Trinity Episcopal School

English

List of 7 items.

English 8

Grade 8
1 credit

English 8 is a course designed to engage students with a variety of literature, including fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. Students will engage in the writing process and learn to develop clear, coherent writing in many different genres. Students will also learn active listening strategies for large and small group discussions. Finally, students will practice using information, advancing from basic reporting to collecting evidence to support a claim.

Units of Study
Mythology- Storytelling
Letters- Personal Communication
Screenplay- Presentation and Communication
Novel- Close Reading and Annotating
Short Stories- Literary Elements
Drama- Form and Meaning
English Reading and Writing Workshop 9

Grade 9
1 credit

English Reading and Writing Workshop 9 prepares our freshmen students for all of our English opportunities at Trinity. Starting with close reading, annotation, and recognizing literary techniques, students begin to understand the writer’s craft and start to practice those professional writing moves on their own. Using a workshop approach, students engage in daily notebook writing practice, leading to polished pieces like critical reviews, letters to the editor, memoir, and writing for an online audience. As they write, students are exploring their interests by reading independently-selected fiction and nonfiction books. In second semester, students are ready for higher-level literary analysis, research, and beginning rhetoric. The year of Reading and Writing Workshop provides a level of confidence and independence in reading and writing that ensures each student's success in all levels of the Trinity English program.

Units of Study
Poetry- Annotation and Poetic Techniques
Nonfiction Narrative- Voice and Revision
Argument and Persuasion- Research and Communication
Epic Poem--Introduction to Analysis
Short Stories- Close Reading and Literary Elements
Novel- Close Reading and Analytical Writing
Drama- Close Reading and Public Speaking through Performance
Multigenre Writing- Research and Creative Writing
English 10

Grade 10
1 credit
Prerequisite: Reading and Writing Workshop 9

English 10 seeks to enhance students' skills in reading literature critically, writing analytically and creatively, and incorporating research into analysis. Students read selectively from American authors and respond in a variety of ways to poems, short stories, drama, essays and novels. Additionally, students complete an extended analytical essay in conjunction with the Librarian with the goal of developing research skills that will serve them for the remainder of their education.

The goal of this course is to teach students to cast a critical eye on various selections from the American literary canon. Through a close reading of these texts, students will explore what it means to be an American.

Units of Study
Theater Through a Historical Lens-- Literary Devices and Terms
Romanticism and the Foundation of American Fiction-- Identifying and Analyzing Theme
Contemporary Nonfiction and American Philosophy-- Multimedia Presentations
Realism, Naturalism,and Regionalism-- Literary Modes
American Modernism--Literary Analysis
Multiculturalism and Identity--Comparative Multigenre Study
Social Realism-- Incorporating Research into Analysis
Visual Storytelling: Contemporary American Voices in Film and Graphic Novels
English 10 Honors

Grade 10
1 Credit
Prerequisites: Grade of B+ or higher in Reading and Writing Workshop 9 and teacher recommendation

English 10 Honors seeks to enhance students' existing skills in critical reading and writing. Students will develop their writing skills, responding to a variety of literature including poems, short stories, dramas, essays and novels. Through quickwrites, dialectical journals, quotation responses, and analytic essays, students will produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, voice, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Additionally, students will complete an extended research project in conjunction with the Librarian. The goal of the project is to develop research skills that will serve them for the remainder of their education. Students who enter 10 Honors are expected to be strong readers and abstract thinkers.

Units of Study
Contemporary Fiction- Relationships and Communication
Poetry- Voice and Presentation
Drama- Critical Reading and Annotation
Short Stories- Literary and Linguistic Style
Novel- Incorporating Research into Analysis
English 11

Grade 11
1 Credit
Prerequisite: English 10

Through our study of a variety of world literature, both contemporary and canonical, English 11 will hone students’ skills in critical reading, analytical writing, and oral communication. With an emphasis on literary analysis, students will practice close-reading strategies, build oral communication skills through formal presentations and informal literary discussions, take a systematic approach to conducting meaningful research, and write with clarity and precision in support of an original claim. Students will leave English 11 with a greater understanding of the complex relationships between world literature and the human condition.

Units of Study
Nonfiction Analysis--Memoir
Poetry Analysis
Writing Process--Short Drama
Fiction Analysis--Novel
Drama Analysis
Oral Communication--Novella
Comparative Literature--Short Stories
English 11 Honors

Grade 11
1 credit
Prerequisites: Grade of B+ or higher in English 10 Honors, or grade of A or higher in English 10, and teacher recommendation

English 11 Honors continues to challenge students' critical reading and writing skills. It is a rigorous writing-based course designed to build the student's ability to write expository, argument, analysis, and digital writing. Through both independent reading and full-class novels, the students will interpret and analyze a variety of world literature — both contemporary and foundational. The class emphasizes oral communication through class discussions and presentations.

Units of Study
Short Stories
Fictional Narrative
Dystopian Literature
Research & Presentations
Drama & Screenplays
Memoir
Introduction to Rhetorical Analysis
English 12

Grade 12
1 Credit
Prerequisite: English 11 or English 11 Honors

English 12 focuses on the process of critical reading and acquiring an appreciation for the author’s purpose, craft, and meaning. Students will learn how to articulate their interpretations verbally and in writing. Students in this class also complete a senior project.

This course is designed with one foot in the relative safety of high school, while the other foot navigates the more rigorous terrain of college academics. The class will serve as a capstone to a Trinity career, calling upon the reading and writing skills these students have acquired over the last few years. Students will build on these skills while working independently on a senior project, collaborating on group projects, and in developing a final presentation to be delivered in front of an audience.

Units of Study
Introduction to Theater: Communication and Language
Shakespeare on the Stage and Page
Digital Writing and Design
Media Analysis
Crafting a Narrative
Interpreting Research: Independent Strategies
Defining Process
Building an Argument for Presentation and Print
The Senior Presentation

IB and AP English

List of 3 items.

IB English A: Literature - Grade 11

Grade 11
1 Credit
Prerequisites: Grade of B+ or higher in English 10 Honors, or grade of A or higher in English 10, and teacher recommendation
Additional Fee: IB examination fees will be incurred the second year of the course.

IB English A: Literature is the first part of the two year IB English A: Literature HL course. Students will study a range of texts from different periods, styles and genres while developing the ability to engage in close, detailed analysis of individual texts. Students learn to read and write analytically through Socratic classroom discussion and written models focusing on formal, expository projects. The class is a requirement for students pursuing the IB diploma but is open to advanced English students who are curious readers and developing critical writers.

Units of Study
Reading Analytically – New Criticism and Post-colonialism
Writing Analytically - Body Paragraphs
Non-fiction Read / Write - Comparison Body Paragraphs & Practice HL Essay 1
Read / Write Contemporary Fiction - Practice HL Essay 2
IB Syllabus HL Essay Authors - Read/Write/Close Study
Works in Translation – Group Presentations
Works in Translation – Close Study/Read/Write
IB English A: Literature HL - Grade 12

Grade 12
1 Credit
Prerequisite: Teacher recommendation based on the expectation of B or higher in IB English A: Literature
Additional Fee: Students in this course are expected to take the IB exam. A fee applies to all students taking this exam.

This is the second year of the two year IB English A: Literature HL course. This course explores the human condition and the craft of the writer through detailed study of a variety of literary genres. The course prepares students for the IB Language A: Literature HL Individual Oral and spring written examinations.

As we study how writers explore the world and humanity, we learn more about others and ourselves. In the first semester, which focuses on Time and Space and Intertextuality (two of the program's three Areas of Exploration), students will take a deep dive into the work of several writers and genres, including works in translation. Throughout these studies, students will research the historical and cultural context of each work, perform close readings of brief passages, analyze the effects of the writers’ choices, and develop oral and written commentaries that combine close reading, contextual understanding, and knowledge of literary devices to share students’ interpretations of the works or pieces of the works. Though each semester will provide opportunities for students to practice and improve their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through a variety of formative and summative assessments, the first semester will focus primarily on delivering well-composed impromptu remarks. In the second semester of the course, which focuses on Intertextuality and Readers, Writers and Texts (the third Area of Exploration), students will study the work of dramatists, prose writers, and poets and practice writing comparative analyses. Students will learn through a mixture of close reading and annotation, class discussion, informal writing, performance-based approaches to analyses, and mentor text study. Success in the course depends on students’ willingness to collaborate, engage deeply in the reading, and devote time and consideration to their writing. Students must be open-minded, curious, respectful of all classmates, and able to work independently.

Units of Study
Analyzing Rhetoric and Investigating the Impact of Historical and Cultural Context
Analyzing Fiction/Drama and the Craft of the Writer
Analyzing and Interpreting Poetry
Preparing for the Individual Oral (IO)
Intertextuality: Past and Present- Comparing Classic and Contemporary Works
Preparing for Paper 1 and Paper 2 Exams
AP Language and Composition - Grade 12

Grade 12
1 credit
Prerequisites: English 11 or English 11 Honors and teacher recommendation
Additional Fee: Students in this course are expected to take the AP exam. A fee applies to all students taking this exam.

AP Language and Composition is a reading and writing-intensive course that focuses on the art of rhetoric. Students will learn to write logically and persuasively for a variety of purposes, read and analyze a broad and challenging range of nonfiction texts, and deepen their awareness of the writer’s purpose and how language works. Major projects include researching world leaders and their famous speeches, analyzing the patterns of an individual writers’ various works, and reading current opinion pieces and crafting logical responses to them. Students should be skilled at critical reading and writing, as the course requires daily close reading and responses. The course is an excellent introduction to required college composition courses for college freshmen. All students are expected to complete a senior project in the first semester and take the AP Language and Composition exam in the spring.

Units of Study
Rhetorical Basics
Argument
Rhetorical Analysis
The Senior Project
Non-Fiction
The Persuasive Speech
Synthesis Writing

English Electives

List of 5 items.

Contemporary Literature & Composition - Grades 9-12

Grades 9-12
1 credit

This course will expand on students’ skills in the major areas of communication: reading, writing, researching, speaking, and critical thinking. Students will practice and apply these skills as they continue to improve their abilities as creative, independent, and critical thinkers. Students will demonstrate their progress and mastery of skills through a variety of writing pieces and project-based assessments. The units will be taught thematically with overarching guiding essential questions that require students to synthesize their reading, research, and writing in order to fully answer. All reading pieces will be contemporary with an emphasis on 21st Century literature and media. Students will hone their research skills to demonstrate that they are responsible and critical consumers of digital information while continually practicing their presentation skills to become engaging and effective communicators.

Units of Study
Home & Family
Identity & Culture
Love & Relationships
Conformity & Rebellion
Heroes & Villains
Art & The Artist
Beginning Communication - Grades 8-12

Grades 8-12
.5 Credit

In this course, students will practice the art and craft of foundational communication. Each day, students will participate in individual and group games and exercises that will build up their stage presence and confidence as speakers in both academic and real-world settings. For academic settings, students will learn basic presentation skills, including slideshow design and presentation technology. Students will practice group discussion and debate, using conversation skills to advance academic arguments. Students will also study professionals at work as they practice interviewing skills and create an “elevator speech” for a business setting. Additionally, students will practice social speeches, including toasts and introduction. This is a hands-on, highly participatory class where students can expect to give and receive constant feedback. Throughout the course, students will reflect on their growth as speakers and listeners.

Units of Study
Speaking Confidence
Conversation Skills
Stage Presence
Basic Presentation
Interviewing and Business Etiquette
Social Speech
Creative Writing - Grades 8-12

Grades 8-12
.5 credit

Creative Writing offers an introduction to fiction writing in a collaborative, relaxed atmosphere. Short stories are read and discussed that model basic elements such as description, dialogue, action and plot. Students learn and grow as writers both by writing but also through the elements of peer review, workshop and revision. Individual pieces are revised and changed and then re-submitted in a final portfolio at the end of each quarter. This semester elective can be taken more than once for credit with the instructor’s permission.

Units of Study
Description
Dialogue
Plot
Revision
Story Arcs and Planning
Public Speaking - Grades 10-12

Grades 10-12
.5 credit
Prerequisite: Teacher permission

In this course, students will begin with an introduction to communication that helps to build confidence in basic communication, storytelling, and presentation skills. From there, students will create more complex speeches and presentations. As students become familiar with the rhetorical relationship between speaker, text, audience, and context, they will become skilled at tailoring their speeches to different kinds of audiences and situations. Types of speeches will include an Informative Speech, a Demonstration Speech, a Persuasive Speech, a Celebratory Speech and a Business Proposal. As they write, organize, and practice their speeches, students will receive constant individual and peer feedback. Throughout the course, students will reflect on their growth as speakers and listeners.

Units of Study
Beginning Communication
Introduction Speech
Pet Peeve Speech
Effective Presentations
Demonstration Speech
Sales Pitch
Motivational Speech
Graduation Speech
Rock & Roll Lit - Grades 9-12

Grades 9-12
.5 credit
Prerequisite: None

In this course, students will study the history and literature of Rock and Roll from the bluesmen of the 1920’s through the indie rock movement of the early 2000’s. Students will read short stories, rock criticism, and excerpts from well-known biographies and autobiographies, while maintaining a focus on the close-reading of song lyrics. Students will develop an appreciation for active listening, perform close-readings regularly, write album reviews, and perform and present research and analysis on artists or movements of their choosing. This is a semester-long elective for students in grades 9-12--especially those with particular interest in rock and roll music and/or poetry analysis.

Units of Study
The Blues
Rock and Roll Pioneers
The Beatles
Love Songs
Protest Songs
Sad Songs--Alienation, Depression, Isolation, Addiction, Death
Existentialism and Religion: Why are we here? What’s all this for?
Pastoral Songs
Teen Angst
Narratives

Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
English 8	English Reading and Writing Workshop 9	English 10 Honors	IB English Literature	IB English Literature HL
			English 11 Honors	AP Language and Composition
		English 10	English 11	English 12

English (2021-22)

English

List of 7 items.

IB and AP English

List of 3 items.

English Electives

List of 5 items.

Course Sequence