Credit: 2

Grades Offered: 8th

Weight: 1.0

Eighth grade Communications focuses on grammar including parts of speech, punctuation, capitalization, and sentence types. It introduces basic writing and editing skills for informative, persuasive, and narrative papers, as well as poetry. The reading portion of the course is designed to cover the different aspects of literature including poetry, short stories, novels, and drama.

Credit: 2

Grades Offered: 9th

Weight: 1.0

Ninth-grade English is a two-period, four-semester course which focuses on the written and spoken word as both powerful tools for shaping their future and the building blocks for communicating successfully. Within this premise, students work extensively with words: journals, discussion of famous quotations, vocabulary, and student readings are a necessary part of the course’s daily work schedule. Classes will also engage in weekly vocabulary lessons, selected grammar/usage exercises, and literary works from various genres and time periods. Students will generate analytical and creative works, which correspond to the literature we will read.

Credit: 1

Grades Offered: 10th

Weight: 1.0

Tenth grade English includes the study of short stories, poems, dramas, and novels of America and Britain, with some literary works of other countries, with an emphasis on drama.
The core textbook is Prentice Hall Literature, Timeless Voices, and Timeless Themes (Platinum Level). This text contains Antigone by Sophocles and Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, which are recommended for the curriculum. The textbook Question and Form in Literature contains two requirements, 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose and Our Town by Thornton Wilder.
Students must present an informative speech and persuasive speech during the year, one of which must be a PowerPoint presentation. Vocabulary work is taken from the literature and is quizzed on a periodic basis. Other vocabulary lists are assigned weekly and tested. A variety of compositions are assigned, including summaries of dramatic acts and novel sections, journal responses, and poem analyses. A short research paper is assigned in the spring. Two of the following selections can be assigned for independent reading, with teacher preference: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Finding Forrester by James Ellison, A Doll’s House or An Enemy of the People by Isben, and/or The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammet.

Credit: 1

Grades Offered: 10th

Weight: 1.04

Tenth grade English includes the study of short stories, poems, dramas, and novels of America and Britain, with some literary works of other countries, with an emphasis on drama. The honors curriculum is more demanding in that a deeper understanding of Literature is expected in students’ essay responses and compositions.

The core textbook is Prentice Hall Literature, Timeless Voices, and Timeless Themes (Platinum Level). This text contains Antigone by Sophocles and Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, which are recommended for the Curriculum.
The textbook Question and Form in Literature contains two requirements, 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose and Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Students must present an informative speech and persuasive speech during the year, one of which must be a PowerPoint presentation. Vocabulary work is taken from the literature and is quizzed on a periodic basis. Other vocabulary lists are assigned weekly and tested.
A variety of compositions are assigned, including summaries of dramatic acts and novel sections, journal responses, and poem analyses. A short research paper is assigned in the spring. The following, novel selections will be assigned for independent reading, with teacher preference: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, and/or Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys

Credit: 1

Grades Offered: 11th

Weight: 1.0

The 11th Grade American Literature course houses grammar, reading, and writing. It offers a historical survey of the development of American Literature from the colonial period through the 21st century. The 11th Grade American Literature course houses grammar, reading, and writing. It advances the student in writing and editing skills for informative, persuasive, and narrative papers, and poetry and free writing as well. The reading portion of the course is designed to cover the different aspects of literature: poetry, short stories, novels, and drama.

Credit: 1

Grades Offered: 11th

Weight: 1.06

The 11th Grade American Literature course houses grammar, reading, and writing. It offers a historical survey of the development of American Literature from the colonial period through the 21st century. It advances the student in writing and editing skills for informative, persuasive, and narrative papers, and poetry and free writing as well, in order to prepare the student for collegiate level writing. The reading portion of the course is designed to cover the different aspects of literature: poetry, short stories, novels, and drama.

Credit: 1

Grades Offered: 12th

Weight: 1.0

College English 12 is a concentrated study of British Literature from its beginnings to the present, addressing different aspects of literature including poetry, essays, short stories, novels, and drama. The course emcompasses reading comprehension and interpretation, vocabulary development, grammar in practice, writing skills, and speaking/presentation skills. It advances the student in writing and editing skills for informative, persuasive, narrative, and research-based writing. The course curriculum has been designed to addressed the Common Core Standards, Keystone Exams, and the PDE Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

Credit: 1

Grades Offered: 12th

Weight: 1.08

Honors English 12 is an advanced, concentrated study of British Literature from its beginnings to the present, addressing different aspects of literature including poetry, essays, short stories, novels, and drama. The honors course encompasses reading comprehension and interpretation, independent analysis, vocabulary development, grammar in practice, writing skills, and speaking/presentation skills at a challenging level. It advances the student in writing and editing skills for informative, persuasive, narrative, and research-based writing. The course curriculum has been designed to address the Common Core Standards, Keystone Exams, and the PDE Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening.

Credit: 1

Grades Offered: 10th – 12th (9th grade with pre-approval)

Weight: 1.0

News Reporting is a broadcast journalism class in which students research, interview, develop, write, and report news stories as content for MCA Live news broadcast. The appointed editor(s) prepare the daily broadcast logs, while other student staff members perform daily tasks to prepare for the next day’s news. Students may serve as a news anchor on the morning program, but are not required to anchor. Students must carry at least a “B” average in English in order to take this class.