Courses described in detail here are all ones for which I originated curriculum. In addition, I have taught English 11, English 11 Honors, English 12, and Post Modern American Poetry.
The English 9 Honors curriculum is designed for incoming freshmen who demonstrate excellence in the language arts. It is an upper level college preparatory course and is the first in a sequence to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Exams to be given in grades 11 and 12. Emphasis is placed on critical reading and writing skills through the close evaluation of literary works and the development of strong voice, textual support, and organization writing. Curriculum has been redesigned with Common Core Standards in mind, and students take a sample CCELA Regents examination.
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Writer’s Workshop focuses on writing skills for students of all levels. The course develops abilities essential to the creation of vivid prose. Process based writing is used to help students develop ideas through multiple revisions. Students will create a portfolio of traditional academic and literary writing including a college application essay, research pieces, personal essays, textual analyses, and original literature. Selected pieces will published within the school and submitted for publication elsewhere.
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Film & Fiction: In this highly demanding academic course, students study classic works of American and international cinema and literature. From silent films of the 1920’s to post modern classics, students will develop skills necessary to analyze and interpret the expressive techniques employed by filmmakers and authors. Each genre based unit will integrate intensive writing with artistic projects that explore the ways various media express meaning. |
Imaginary worlds are central to our literary tradition. From children’s fantasy such as Alice in Wonderland to sweeping sagas such as Frank Herbert’s Dune or Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings, authors have transported readers to other realities; worlds with beings, locales, and even scientific laws different from our own. “Literature of the Imagination” explores the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, investigating what they have to say about our society and humanity’s role on (and off) our planet. The course traces the history and significant themes of the genres tracing back to the earliest days of written literature. Relationships between literature and science are also examined. Students write their own story and complete a research project over the semester.
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"Hardboiled": American Detective Fiction: While the expatriate writers of the twenties were creating classic novels, there was another group of writers who arguably had a greater influence on American culture. Authors such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and James M. Cain were writing mysteries and thrillers that changed the face of American film and gave rise to the iconographic “hard-boiled” detective. While often dismissed by the critical press of their day, the influence of these authors is becoming widely recognized by modern scholars. This course examines the development of the mystery novel as a genre as students read representative works by these and other authors. The influence of the detective story on film and culture will play a central role in the course. Students write their own detective story and develop a research project on an author. In addition, students will develop an understanding of American popular culture as a “readable text.”
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Writing for the Stage is designed for students who have an interest in original creative writing for theatrical production. It may be taken as a senior English elective and is recommended for students pursuing a theatre sequence. Students will explore the fundamental techniques of theatrical writing and storytelling as a basis for developing performance-ready pieces. Students will write monologues, dialogues, short scenes and one-act plays. In addition students will read and evaluate a number of classic and modern plays to expand their understanding of what comprises works written for the stage. As a final project, each student will plan and complete an original work to be presented for an audience. Students will also have the opportunity to attend professional productions and speak with visiting artists when possible.
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CTE English is an innovative English 12 course embedded in the Construction Practicum course provided by our Technology Department. As students work on projects, their ELA standards are met through research, writing, reading, and presentations that tie directly to their hands-on activities. The course culminates with a capstone project with a construction technology component and an ELA component presented in the style of the thesis defense. View student web portfolios here. Note that many of these portfolios are works-in-progress.
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