San Ramon Valley High

English 9 is an introductory course that lays a foundation of skills that students will need throughout high school. It is a literature-based course with an emphasis on critical reading and composition skills. These skills include: literary analysis and close reading, writing expository essays, creative writing, timed writing, grammar and usage, vocabulary, discussion group skills, and dramatic interpretation. Students are exposed to a variety of classical and contemporary genres: novels, short stories, plays, poetry and non-fiction.

 

 

English 10 is a college preparatory language arts course which expands and strengthens the skills developed in English 9. This world literature based course emphasizes critical reading, composition and speaking skills. Students will study short stories, poetry, drama, non-fiction and novels. The course also includes extensive writing instruction in a variety of forms, grammar instruction, root word instruction, and vocabulary development.

 

 

English 11 is a college preparatory language arts course in which students will study traditional and contemporary works drawn from American literature. Materials include novels, plays, short stories, essays, poetry and non-fiction. Student writing focuses on refining the thesis statement and developing the skills necessary for multiple writing tasks as well as the examination of rhetorical techniques in nonfiction writing. The course also includes grammar instruction and vocabulary development.

 

Seniors’ Women’s Literature is designed for the student who is committed to serious preparation for college. The course will focus primarily on the general themes of race, class and gender as experienced by women. To enhance our reading and understanding of the texts, we will also study and discuss major trends in women’s history, women’s involvement in social reform and protest, and how writers depict characters in conflict with vocational roles and family obligations. The course will provide extensive reading in the form of novels ranging from the 17th through the 21st century, as well as essays, poetry, drama and short stories. The writing assignments developed for the course will prepare students for college level writing including the college essay. Students will write frequently about the social issues and human values in the works they have read.

 

 

Hero’s Journey is a year-long exploration of what it means to be a hero - from ancient times to the present. Students will read fiction and non-fiction and view films that present heroism across the ages and across cultures. They will explore what it means to be a good person. Students will research and read stories that describe human strengths, resilience, redemption and the meanings of success. They will have opportunities to define their own concepts of honor. As the course progresses, they will be expected to apply what they are learning about themselves and others to community service projects. They will learn to reflect and to then articulate their findings, orally and in writing.

 

 

Students read classic and contemporary novels and study the writing, stylistic, thematic, and artistic elements of the novel as a form of literature. Close reading and essay response to the literature are major components of this course. Course work requires a synthesis of the skills taught through the first three years of the high school English program, emphasizing increasingly sophisticated skills in analysis, discussion, and writing. Novels are often grouped into thematic units of study. The course includes both whole class study and independent reading of novels.

 

 

Students study the plays and poetry of Shakespeare, and his influence on literature through time. Students respond to the literature in discussion, essay writing, and group and individual projects. Close reading and analysis of the literature is designed to prepare students for college level reading, thinking, literary analysis, and writing. Students will be required to meet daily reading requirements, write, and participate regularly in class. Course work requires a synthesis of the skills taught through the first three years of the high school English program, emphasizing increasingly sophisticated skills in analysis, discussion, and writing.

 

English 10, Advanced is a rigorous course due to the increased expectations regarding volume of reading, maturity of insight, sophistication of language use, and standards of evaluations. This course exposes students to world and multicultural literature through discussion and critical analysis of various genres, including non-fiction, myth, legend, epic, poetry, short story, and the novel. Course work focuses on the development of analytical thinking skills, with an emphasis placed on critical writing in response to literature. The course also includes grammar instruction, root work instruction, and vocabulary development with words taken from the literature as well as from lists designed for SAT preparation.

 

 

 

Grade 11 AP English Language is a rigorous, college level course emphasizing expository writing and critical reading. Writing assignments include in-class timed writings and out-of-class essays. The analysis of many forms of literature (i.e. novels, non-fiction essays, reflective essays, letters, etc.) focuses on how authors use language and literary devices to inform or persuade. Students also continue to work on grammar and vocabulary development. This is an Advanced Placement course that prepares students to take the AP Language and Composition exam in May.

 

 

 

Grade 12 AP English Literature is a rigorous, college level course focusing on the study of significant literary works. Students analyze literature, poetry, and essays in terms of concepts and the role of these concepts in the development of the World. The reading list is extensive and written work emphasizes a mature level of insight, the development of careful and thorough analysis, and sophisticated language use. Participation in class discussion is essential. This is an Advanced Placement course that prepares students to take the AP Literature and Composition exam in May.

 

Prerequisite: B- in prior AP English course, or meet criteria on placement assessment.