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The mission of the Language Arts Department is to instill in students the critical thinking and communication skills necessary to be successful students and self-assured men of faith. Students learn to express themselves through their written words by practicing composition of different forms: persuasive, expository, personal, and research. Students develop the ability to speak confidently on a variety of topics in both formal and informal settings. Through the analysis of literature, students will gain an understanding of the moral and social values relevant to the developing faith life of the adolescent. Seeking creative approaches to the classics as well as non-traditional literature, the Language Arts Department makes every effort to include in its studies works from various traditions and genres. Students are taught to learn cooperatively using a multitude of available resources and technologies. Our students explore their own self-worth through language to develop their full potential as human beings in order to become active partners in the learning process, taking both initiative and responsibility for their own education.
Course Sequence Diagram |
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| ENGLISH 1: LITERACY IN PRACTICE |
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| College Prep |
2 Semesters |
1.0 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Freshmen |
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| Course Description: Students begin examining all modes of LITERACY--video, audio, and textual--to comprehend information and express their ideas.
Students are introduced to COMPOSITION by learning to create sentences that vary in length and complexity, and to construct focused, well-organized paragraphs. Elements of argumentation are emphasized, including formulating a strong thesis, supporting it with sound arguments, and addressing possible counterclaims. The formal writing process is introduced at this level: planning, revising, editing, and rewriting. This process is reinforced at each successive grade level. The study of grammar is used as a corollary to writing. Students will respond to timed, in-class writing prompts. In addition, students practice COMMUNICATION through discussions and presentation.
In the LITERATURE portion of this course, students’ reading skills will be enhanced by introducing them to four basic literary genres: fiction, drama, poetry, and informational texts. Students will practice basic critical reading skills: previewing, annotating, predicting, questioning, summarizing, connecting, and reflecting. Through project-based learning, students learn to think and produce analytical artifacts about literature by utilizing textual evidence from the literary work and to support the inferences that they make. |
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| Honors / A.P. |
2 Semesters |
1.0 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Freshmen; Department approval |
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| Course Description: This course develops students' close reading skills, literary analysis skills, and analytical writing skills. It is designed to prepare students for the A.P. English Language test in their junior year and the A.P. English Literature test in their senior year. This class differs from other freshman English classes in its intensity and depth of analysis. This extends to multiple project-based learning units where students will learn to think and produce analytical artifacts about literature by utilizing textual evidence from the literary work to support inferences that they make. Students are asked to demonstrate a mastery of effective oral, written, visual, and digital communication of ideas related to literature and culture. The course evaluation is based on the Honors Program areas of mastery: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.
The COMPOSITION component of this course will focus on two modes of writing: synthesis and argument. The compositional process is introduced at this level, with significant attention given to the generating, shaping, and editing of the written word in its preliminary stages.
The LITERATURE portion of this course focuses on exposing the students to a variety of works of literary merit in depth. The students analyze challenging readings in the genres of short story, novel, drama, poetry, and non-fiction. Each student also reads and is evaluated on one book per semester outside of class. Finally, students will also learn to do research using multiple print resources and online databases. |
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| College Prep |
2 Semesters |
1.0 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Freshmen; Department Approval |
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| Course Description: This course is designed for those freshman students who need additional practice and support in order to enhance their reading comprehension, fluency, and analytical skills. This course supplements the literature portion of the standard freshman Language Arts curriculum. Through reading high interest material aimed at their individual comprehension level, students learn strategies that will hone the reading skills necessary to be successful learners. The students’ ability to identify explicit information in a passage and use those explicit details to create and support higher level inferences is the cornerstone of this course. Students will also learn to identify main ideas and supporting details of informational texts. Self-monitoring skills, such as asking appropriate questions during the reading process, are also modeled and practiced. |
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| ENGLISH 2: WORLD LITERATURE |
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| College Prep |
2 Semesters |
1.0 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Sophomores |
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Course Description: Students continue to examine all modes of LITERACY--visual, audio, and textual--in order to analyze information and to express their ideas.
In this course, COMPOSITION continues to focus on the writing process while moving towards more structured writing forms, expanding on expository and argumentative writing. An emphasis is now placed on using more advanced literary analysis of themes and using reliable outside sources to defend a position in a research paper. Grammar instruction addresses common usage problems found in writing. Students will be able to define new vocabulary based on context clues, figurative language, word relationships and word meanings. In addition, students will utilize different modes of communication, visual and audio, to express their ideas. Students also enhance their COMMUNICATION skills through discussions and presentation.
The LITERATURE portion of this course focuses on reading and carefully analyzing a broad and challenging spectrum of fiction, drama, poetry, and non-fiction. Students are introduced to authors from around the world, and these readings are considered in a literary and historical context so that students will understand the inspiration that influences and shapes the texts. This further allows students to learn the skills necessary to critically respond to various prompts resulting in writings supported by a clear interpretive thesis following the compositional process guidelines. Through project-based learning, students will continue to think critically and produce analytical artifacts about literature by utilizing textual evidence from the literary work to support inferences that they make. |
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| Honors / A.P. |
2 Semesters |
1.0 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Sophomores; Department approval |
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Course Description: This course continues to develop students' close reading skills, literary analysis skills, and analytical writing skills. It is designed to prepare students for the AP English Language test in their junior year and the AP English Literature test in their senior year. This class differs from other sophomore English classes in its intensity and depth of analysis. This extends to multiple project-based learning units where students will learn to think and produce analytical artifacts about literature by utilizing textual evidence from the literary work to support inferences that they make. Students are asked to demonstrate a mastery of effective oral, written, visual, and digital communication of ideas related to literature and culture. Course evaluation is based on the Honors Program areas of mastery: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.
The COMPOSITION component of this course will focus on three modes of writing: synthesis, argument, and rhetorical analysis. The compositional process is continued at this level, with significant attention given to the generating, shaping, and editing of the written word in its secondary stages.
The LITERATURE portion of this course focuses on exposing the students to a variety of works of literary merit in depth. The students analyze challenging readings in the genres of short story, novel, drama, poetry, and non-fiction. Each student also reads and is evaluated on one book per semester outside of class. Finally, students will also learn to do research using multiple print resources and online databases. |
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| ENGLISH 3: AMERICAN LITERATURE |
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| College Prep |
2 Semesters |
1.0 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Juniors |
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Course Description: Students examine various aspects of American culture by analyzing modes of literacy from multiple time periods and perpsectives.
COMPOSITION continues to focus on the more structured writing forms with an increased emphasis on revising and editing. Students are taught to think of their works as being publishable. Persuasive essays as well as literary analyses continue to be stressed. The research paper is expanded upon at this level, as multiple perspectives and possibilities are investigated.
The LITERATURE portion of this course is a survey of American authors from multiple eras. Additional novels are studied in class, and the students will continue to improve their analytical skills through the practice of close reading strategies. This course emphasizes the reading of informational texts, and students will learn to recognize the point-of-view and bias of an author while also determining the main idea that the author is attempting to convey. |
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| ENGLISH 3: VISIONS OF AMERICA |
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| College Prep |
2 Semesters |
1.0 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Juniors; Department approval |
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Course Description: This course is designed to examine various components of American culture through unique perspectives. It explores the American experience from the early 1900s to the present time, focusing on specific ideas, concerns, and problems that have evolved. Using this background knowledge, students will ultimately discover contemporary voices, continuing their understanding of diverse viewpoints.
The COMPOSITION component of this course continues to focus on the more structured writing forms with increased emphasis on revising and editing. Students are taught to think of their works as being publishable. Argumentative essays as well as literary analyses continue to be stressed. The research paper is expanded upon at this level, as multiple perspectives and possibilities are investigated.
The COMMUNICATION component of the course is developed through seminar-based and whole-class discussions. Students are assessed on their ability to successfully present and argue their individual perspective, as well as effectively listening and responding to other students’ perspectives.
The LITERATURE component of this course is a survey of American authors. Additional novels are studied, and students will continue to improve their critical thinking skills. This course emphasizes the reading of informational texts, and students learn to recognize the point-of-view and bias of an author while also determining the main idea the author is attempting to convey. |
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| ENGLISH 3: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE |
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| Honors / A.P. |
2 Semesters |
1.0 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Juniors; Department approval; Pre-A.P. English 2 grade above 85% or English 2 grade above 90%; 3.00 cumulative GPA |
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Course Description: This course is designed to examine various components of the American Experience through an interdisciplinary study of literature and history. It covers American History from the period of exploration to current American society. The course focuses on specific formational ideas, concerns, and problem areas that have evolved in successive historical periods, taking note also of the discipline’s own history. As in all courses within the Humanities program, this class focuses on argumentative essays, literary analyses, and the development of critical thinking skills. Students receive instruction on how to research academic texts and how to approach writing on the college level.
Students are eligible for college credit through Saint Louis University. |
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| A.P. ENGLISH 3: LANGUAGE & COMP |
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| Honors / A.P. |
2 Semesters |
1.0 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Juniors; Department approval; Pre-A.P. English 2 grade above 90%; 3.00 cumulative GPA |
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Course Description: The LITERATURE component of this course requires students to read and carefully analyze a broad and challenging range of fiction and non-fiction prose throughout the American spectrum.
The COMPOSITION component of this course focuses on a rhetorical analysis of American fiction, poetry, drama, and non-fiction prose. Students will experience American literature from a historical perspective and will write in various formats with emphasis on persuasion. Students will produce expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex central idea and develop it with appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or secondary sources, cogent explanations, and clear transitions. Lastly, students will complete timed writing assessments in order to prepare for A.P. and college placement exams.
The focus of this course will be on preparing students for the A.P. Exam. Students are eligible for college credit through Saint Louis University.
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| ENGLISH 4: THE INDIVIDUAL IN SOCIETY |
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| College Prep |
2 Semesters |
1.0 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Seniors |
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Course Description: The students will examine who they are as individuals by writing stories about themselves and analyzing the stories of others.
The COMPOSITION component of the first semester focuses on the project-based writing process with an emphasis on memoir and autobiographical writing techniques such as creating strong characters, vivid sensory descriptions, a unique voice, and a compelling plot. The project-based writing process includes idea generation, framing and planning the work, reframing the work, and finally revealing the work. The students will also create visual and audio representations of their best pieces. During the second semester, students create an advocacy project which requires them to offer a well-informed, well-researched solution/intervention to a chosen problem that affects them personally.
The LITERATURE component of the first semester focuses on memoir and autobiography. These readings serve as a model for student writing. The students learn to "read as writers" with an emphasis on analyzing how writers develop characters, develop the plot, establish the setting through vivid descriptions, and craft the overall piece with a specific theme in mind. During the second semester, the emphasis is on reading informational texts that focus on our immediate world. The students learn to analyze sources in terms of bias, credibility, and overall quality of information. The students continue to "read as writers" as they work to create solutions for real-life problems. |
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| Honors / A.P. |
2 Semesters |
1.0 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Seniors; Department approval; A.P. English 3 grade above 85% or American Experience grade above 90%; 3.00 cumulative GPA |
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Course Description: In this course, students learn and demonstrate how advanced rhetorical and literary devices create meaning in written, visual, and spoken fiction and non-fiction texts.
The COMPOSITION component of the course focuses on learning and applying rhetorical devices to various textual modes. Students analyze how writers and creators of visual texts (photographs, cartoons, documentaries, etc.) effectively and fallaciously use rhetorical strategies. Students compose an autobiographical essay using rhetorical strategies common in expository writing, and a persuasive essay--a dissoi-logoi--which uses research to support both sides of an argument. The major semester project, the multi-modal advocacy project, requires students to research and create a persuasive artifact for a specific audience, offering a solution to a specific practical problem they have encountered in their lives, using more than just written text.
The LITERATURE component of the course focuses on learning and applying advanced literary devices to various fictional text modes. Students employ close-reading analysis to explain how fiction writers, poets, and playwrights create meaning through the use of literary devices, and practice using literary devices to compose their own fiction and poetry. For the major semester project, students create a multi-modal artifact advancing an interpretation of some aspect of theme, dramatic purpose, or characterization in Hamlet.
Students are eligible for college credit through Saint Louis University. |
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| A.P. ENGLISH 4: LITERATURE & COMP |
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| Honors / A.P. |
2 Semesters |
1.0 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Seniors; Department approval; Passage of the A.P. Language and Composition exam; A.P. English 3 grade above 90%; 3.00 cumulative GPA |
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Course Description: In this course, students learn and demonstrate how advanced rhetorical and literary devices create meaning in written, visual, and spoken fiction and non-fiction texts. Students also learn content and strategies to prepare them for success on the AP Literature and Composition Exam.
The COMPOSITION component of the course focuses on learning and applying rhetorical devices to various textual modes. Students analyze how writers and creators of visual texts (photographs, cartoons, documentaries, etc.) effectively and fallaciously use rhetorical strategies. Students compose an autobiographical essay using rhetorical strategies common in expository writing, and a persuasive essay--a dissoi-logoi--which acknowledges and uses research to support both sides of an argument. The major semester project, the multi-modal advocacy project, requires students to research and create a persuasive artifact for a specific audience, offering a solution to a specific practical problem they have encountered in their lives, using more than just written text.
The LITERATURE component of the course focuses on learning and applying advanced literary devices to various fictional text modes. Students employ close-reading analysis to explain how fiction writers, poets, and playwrights create meaning through the use of literary devices. Students also practice using literary devices to compose their own fiction and poetry. For the major semester project, students create a multi-modal artifact advancing an interpretation of some aspect of theme, dramatic purpose, or characterization in Hamlet.
Learning content specific to the A.P. Literature curriculum and learning effective strategies for taking the A.P. Literature and Composition Exam are integrated into the aforementioned literature curriculum. Students take practice sections of the A.P. Literature multiple choice test, write literary analysis essays from the types of prompts used on the test, and analyze and assess sample essays.
The focus of this course will be on preparing students for the A.P. Literature and Composition Exam. Students are eligible for college credit through Saint Louis University. |
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| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors; Teacher approval |
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| Course Description: This course offers students the opportunity to further develop their talent in the areas of personal essay, fiction, poetry, and drama. Students explore numerous types of genres as they work through the writing process. Students are expected to identify their strengths and weaknesses as writers and will submit at least one original piece for publication. Students will analyze texts of published authors and use their speaking and listening skills to share their writing. |
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| College Prep |
1 Semester |
.5 Credit |
| Prerequisites: Open to Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors; Teacher approval; Current English course grade above 80% |
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| Course Description: Students will learn the skills necessary for the production of quality journalism in a modern society. They will learn reporting, photography, development of theme, organization of materials, layout, and proofreading. Attention will also be given to writing style. Students in this course will be expected to be a part of the yearbook staff and contribute to its final production. The course is an elective that may be taken for multiple credits across one or more school years. |
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