English

The aim of the English Department is to enable our students to achieve proficiency in all four skills – writing, reading, speaking and listening.  Our curriculum reinforces basic skills and develops critical thinking and analysis through the study of classic and contemporary literature. Our methods encourage students to achieve a positive attitude toward communication while raising their interest in and understanding of language and culture. Our intent is that, by furthering our students’ understanding of the English language and western literature, we will assist them in becoming bilingual and bicultural. 

Please refer to the following description of each grade level. 

English 9 (9th Grade)

Topics covered in 9th grade include; Greek Mythology, Memoirs, how society shapes people.
Titles of novels include Boy (Roald Dahl), Walkabout (James Vance Marshall), Hatchet (Gary Paulsen).  Students will be grouped according to ability in order to practice and develop their skills as well as critical thinking.

English 10 (10th Grade)

Topics covered in 10th grade include; the Holocaust, discrimination, and morals. 
Titles of novels include Taming of the Shrew, (William Shakespeare) Night (Ellie Weisel), They Cage the Animals at Night (Michael Jennings Birch)   This course is offered at the honors, intermediate and elementary levels.

English 11 (11th Grade)

Topics covered in 11th grade include; stereotype, individual vs. group mentality, one’s role in society. 
Titles of novels include; The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton), Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Scott Fitzgerald), Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck) This course is offered at the honors, intermediate and elementary levels.

English 12 (12th Grade)

Topics covered in the 12^th grade include; coming of age, responsibilities to the society, self discovery.  Titles of novels include Siddhartha (Herman Hesse), The Good Earth (Pearl Buck) The Blue Fairy Book (a collection of fairytales from around the world). This course will be offered at intermediate and honors levels.

Drama (11th -12th Grades)

The Drama Elective is offered for those students who love plays, love to act, or would just like to try it. The first half of the year will consist of theater games, improvisation, monologue and scene work. The second half of the year will consist of mounting a production of a play or scenes. We will choose a play, cast it, design it, and perform it for the school. We will focus on both acting and designing in the second half of the year. Although the class will be taught in English, language ability does not matter and will not be taken into account in grading. Grades will be based on effort, enthusiasm, preparation and commitment

Creative Writing (11th -12th Grades)

This class will use a workshop format to develop a community of writers. Students will experiment with various forms of writing, such as short stories, poetry, plays and articles. Focus will be put on self and peer revision. Students will also keep a weekly journal in which they will respond to writing prompts. The class will undertake the publication of a school-wide literary magazine.

Developing Oral English (12th Grade)

To achieve the course goal of improving oral English, students must be willing to speak in English during the class, not only to the teacher but to one another. Activities will include telling stories, giving directions and instructions, explaining topics, describing people and events, and planning activities. These activities will be designed to increase each student’s active vocabulary and fluency. Oral performances will include reciting poems, singing songs, improvising scenes, presenting monologues, and acting short scenes before an audience. The grade will be based on individual effort, and speaking Japanese in class will lower a student’s grade. Both oral and written tests will be given.

Cultural Literacy (11th -12th Grades)

This course will examine, study, discuss, view, write about and listen to a variety of things that make up American Culture. The students will gain an understanding for what makes up American Culture now and what will always be a part of American Culture. There are always things that enter our lexicon and there are always things that fall out of favor. The goal is to get a handle of what is part of the fabric of American Culture.  The topics/areas that will be covered in our class:∙ advertising, music, business, news, communication, politics, fashion, food, history, sports, literature, television, film, theatre

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