COURSE
DESCRIPTION for GRADES 9 - 12
LANGUAGE
ARTS
English
I (9th Grade) 2
Semesters, 36 Lessons
In the first semester, students review writing conventions,
including parts of speech, sentence combining, parallel
structure, capitalization, and punctuation. They apply
the writing process to develop persuasive, descriptive,
narrative, and expository paragraphs. They also write
business letters and a longer expository composition.
During the second semester, students read, analyze,
and respond to various literary genres including poetry,
short stories, nonfiction, and the novel, Neighbor
Rosicky by Willa Cather. This course does not include
the oral and visual communication standard.
English
II (10th Grade) 2
Semesters, 36 Lessons
In the first semester, students review troublesome
writing conventions such as verbals, subject/verb
agreement, clauses, and sentence combining. They apply
the writing process to develop persuasive, descriptive,
narrative, and expository paragraphs and/or compositions.
They also engage in practical writing activities such
as business letters and letters to the editor. In
the second semester, students read, analyze, and respond
to various literary genres including short stories,
poetry, and the Greek drama, Antigone by Sophocles.
This course does not include the oral and visual communication
standard.
English
III (11th Grade) 2
Semesters, 36 Lessons
In the first semester, students review the basics
of grammar, refine writing, improve vocabulary, and
delve into the world of American literature. Students
apply the writing process to review paragraph writing
and functional document writing such as business letters
and resumes. Students also write longer descriptive
and persuasive compositions and engage in several
creative writing activities. They apply research skills
to develop a persuasive speech. During the second
semester, students read, analyze, and respond to various
genres in American literature, including poetry, short
stories, nonfiction, and the novel, Ethan Frome by
Edith Wharton. This course does not include the indicators
in the oral and visual communication standard except
for development of a persuasive speech.
English
IV (12th Grade) 2
Semesters, 36 Lessons
In this course, students read and respond to English
literature from the Anglo Saxon Period through the
Twentieth Century. The first half of the course focuses
on writing. Students apply the writing process to
write paragraphs, persuasive and expository compositions,
and reflective essays. They also engage in an extensive
research project and develop a formal research paper.
During the second semester, students read, analyze,
and respond to various genres in British literature,
including poetry, essays, and the Elizabethan drama,
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. This course
does not include the oral and visual communication
standard.
Short Stories
1 Semester, 18 Lessons
American Short Stories is a semester elective course.
Stories were selected to encourage and motivate students
to read and enjoy American literature. Students read
several short stories and use the writing process
to respond to each selection. They write a short story
and independently complete research. Content is aligned
with the Grade 10 Ohio Language Arts Standards. Because
all the selections are literary texts, content standards
relating to informational, technical, and persuasive
text are not included in this course.
Poetry
1 Semester, 18 Lessons
Poetry is a semester elective course. Students read,
analyze, and respond to several American poetic selections.
They use the writing process to develop their response.
They also study literary terms related to each selection.
Greek Mythology
1 Semester, 18 Lessons
Greek Mythology is a semester elective course. Since
we find many references to mythology in literature,
music, the arts, advertising, history, and language,
Greek mythology serves as a background for multi-disciplinary
curricula. Myths focusing on major Greek gods, goddesses,
and heroes encourage and motivate students to read
and explore classical mythology. Students read several
myths, use the writing process to respond to each
selection, and independently research several mythical
characters. Content is aligned with the Grade 10 Ohio
Language Arts Standards. Because emphasis is on reading
and writing, several content indicators related to
oral and visual communication are not included in
this course.
Roman Mythology
1 Semester, 18 Lessons
Roman Mythology is a semester elective course. Students
read several myths, use the writing process to respond
to each selection, and independently research several
myths. The myths focus on major Roman gods, goddesses,
and heroes.
Rev. 09-23-06
