Pages - English

The English Department trains students in the use of the English language through analyzing literature, writing well-constructed pieces, and speaking according to standard conventions.

Curriculum

Students must complete 4.0 English credits for graduation. They must complete the PLAN tests as 10th graders, and must complete the state-required PSAE exam as 11th graders.

Courses
Freshman Courses, Sophomore Courses, Junior Courses, Senior Courses

9th GRADE

Course Title: ENGLISH 1
Grade: 9 Length: Full Year Credit: 1 Fee: None
Prerequisite: None

English 1 introduces students to reading and writing skills needed for high school by focusing on the theme of challenges and choices. Students will establish their four-year writing portfolios by summarizing, paraphrasing, analyzing, and interpreting the elements and mechanics of short stories, nonfiction selections, poetry, drama, and the novel.

Course Title: ENGLISH 1 HONORS
Grade: 9 Length: Full Year Credit: 1 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Lead Teacher or Guidance Counselor recommendation.

English 1 Honors is recommended for the college-bound student whose abilities and interests warrant an especially rigorous course of study. Studies focus on the core elements of literature using a variety of genres and forms, as well building the foundations needed for college-level academic writing. Successful students are encouraged to register for English 2 Honors the following year.

10th GRADE

Course Title: ENGLISH 2
Grade: 10 Length: Full Year Credit: 1 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 1 or English 1 Honors

By studying universal cultures and archetypes, English 2 students add to their four-year portfolios by writing literary analyses and argumentative essays based upon a variety of literary genres and forms, as well as one research-based assignment. Literary genres are expanded to include myths and legends, personal essays, tragic drama, poetry, and the novel.

Course Title: ENGLISH 2 HONORS
Grade: 10 Length: Full Year Credit: 1 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Lead Teacher or Guidance Counselor recommendation.

Designed for college-bound students whose skills and abilities warrant working at a rigorous pace, English 2 Honors focuses on advancing critical thinking skills through intense study of a variety of literary archetypes. Essays focus upon critical literary analyses and creating arguments about literary themes, culminating in a major research essay during the 2nd semester. Successful students are encouraged to register for AP Language & Composition for the following year.

11th GRADE

Course Title: ENGLISH 3
Grade: 11 Length: Year Credit: 1 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 2 or English 2 Honors

English 3 is a junior-year course that focuses on the theme of what it means to be American. A variety of literary forms are studied, and the four-year portfolio is expanded with essays that focus on analysis and arguments about literature, as well as research-based writing.

Course Title: AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION (Honors Credit)
Grade: 11 Length: Year Credit: 1 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 2 or English 2 Honors

Recommended for any student willing to work towards college level instruction, AP English Language & Composition is a full year course designed to instruct students in the art of identifying, analyzing, and utilizing the power of rhetorical form to write in several modes. To this end, the course will focus on selections that are designed to give students opportunities to identify and explain an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques, as well as how various effects are achieved by the writer’s linguistic and rhetorical choices. Students will take the AP exam for possible college credit or advanced college placement during the second semester. Successful students are encouraged to apply for AP English Literature & Composition the following year.

12th GRADE

NOTE: To fulfill the 12th grade English requirement, students must choose between one literature elective and one writing elective, a full year of English 4, or a full year of AP Literature & Composition.

Course Title: ENGLISH 4
Grade: 12 Length: Year Credit: 1 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 3 or AP Language & Composition

Designed to give students insight in how to use literary studies and writing skills past high school, students in English 4 will examine the growth and progress of the previous English courses. Literary themes will focus on understanding cultures around the world through representative literature, as well as applying analysis, argumentative, and research skills to real-world scenarios. Successful students will complete the course with a resume, cover letters, mass-media reviews, and other projects used in a post-high school environment.

Course Title: AP ENGLISH LITERATURE & COMPOSITION (Honors Credit)
Grade: 12 Length: Year Credit: 1 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 3 or AP Language & Composition.

Recommended for any student willing to work at the college level, AP English Literature & Composition requires a student to engage in a careful and analytical reading of various types of literature. From this evaluative reading, students heighten their understanding of literature. Using critical standards, students study individual works in order to understand the manipulation of language. Historical and analytical aspects are studied and applied to further enhance the reading experience. Students will take the AP exam for possible college credit or advanced placement during the second semester.

12th GRADE – LITERATURE ELECTIVES

Course Title: MYTHOLOGY AND FANTASY
Grade: 12 Length: 1 semester Credit: .5 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 3 and teacher recommendation

This course covers Greek and Roman myths as well as myths and legends from various world cultures, including: Asian, African, and Native American. In addition, Arthurian legends and recent fantasy works such as The Hobbit are studied.

Course Title: POETRY
Grade: 12 Length: 1 Semester Credit: .5 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 3 and teacher recommendation

This course will cover various types of poetry, focusing on interpretation through a variety of poetic techniques. In addition, students will, on occasion, write their own poetry, mimicking types and styles covered in class.

Course Title: SCIENCE FICTION
Grade: 12 Length: 1 Semester Credit .5 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 3 and teacher recommendation

This course is designed for students of all ability levels who like to read and enjoy literature of the science fiction and fantasy genre. The course will examine common themes of science fiction literature such as human development, robotics, future education, and artificial intelligence. In addition to short stories and novels, science-fiction films will also be studied as works of literature. Some authors whose works may be covered are: H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Orson Scott Card, Larry Niven, Roger Zelazny, Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov.

Course Title: CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF FILM
Grade: 12 Length: 1 Semester Credit .5 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 3 and teacher recommendation

This one semester course is designed for serious students of film who wish to increase their appreciation of films as art and learn the art of writing about film technique and literary content. Students view selected film classics whose sequence is related to concepts learned in class, which cover photography, lighting, realism, expressionism, mise-en-scene, movement, editing, sound, acting and directing. The films range from documentary to avant-garde in style. The course requires film criticism, movie reviews, journal response, projects such as storyboards and careful reading of the text. At least three major written analyses of films will be completed throughout the semester.

12th GRADE – WRITING ELECTIVES

Course Title: COLLEGE COMPOSITION
Grade: 12 Length: 1 semester Credit: .5 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 3 and teacher recommendation

This course prepares students for the types of writing required in college courses. Weekly essays provide students with experience in narrating, describing, comparing and contrasting, dividing and classifying, defining, persuading, interpreting literature, and writing cause and effect papers. Completing an assignment within a given time period, as required on college essay exams, is also practiced. Successful students will have completed several college-level writing assignments over the course of the semester.

Course Title: CREATIVE WRITING
Grade: 12 Length: 1 semester Credit: .5 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 3 and teacher recommendation

Designed for students with a variety of academic abilities and writing skills. Creative writing is a one-semester course that focuses on the study and production of a variety of types of poetry, short stories, and drama. Students will have the opportunity to experiment with these genres for communicative, creative, and personal purposes after first studying appropriate models. Incorporated into the curriculum are numerous exercises that will provide students with writing skills to aid their fluency in and style of writing.

Course Title: SPEECH
Grade: 12 Length: 1 Semester Credit .5 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 3 and teacher recommendation

The goal of this class is to help students become confident in their abilities to communicate. Students will participate in individual speeches, group presentations, impromptu speaking, and sometimes, acting. Successful students will learn speaking, listening, researching, critiquing, evaluating and outlining skills needed when presenting information in a public forum.

ADDITIONAL ELECTIVES

NOTE: The courses listed below count as general electives, but do not fulfill the English requirement for graduation.

Course Title: ACT/PSAE PREPARATION
Grade: 10-11 Length: Semester Credit: .1 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Successful completion of English 1 or English 1 Honors.

ACT/PSAE Prep is a semester-long class offered to college-bound sophomores and juniors. This class focuses on helping students with the format and content of the English, Reading, and Writing portions of the ACT/PSAE test required for all juniors, as well as giving practice for the Math, Science Reasoning, and WorkKeys portions of the test. Students will take multiple practice tests and will monitor their progress and improvement throughout the semester.

Course Title: CORE WRITING 1
Grade: 10-12 Length: 1 Semester Credit .50 Fee: None
Prerequisite: None

This one-semester elective course is designed to help students improve their writing skills across all core subjects, as well as on the PSAE/ACT tests. Topics include the details of the writing process, as well as aspects of peer revision, proofreading, and formatting for a variety of courses and situations. Students are encouraged to bring writing assignments from other courses to work on in a peer review environment. Any student with a willingness to improve their writing is encouraged to register.

Course Title: LITERACY 1
Grade: 9 Length: Full Year Credit: 1 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Lead Teacher or Guidance Counselor recommendation

This course gives the challenged reader strategies to develop and improve reading and English skills. Instruction stresses pre-reading skills, decoding methods, reading for main ideas, understanding words in context, and vocabulary building. Other areas covered include note taking, study skills, testtaking strategies, and organizational skills. Students’ progress is monitored throughout the course, and individual exit strategies are discussed with each student.

Course Title: LITERACY 2
Grade: 9/10 Length: Full Year Credit: 1 Fee: None
Prerequisite: Literacy 1, Lead Teacher, or Guidance Counselor recommendation

This course continues the work of Literacy I, giving the challenged reader strategies to develop and improve reading and English skills at grade level. Students’ progress is monitored throughout the course, and individual exit strategies are discussed with each student. Successful students are encouraged to continue their literacy preparation by taking either ACT/PSAE Preparation or Core Writing 1 as juniors

Course Title: YEARBOOK PRODUCTION
Grade: 9-12 Length: Year Credit: 1 Fee: None
Prerequisite: This course is offered through teacher and guidance recommendation only. Limited enrollment. Seniors who are graduating early may not apply.

Yearbook Production is a full-year course that involves the design, creation, and publication of The Laker yearbook for Round Lake High School. Students will participate in copy writing, layout design, and photography. Grades are based upon students’ involvement in the yearbook process, as well as their ability to handle various situations that arise on a case-by-case basis. Knowledge of computers and digital cameras is helpful, but not necessary. This course is not offered on a semester basis. Students must enroll for the full year.