English Courses
English I
1st year students / One (1) year / One (1) credit
Freshman English is the study of the individual and society. The course introduces a variety of genres from selected literary periods, a variety of projects, computer instruction, and foundational instruction in literacy skills and reading comprehension. Literary skills range from the review of plot structure to identifying themes and analyzing figurative language. The focus of literature texts is on world classics as well as contemporary literature that have helped to define and shape of our society. Students will develop their writing craft through studying the writing process and through practice in writing a variety of genres. This course uses a multidisciplinary, multicultural, progressive approach to teaching literature.
English II
2nd year students One (1) year / One (1) credit - Prerequisite: English I
Sophomore English is the study of the individual and society, same as above, and reflection on philosophy, psychology, morals, values, and equality as explored through literature. Through the use of various texts and electronic media, students discover and analyze human behavior. The goal of this course is to help students increase their cognitive and interpretive skills; to prepare them for the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) and the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT); to improve their understanding of genres and literary periods; and to cultivate their ability to be self-guided, life-long learners. Students will develop their writing craft through studying the writing process and through practice in writing a variety of genres. This course uses a multidisciplinary, multicultural, progressive approach to teaching literature.
English III
3rd year students One (1) year / One (1) credit - Prerequisite: English II
Junior English is the study and appreciation of the rich and varied multicultural heritage intrinsic in American Literature. Emphasis is placed on exposing students to a broad range of works that represent and explore the diverse perspectives on being American. The goal of the course is to help students increase their critical thinking skills by analyzing and interpreting literature; to prepare them for the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) and the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT); to increase both written and oral communication skills. Students will develop their writing craft through studying the writing process and through practice in writing a variety of genres. This course uses a multidisciplinary, multicultural, progressive approach to teaching literature.
English IV
4th year students One (1) year / One (1) credit - Prerequisite: English III or Maritime Literature
Senior English is the study of literature, communications, and artistic media, emphasizing their influence on and reflection of human history, values, and behavior in society and in individuals. The goal of this course is to help students increase their communication skills through the study of World and contemporary literature. Reading and interpreting classical as well as contemporary writing will help students reach their highest potential in the reading of the craft of writing. Students will develop their writing skills through weekly writing, as well as extended writing and research assignments. Emphasis is places on assisting students in the college preparation process and vocational planning.
Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition
4th year students One (1) year / One (1) credit - Prerequisites: English III, writing test, Permission of instructor
AP English is a rigorous year of reading, writing, thinking, and discussing. Students will read actively since the works taught require careful, deliberate reading. The approach to analyzing and interpreting texts involves learning how to make careful observations of textual detail, establishing connections among observations, and drawing from those connections a series of inferences leading to an interpretive conclusion about the work's meaning and value. Students will write analytical and creative pieces with an emphasis on explaining clearly, cogently, even elegantly, what is understood about literary works and students' interpretations. To that end, writing instruction will include attention to developing and organizing ideas in clear, coherent, and persuasive language, applying their study of the elements of style.
Maritime Literature
3rd and 4th year students One (1) year / One (1) credit - Prerequisite: English II (Limited to 14 students), Permission of instructor
This course provides a multidisciplinary study of the sea and sea voyages in the Western tradition and the role of the sea in contemporary thought and experience. For more than a millennium, great writers and artists have alluded to the inexplicable draw of the sea and have used the sea to explore the boundaries that circumscribe social interactions and define individual identity. Tales of the sea from such authors as Lord Byron, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Herman Melville, and Rudyard Kipling (among others) are supplemented with classical films, paintings, and songs. Together students explore through literature and hands-on activities the expectations and demands of sealife, survival, and high adventure. Student learning will be enhanced with frequent trips to Oyster Point, Maritime Education Network, Norwalk Maritime Center, and Mystic Seaport.
Course Offerings | All Courses | Agriculture | Aquaculture | History | Math | World Languages
