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ENGLISH COURSES

The main objective of the English 9 teacher will be to provide a general coverage of all basic elements of English studies necessary to meet the needs of the individual student. Concurrently, an attempt will be made to help each student better understand himself/herself as a student and person. The grade 9 curriculum covers five areas of study: Grammar and Usage, Composition, Basic and Advanced Writing Skills, Communication Skills, Reading Skills, Spelling and Vocabulary, and Reading and Literature.

English 10 serves as a bridge between the highly structured lessons of the preceding grades and the progressively analytical requirements of grades 11 and 12. Emphasis is placed on reading, reasoning, and writing. Students work with classical forms (novel, short story, drama, essay, etc.) and classic literature.

Building a solid background in this important literature and learning to write meaningfully about it is essential to students’ success on the eleventh grade Regents exam. These solid communication skills will also be key in the future world of work. To this end, students in the 10th grade are expected to become progressively more independent in taking notes and sorting out valuable information. Emphasis on objective style testing lessens as objective information is instead used to compose essays, which are the primary basis for grading. ILA’s (Independent Literary Analyses), which are assigned each marking period, require a strong essay component.

English 11 attempts to promote effective reading, writing, and speaking. The course teaches questioning techniques that can help students negotiate complex issues, decode texts, and process information. Students apply principles of effective composition and discuss issues of style in order to “dress up” their ideas. Class and homework projects support the New York State Comprehensive Regents Exam, now a graduation requirement. Throughout the year, students read a variety of American texts and collect significant work in a “Personal” Anthology” of favorite works.

English 12 focuses on the literature, writing, and speaking experiences that reflect the important issues of the day. Students are encouraged to creatively and independently analyze and respond to the world around them as it appears in both classic and contemporary art and literature; their English studies present poems, plays, and novels which explore man's individuality, man's treatment of his fellow man, man's relationship to his natural environment, and man's social conscience and moral history.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH 11

The Advanced Placement Program is a national program based on the idea that some young people can complete college-level studies in secondary school.
In Advanced Placement English Language and Composition, students read and write primarily nonfiction. They learn to analyze and utilize rhetorical strategies. Literary studies focus on memoir, essay, speech, argument, persuasion, and poetry - to a lesser degree, fiction and drama, mostly American.
The Advanced Placement examination in Language and Composition is administered and evaluated in May by the College Board of Princeton, NJ. Students who then qualify may be able to apply credits earned to the college they eventually attend.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH 12

The Advanced Placement Program is a national program based on the idea that some young people can complete college-level studies in secondary school.
In Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition, students are involved in both the study and practice of writing. Through speaking, listening, and reading, but chiefly through the experience of their own writing, students become aware of the resources of language. Literary studies focus on poetry, novels, short stories, plays and essays, which are representative of the different genres and periods of English literature.
The Advanced Placement examination in Literature and Composition is required for all students and is administered and evaluated in May by the College Board of Princeton, NJ. Students who then qualify are able to apply credits earned to the college they attend the following year.

ELECTIVES WILL BE OFFERED BASED UPON STAFF AVAILABILITY

*TTV - (1/2 Unit – Every other day all year)
You watch CNN and VH-1, Disney and The Discovery Channel. Now make way for TTV, Ticonderoga Central's information source. Using state-of-the-art digital video technology, learn the basics of videography: scripting, shooting, editing. Cover events of educational interest and create films you will cherish for years - and polish valuable thinking and communication skills in the process! Superior quality student productions will be broadcast on Channel 17, Ti's educational access. Class size limited. Some outside work required. First come, first served.

*CREATIVE WRITING - (1/2 Unit – Fall)
In conjunction with the Writer's Voice project of Silver Bay Association, enjoy a semester's study of the power of the creative voice. Work with an English teacher and published writer to discover the rewards of journal writing, the wealth of life's experiences as stories, the dimensions of language and expression, and the rewards of writing and collecting your own work. At the end of the fall semester, students will have created their own writing portfolio. Participation at the Silver Bay Association's Student Writing Fall Workshop will offer students the opportunity to read their own work and participate in a district writing conference.

WOMEN AND WORDS – (1/2 Unit - Spring)
Gentlemen, can’t figure out how the minds of women work? Ladies, tired of reading books written by men? Dive inside the heads of famous feminine authors and their literature. Examine their writing to better understand their styles, themes, and narration. See how women’s writing has progressed and where it is headed. Impress those around you with your knowledge of some of the leading ladies in literature. Class size is limited to those of sophomore standing and above.

DONE IN ONE ACT – (1/2 Unit - Fall)
Do you enjoy skits, one-act plays, and situational comedy? Need an outlet for your inner actor? Then have fun with ten-minute plays, mini-dramas for two or three actors. Keep your performance skills sharp in a non-threatening environment, and perhaps pen a play of your own. Class size limited.

BASKETBALL, BASEBALL AND BOOKS – (1/2 Unit - Fall)
Tired of sitting the bench? Can’t get your head in the game? Get back in the “swing of things” with a good book and become a “star student.” Many of today’s most popular novels are based upon America’s favorite pastimes. See how these sports come to life and draw us into reading. Create your own legacy and leave your mark. Class size is limited to those of sophomore standing and above.

“WAR AS THEY KNEW IT” – (1/2 Unit - Spring)
The literature of conflict has often been as powerful an influence on society as conflict itself. This course offers an opportunity to examine the memoirs and major works of great military thinkers and other participants in conflicts, as well as literary works with warfare as their setting/theme. Sun Tsu, Machiavelli, Patton, Remarque, etc. Not for the faint of heart!