English
Every student in grades 7-12 must be enrolled in at least one full credit English course each year. Students may elect semester courses for additional English credit. These .5 credit courses may be taken in addition to the year-long course but not in lieu of a year-long one (1) credit course.
370 ACCELERATED ENGLISH 7
372 ACADEMIC ENGLISH 7
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
Course sequence determines pace and depth of study. Student placement in the English sequence is dependent on teacher and counselor recommendation, final grades, and the results of standardized tests. The emphasis of the seventh-grade English program is on developing the skills and knowledge students need to read, write, and communicate effectively. Major topics studied include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, vocabulary, and literary analysis.
378 7TH GRADE WRITING WORKSHOP
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
This heterogeneously grouped course for 7th grade students introduces the writing skills and expectations necessary for success at the junior-senior high school by studying the six traits for quality writing. Students will study the types of writing, practice grammar and vocabulary skills, analyze models of effective essays, and craft their own essays, with an emphasis on text-dependent analysis.
379 7th GRADE GIFTED SEMINAR
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
Entrance into course 379 requires a Gifted Individualized Education Plan. The content of this course includes the content of course 378, 7th Grade Writing Workshop, and is taught in a way that is commensurate with the ability of the gifted students who are enrolled.
380 ACCELERATED ENGLISH 8
382 ACADEMIC ENGLISH 8
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
The eighth-grade English course expands on the reading and writing skills taught in seventh grade so that students are ready for the rigors of the high school English curriculum. Major topics include literary analysis of short stories, poetry, nonfiction, the novel, and student self-selected texts; grammar and mechanics as they apply to student writing, particularly the text-dependent analysis essay; and vocabulary.
383 8th GRADE ACCELERATED WRITING WORKSHOP
3 Periods/Cycle/All Year
Entrance into course 383 is dependent upon a grade of A in course 372 or a grade of A or B in course 370 and the recommendation of the 7th grade Writing Workshop teacher. This is a writing-based course for eighth graders in which students will respond in the informative, persuasive, and narrative modes to both fiction and nonfiction reading selections. This course is a differentiated curriculum for the high-achieving student that will develop productive, complex, abstract, and higher-level thinking skills. Students enrolled in Accelerated English 8 will be enrolled in 8th Grade Accelerated Writing Workshop.
386 8th GRADE WRITING WORKSHOP
3 Periods/Cycle/Semester
This is a writing-based course for eighth graders in which students will respond in the informative, persuasive, and narrative modes to both fiction and nonfiction reading selections. Emphasis will be placed on text-based, multi-paragraph essays. Assessments will be tied to the current PSSA English/language arts scoring guides. Students enrolled in Academic English 8 will be enrolled in 8th Grade Writing Workshop.
320 READING GRADES 9 - 12
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
This course is designed to improve the reading skills of high school students who have demonstrated the need for support in this area. The course features use of multiple texts and sources to encourage student engagement and interest in provided readings.
301 ACADEMIC ENGLISH 9
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
Academic English in grade 9 is a class designed to increase communication skill. The class activities include reading both fiction and non-fiction literature, writing, grammar, speech, and vocabulary. Literature is selected in an effort to prepare students for the broader challenge of the senior-high school by emphasizing concepts and interpretation rather than facts. Course content includes the short story, nonfiction, poetry (including epic poetry), drama, and the novel. Students will develop writing skills through a variety of assignments including but not limited to the following: paragraphs, multi-paragraph essays (including one that requires a literary thesis and cited text evidence), and a narrative. Literature and Vocabulary.com are used as the primary sources for vocabulary enrichment. Speaking skills are reinforced informally in discussions and group work as well as formally in prepared presentations and /or speeches.
300 HONORS ENGLISH 9
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
This accelerated course is formatted similarly to 9th Grade Academic English; however, a greater emphasis is placed upon independent reading, research, and writing. The selection of students for this course will be based upon teacher recommendation, past performance, and standardized test scores.
319 ENGLISH STRATEGIES– 10th and 11th GRADE
0.5 Credit
3 Periods/Cycle/All Year
This course is designed to improve proficiency in the language arts as well as reading and writing across the content areas for students who have demonstrated a need in these areas. The following skills will be targeted: reading comprehension, vocabulary development, various modes of writing, and strategies for standardized testing. Individual needs will be addressed and assessed throughout the course. Student placement in this course is dependent on standardized test scores and teacher and counselor recommendations.
304 ACADEMIC ENGLISH 10
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
Various literary genres and authors are studied through short stories, essays, poetry, plays and novels. Analytical writing in response to fiction and nonfiction will be taught. Vocabulary study is interspersed throughout the year. Quarterly grammar study connects to student writing.
303 HONORS ENGLISH 10
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
This is an accelerated course wherein students are required to evaluate critically language and literature. In this course, the development of the essay is emphasized, and students are introduced to the seminar approach to education, which requires independent research and preparation. Students will also write a research paper, which satisfies the requirement for college-bound students. The selection of students for this course rests upon teacher recommendations, past performance, and standardized test scores.
307 ACADEMIC ENGLISH 11
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
This course focuses on American literature as it developed over four centuries of growth and change by means of a chronological study of American authors, philosophies, literary styles, and techniques. Vocabulary study, speech opportunities, as well as creative and expository writing will provide opportunity for student response to the literature being studied. This course will emphasize the development of the essay-length writing and introduce students to the formal research paper process.
306 HONORS ENGLISH 11
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
Junior students who elect eleventh grade honors and are recommended to participate based on their performances in ninth and tenth grade English courses will read and analyze selected literary works representative of their time, language development, and genre. American literature in the forms of poetry, novels, and plays is emphasized in this course. Students’ writing culminates in the production of a research/criticism paper. This course is reading and writing intensive. Class discussions and presentations are the primary means of its facilitation. Finally, while 9th and 10th Grade Honors English are not prerequisites for this course, they offer excellent preparation for it.
310 ACADEMIC ENGLISH 12
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
This course is a combination of literature study and post-secondary preparation. The literature will focus on a chronological study of the great English literary tradition and its impact on British thinkers and literary artists. In addition to written assignments based on the literature, seniors will work on writing skills for the real world, which will include a college essay/personal narrative, a resume, thank-you notes, and professional emails. Grammar review, vocabulary study, and speaking opportunities will be regular components of the course.
312 HONORS ENGLISH 12
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
Seniors who elect twelfth-grade honors English and are recommended to participate based on their performance in eleventh grade English should have a high aptitude for reading literature perceptively and for expressing their responses clearly. While English 300, 303, and 306 or 313 are not prerequisites, they offer the best preparation for this course. This course focuses on the study of contemporary literature and narrative nonfiction. Reading selections will provide students the opportunity to analyze works in a variety of genres. Students will be provided with speaking opportunities, creative and critical writings, research projects, digital collaboration, multimedia presentations, and vocabulary and grammar review, all in preparation for rigorous post-secondary education. In addition to written assignments based on literature, students will study and apply real-world writing skills.
309 AP LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION – GRADE 12
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
Advanced Placement courses are offered to prepare students for the Advanced Placement examination in May. Students who enroll in AP courses must pay for and take the standardized exam in May according to the College Board schedule. Participating universities and colleges may grant credit and/or appropriate course placement to students who have earned a qualifying score on the AP exam. For more detailed information about the Advanced Placement Program, please refer to the opening pages of the Program of Studies.
Candidates for the Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition course should have superior aptitude for reading literature perceptively and for clearly expressing their responses in written analysis. While Honors English 9, 10 and 11, or AP Language and Composition, are not prerequisites, they offer excellent preparation for this course. The AP Literature and Composition student will focus on an in-depth study of British and American literatures from the end of the 16th century through the present. Emphasis on poetry, drama, and the novel will continue with the study of modern and contemporary works. The course also includes a study of vocabulary and advanced sentence structure. Students work on developing writing skills of many types—analytical, creative, and research based. Additional preparation for the AP exam occurs throughout the course in the form of practice questions, close reading, seminar-style discussions, and in-class essays written in response to AP test prompts.
This course is also offered as a Dual Enrollment course through Reading Area Community College. Students who enroll in a Dual Enrollment course pay the cost per credit to Reading Area Community College. Participating universities and colleges may grant transfer credit to students who earn a qualifying grade for the course. For more detailed information about Dual Enrollment, please refer to the opening pages of the Program of Studies.
313 AP LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION – GRADES 11 - 12
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
Advanced Placement courses are offered to prepare students for the Advanced Placement examination in May. Students who enroll in AP courses must pay for and take the standardized exam in May according to the College Board schedule. Participating universities and colleges may grant credit and/or appropriate course placement to students who have earned a qualifying score on the AP exam. For more detailed information about the Advanced Placement Program, please refer to the opening pages of the Program of Studies.
Candidates for the AP Language and Composition course should have demonstrated achievement in reading and writing that focuses on nonfiction material. While 9th and 10th grade Honors English are not prerequisites for this course, they offer excellent preparation for it. The goal of this course is to engage students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Vocabulary, grammar applications, critical reading and writing, and in-class and out-of-class essays are interspersed throughout the year. Preparation for the AP exam occurs throughout the course in the form of practice questions, close reading, seminar-style discussions, and essays written in response to AP test prompts.
323 NONFICTION WRITING – GRADES 9 – 12
.5 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/Semester 1 or 2
This elective is open to students in grades 9-12. This course focuses on students creating a varied portfolio of NONFICTION pieces based upon topics of personal student interest. With writing as its primary focus, the course will allow students to explore and create autobiographical writing, journalistic writing (op-eds, feature articles, reviews, data-driven pieces), college essay writing, podcasts, and/or digital/video compositions. This is considered a writing-intensive course and interested students must be proficient writers and be able to meet writing deadlines.
352 HUMANITIES I - GRADES 9 - 12
.5 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/Semester 1
Students will investigate how the heroic journey manifests across multiple cultures through music, art, literature, philosophy, and film. Implicit in this investigation is the difference between the external journey of the physical world and the internal journey of introspection. Concluding this study, students will form personal and universal definitions of “suffering” through Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and will justify and discuss suffering as it manifests itself in the world and in the self.
353 HUMANITIES II – GRADES 9-12
.5 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/Semester 2
Humanities II is concerned with two fundamental questions: the idea of love and how man perceives his reality. These inquiries will be navigated through music, art, literature, philosophy, and film. The first part of the semester will focus on the love of other, self, and nature, and will attempt to explain the effects on man when love is absent. The second part of the semester will be concerned with how man understands his reality. Through the study of surrealism, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and other appropriate texts, students will form an understanding of the term “reality” and its subjective and objective implications. Although courses 352 and 353 can be taken independently of each other, the two courses, taken in sequence, offer a broader view of the humanities.
354 FICTION WRITING – GRADES 9 – 12
.5 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/Semester 1 or 2
This elective is open to students in grades 9-12. This course focuses on students creating a varied portfolio of FICTION pieces based upon topics of personal student interest. With writing as its primary focus, the course will allow students to explore and create short stories, poetry, screenplays, podcasts, and/or digital/video compositions. This is considered a writing-intensive course and interested students must be proficient writers and be able to meet writing deadlines.
356 THEATRE ARTS: THE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE – GRADES 9-12
.5 Credit
6 periods/cycle/Semester 1
This course considers all aspects of theatre. Particular emphasis is placed on exploring acting techniques and developing a performance ensemble. Monologue and scene study, basic stage movement, musical theatre performance, line interpretation, and the development of vocal techniques will be part of the curriculum. Scenic design, lighting, makeup, costuming, and additional areas of technical theatre will also be addressed. Fully staged plays or one acts may be a part of the curriculum.
357 THEATRE ARTS: PERFORMING AND DIRECTING – GRADES 9 - 12
.5 Credit
6 periods/cycle/Semester 2
In this course, particular emphasis is placed on acting techniques, developing an analytical eye for drama, and introducing basic approaches to directing. Students will gain training in character development, performance techniques, script analysis, and stage direction. Students will also integrate the production aspects of technical theatre into their performances. Monologue and scene study, mime, playwriting, and acting and directing techniques will be among the topics to be investigated. Fully staged plays or one acts may be a part of the curriculum. Although courses 356 and 357 may be taken independently of the other, the two courses, taken in sequence, offer a more complete experience in the development of the theatre arts.
360 FILM AS LITERATURE I – GRADES 9 - 12
.5 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/Semester 1
This course focuses on the ways in which filmmakers utilize the elements of both movies AND literature to immerse and engage audiences in the overall vision, concept, and themes of a film. Students will study the elements of movies and movie-making in order to improve their understanding of not just films, but all forms of storytelling. The structure of the course is genre-focused. In this semester, students will study science fiction, biopic, horror/suspense, “classics,” comedy, action/adventure, and animated films. Students will be expected to complete daily writing and quarterly projects.
362 FILM AS LITERATURE II – GRADES 9 - 12
.5 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/Semester 2
This course focuses on the ways in which filmmakers utilize the elements of both movies AND literature to immerse and engage audiences in the overall vision, concept, and themes of a film. Students will study the elements of movies and movie-making in order to improve their understanding of not just films, but all forms of storytelling. The structure of the course is genre-focused. In this semester, students will study superhero, foreign films, war, documentary, sports, western, thriller/mystery, and musicals/musical theater. Students will be expected to complete daily writing and quarterly projects.
AP CAPSTONE COURSES
AP Seminar and AP Research constitute the AP Capstone program. Students can take AP Seminar and AP Research sequentially to complete the AP Capstone program. Alternatively, students can elect to take AP Seminar, for an elective AP credit, and choose not to take AP Research. Sections will be limited for 363 and 364 and requesting this course does not in any way guarantee admission.
363 AP SEMINAR – GRADES 10 - 11
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
Advanced Placement courses are offered to prepare students for the Advanced Placement examination in May. Students who enroll in AP courses must pay for and take the standardized exam in May according to the College Board schedule. Participating universities and colleges may grant credit and/or appropriate course placement to students who have earned a qualifying score on the AP exam. For more detailed information about the Advanced Placement Program, please refer to the opening pages of the Program of Studies.
AP Seminar is a foundational course that engages students in cross-curricular conversations that explore the complexities of academic and real-world topics and issues by analyzing divergent perspectives. Using an inquiry framework, students practice reading and analyzing articles, research studies, and foundational, literary, and philosophical texts; listening to and viewing speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances. Students learn to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual presentations, both individually and as part of a team. Ultimately, the course aims to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments.
364 AP RESEARCH – GRADES 11 - 12
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
Advanced Placement courses are offered to prepare students for the Advanced Placement examination in May. Students who enroll in AP courses must pay for and take the standardized exam in May according to the College Board schedule. Participating universities and colleges may grant credit and/or appropriate course placement to students who have earned a qualifying score on the AP exam. For more detailed information about the Advanced Placement Program, please refer to the opening pages of the Program of Studies.
AP Research allows students to deeply explore an academic topic, problem, or issue of individual interest. Through this exploration, students design, plan, and conduct a yearlong investigation to address a research question.
In the AP Research course, students further develop the skills acquired in the AP Seminar course by learning research methodology; employing ethical research practices; and accessing, analyzing, and synthesizing information. Students reflect on their skill development, document their processes, and curate the artifacts of their scholarly work through a process and reflection portfolio. The course culminates in an academic paper of approximately 4,000–5,000 words (accompanied by a performance, exhibit, or product where applicable) and a presentation with an oral defense. AP Seminar is a prerequisite for this course.
365 HONORS FUNDAMENTALS OF SPEECH – GRADES 9 – 12
1 Credit
6 Periods/Cycle/All Year
This elective course is designed to introduce students to the basic skills that are necessary for good public speaking in all areas of discourse. Through the various readings, activities, and speech assignments given throughout the year, students will learn the strategies to manage their fear of speaking in public, the techniques required for different types of speeches (informative, persuasive, etc.), and the methods to improve their presentation skills. Assignments will focus on class discussions, speech preparation, presentations, and evaluations of the process and the speeches.
This course is also offered as a Dual Enrollment course through Reading Area Community College. Students who enroll in a Dual Enrollment course pay the cost per credit to Reading Area Community College. Participating universities and colleges may grant transfer credit to students who earn a qualifying grade for the course. For more detailed information about Dual Enrollment, please refer to the opening pages of the Program of Studies.