ELA I (Freshman English) curriculum offers a wide range of quality texts that span the canonical to the contemporary.

The grade 9 curriculum balances multicultural work of The Odyssey, Frankenstein, I am Malala, and Things Fall Apart.

Through the study of a variety of text types and media, students build knowledge, analyze ideas, delineate arguments, and develop writing, collaboration, and communication skills.

We establish key routines and practices for close reading and collaborative discussion, which students will use and refine throughout the year.

We provide continued opportunity for students to develop skills in text analysis, evidence-based discussion, and informative writing before being introduced to the research process and argument writing in the second semester.

ELA II (Sophomore English) curriculum offers a wide range of quality texts that span the canonical to the contemporary of American Literature.

The grade 10 curriculum balances multicultural works of The Joy Luck Club, The Great Gatsby, 1984, and The House on Mango Street.

Through the study of a variety of text types and media, student build knowledge, analyze ideas, delineate arguments, and develop writing, collaboration, and communication skills.

We establish key routines and practices for close reading and collaborative discussion, which students will use and refine throughout the year.

We provide continued opportunity for students to develop skills in text analysis, evidence-based discussion, and informative writing.

Students read, discuss, and analyze nonfiction and dramatic texts, focusing on how the authors convey and develop central ideas concerning imbalance, disorder, tragedy, mortality, and fate.

Students also explore how texts are interpreted visually, both on screen and on canvas.

ELA II (Junior English) course continues to develop students’ writing skills, emphasizing clear, logical writing patterns, word choice, and usage as students write essays and begin to learn the techniques of writing research papers.

Students continue to read works of literature, which form the backbone of the writing assignments.

Literary conventions and stylistic devices receive even greater emphasis than in previous courses.

ELA IV (Senior English) course blends composition and literature into a cohesive whole as students write critical and comparative analyses of selected literature.

Students continue developing their language arts skills through reading, writing, discussion, and seminar.

Students primarily write multi-paragraph essays and also one or more major research paper.

American Literature courses focus upon commonly known American authors and their work.

Students improve their critical-thinking skills as they determine the underlying assumptions and values within the selected works and as they understand how the literature reflects the society of the time.

Oral discussion is an integral part of literature courses, and written compositions are often required.

Creative Writing courses offer students the opportunity to develop and improve their technique and individual style in poetry, short story, drama, essays, and other forms of prose.

The emphasis of the courses is on writing; however, students may study exemplary representations and authors to obtain a fuller appreciation of the form and craft.

Although most creative writing classes cover several expressive forms, others concentrate exclusively on one particular form (such as poetry or playwriting).