison, among other topics. Students will learn basic principles of rhetorical appeal, warrants, syllogism, logical fallacy, and argumentative lines of reasoning. This course may be taken one time in lieu of one semester of English 11 or English 12.

#Z17000-AP CAPSTONE SEMINAR- Grades 10-12

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: Elective

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • 11th Prerequisites: Suggested Concurrent Enrollment in AP Lang & Comp.

  • 10th Prerequisites: None

This course, a prerequisite to AP Research, and a requirement for the AP Capstone Diploma Program is designed to instruct students in the foundations and frameworks of original research. Students will develop in depth research skills as well as learn quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research design. Students will research, write, and present original arguments in both partner and individual formats. Seniors may take this course as an elective course, space permitting. However, they will not be eligible for a Capstone diploma.

#Z17001-AP CAPSTONE RESEARCH- Grades 12

  • Length: Year

  • Credits: 10

  • High School Subject Area: Elective

  • UC Subject Area: B

  • Prerequisites: Successful passage of AP Seminar

This course, a requirement for the AP Capstone Diploma Program, and College Preparatory Elective: Interdisciplinary, is designed to allow students to conduct a year-long original research project. Students will employ quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods research design. Students will design, implement, and present original research as an individual format. This course does not satisfy the UC or high school English requirement. Students must take a 12th grade English class.