English

Emphasis is placed on the continued development of the NYS standards in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students will begin mastering literary analysis by studying the elements of the short story, novel, non-fiction, poetry, and drama. Preparation for the English Language Arts Common Core exam begins. This exam, taken in Grade 11, is a NYS graduation requirement.
Grade 9
Full year subject
1 unit of credit
School exam

English 10

Students continue to receive intensive work in reading, writing, listening and speaking in coordination with the New York State Common Core standards. Emphasis is placed on the continued mastery of composition and analysis through studying a variety of genres, including the novel, research-based argument, drama, short story, speeches, memoir/biography and other non-fiction. Development of skills necessary for mastery of the New York State English Common Core exam, a NYS graduation requirement taken in Grade 11, continues.
Grade 10
Full year subject
1 unit of credit
School exam

Advanced Placement Seminar

AP Seminar is a course designed for Sophomores who are interested in pursuing AP and college-level courses.  Using an inquiry framework, students engage with academic and real world topics and issues by analyzing diverse perspectives. Students learn to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in research-based written essays, and design presentations to demonstrate their understanding.  This course aims to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments.                                                    Grade 10
Full year subject
1 unit of credit
Final research & exam submission ($146)

English 11 

Students analyze and discuss literary works with a focus on American writers. In addition, students continue intensive work in the NYS standards in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. In the Fall, students complete a research argument essay. This essay aligns with later work in U.S. History class (the Junior Research Paper) and the Common Core Regents Exam in English Language Arts (Part2: Argument Essay). In June, all juniors take this exam, a NYS graduation requirement.
Grade 11
Full year subject
1 unit of credit
English Language Arts Common Core exam: (graduation requirement)

Advanced Placement
English Language And Composition

This is a college preparatory course designed for the serious junior English student. In accordance with The College Board's description of Advanced Placement English Language and Composition, the course involves critical reading and writing designed to improve students' reading skills and their understanding of the techniques and strategies of college writing. Students practice reading and writing non-fiction genres such as autobiography, observation, and the researched argument paper. Summer reading and writing assignments are required. All students are required to sit for the exam in May. Students must pay the exam fee by the November due date. Waivers can be arranged for students enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program.
Grade 11
Full year subject
1 unit of credit
A.P. exam ($99.00) and English Language Arts Common Core exam: (graduation requirement)

English 12

In alignment with the common core, students analyze and discuss novels, short stories, poems, nonfiction essays, and dramas. Some of the literature focuses on self-awareness and the role of the individual as a member of society. Students are expected to actively participate in class and have a willingness to work and think independently. In preparation for college, a thesis paper and portfolio of writing reflection are required.
Grade 12
Full year subject
1 unit of credit
Final project

Advanced Placement Literature & Composition with WE Service Recognition

Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition engages students in the close reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Students deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for readers. Designed to prepare students for BOTH the Advanced Placement Exam and college-level studies, the course focuses heavily on the analysis of authors of great literature from the Elizabethan to contemporary eras. Students consider the art and style of writing for academic and professional audiences with strong support in the college application process and development of a professional writing portfolio. All students are required to sit for the exam in May. Students will demonstrate their commitment to civic engagement by incorporating the “AP with WE Service” component into the course. Students will have the “AP with We Service” recognition added to their AP score report which can be sent to colleges. During the course, students will practice skills to use in college and beyond; connect with others while designing a meaningful class project; understand the connection between literacy and community; and spend time at school doing good while learning the skills and content of AP Literature & Composition.

Grade 12
Full year subject
1 unit of credit
A.P. exam ($99.00) and Final project

 

SUPA Reading/Writing
This course consists of Component 1 and Component 2 described below

Practice of Academic Writing 
  Component 1
Syracuse Univ. - WRT 105

This is the required English course for all students in semester one of their freshman year at Syracuse University. Each section of WRT 105 is a community of writers who meet with the specific purpose of developing as critical readers, writers, and thinkers. Students learn to develop ideas through the choices they make as writers. The course challenges students to understand that effective communication requires people to be aware of the complex factors that shape every rhetorical context, including issues of power, history, difference, and community. Developing this understanding helps students perceive ways in which their work as writers extends beyond the immediate requirements of the classroom and prepares them for effective engagement with issues in the workplace, local community, and global society. The course is designed as a workshop in which learning takes place through reading, writing, listening, and class interaction. Grades are based on both informal writing and formal papers. A final paper is required at the end of the semester. Students are required to register for the course through Syracuse University (SUPA).  Teachers will assist in the registration process at the beginning of the year.

 Class and Literary Texts
Component 2
Syracuse Univ. - ETS 181

From Dickens’ descriptions of living conditions in Victorian England, James Agee’s stories of tenant farmers during the Depression, to Ursula LeGuin’s speculative fiction focused on labor exploitation, questions of social class have long been a focus of novelists’, poets’ and essayists’ work. Parallel to the ways that writers affect and engage social class, critical readers can engage with the concepts of social class as they read. Concerned with the social divisions of privilege, wealth, power and status, class, like race and gender, is a social construction that is imposed on, and performed by, all of us as a way of stratifying and defining who we are. Though the restraints of social class readily subject us to the power of others, these restraints may also, when well understood, provide a springboard for advocacy and direct social action. This course provides an introduction to these concepts and exposes students to key texts in literature, film and other media as a way of fostering critical engagement and developing richer social responsibility through textual interpretation. Students are required to register for the course through Syracuse University (SUPA).  Teachers will assist in the registration process at the beginning of the year. Information on financial assistance can be found here.
Grade 12
Full year subject consisting of 2 components
1 unit of credit
Final project
$690.00 (2022 rate) Syracuse University tuition. Upon successful completion of the course, students will earn six Syracuse University credits.

 

Elective Classes:

Dystopian Literature

Dystopian Literature paints a bleak picture of societies in the not-so-distant future that are the stuff of nightmares. Imagine George Orwell's 1984 set in a totalitarian regime with Big Brother always watching or Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games where children living outside of the Capitol are randomly selected to fight to the death on reality television. These societies warn us of the potential dangers that could come to pass if we are not paying attention. In this elective, we will examine classic texts, popular novels, short stories and films to identify the troubling aspects that are common to the dystopias we explore while also considering what it takes for a character to survive. We will also look more deeply at the conditions in society that led the authors to imagine these dark and frightening futures.  
Grade 10, 11, 12
1 semester subject
1/2  unit of credit

English As A New Language

This course is provided to assist those students whose first language is not English. Students build English language social and academic skills through reading, writing, listening and speaking activities. Units of instruction are provided in accordance with the NYS Education Department Guidelines and Part 154 requirements. 

Grade 9, 10, 11, 12
Full year subject
Units of credit vary

This 21st century skill-driven curriculum prepares 11th grade students for the professional demands of the business world and higher education. Research, writing, and presentations are required, with an emphasis on honing written and oral communication skills. This course is only offered to Academy of Business and Finance students and is an Academy requirement. 
Grade 11
1 semester subject
1/2  unit of credit
Final project

Creative Writing

If you are interested in exploring your creativity, discovering your writer’s voice, and strengthening your control of language, our half-year Creative Writing elective is the course for you! Highlights of the course include: Immersion in Poetry Stations, building a Diction, Syntax and Structure Tool-kit, Writing Burst Journaling, a Hiking for Writing Field Trip, Author Share Celebrations, and Student Master Class Final Presentations. Students will also be given a wide variety of opportunities to submit written work for publication. Join us for one of the most rewarding experiences you can have as a CHS English student!
Grade 10, 11, 12
1 semester subject
1/2 unit of credit

 Film Studies

This course introduces students to the basics of film analysis, cinematic formal elements, genre, and narrative structure and helps students develop the skills to recognize, analyze, describe and enjoy film as an art and entertainment form. To understand how films are constructed to make meaning and engage audiences, students will be introduced to the basic “building blocks” and formal elements (narrative, mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing) that make up the film as well as some fundamental principles of analysis, genre, style, performance and storytelling. The class includes weekly readings, screenings, and short writing assignments.  
Grade 11, 12
1 semester subject
1/2  unit of credit            

Journalism: Mass Communication

Students learn the fundamentals of print and broadcast journalism through activities that include interviewing and reporting techniques, news, feature and sport writing, opinion writing, photo journalism, blogging, and layout and design techniques. Additionally, students study ethical issues related to journalism, trends in mass communication, and explore related fields including advertising and public relations.  
Grade 9, 10, 11, 12 
1 semester subject
1/2  unit of credit  

Public Speaking

In this introductory speech course, students will participate in a wide variety of speaking situations. While public speaking may be the number one fear for many Americans, it is an essential life skill for all. No matter what your chosen career path, becoming confident, poised and articulate will set you apart from your peers. This class will provide a supportive atmosphere to help students learn how to present their best selves while overcoming the uncertainty sometimes associated with public speaking. Students will learn how to give informational presentations, lead discussions, prepare a demonstration speech and deliver an impromptu speech.  
Grade 11, 12
1 semester subject
1/2  unit of credit

Sports & Literature

Sport functions as its own literature, complete with its distinct language, characters, conflicts, themes, symbols, setting, and points of view. We will be using a wide array of non-fiction sports writing - articles, columns and essays - in addition to a variety of clips from TV journalism and cinematic documentaries to examine and analyze how language and images are used to establish a story: the always changing, always controversial story of sport. We will analyze several novels, short stories, poems, and films in order to discover how and why authors and directors use the world of sport to tell their stories.  
Grade 10, 11, 12
1 semester subject
1/2  unit of credit

SUPA Creative Nonfiction
Syracuse Univ. - WRIT 114

WRT 114 allows students to experiment with creative writing in a nonfiction context. Students explore how writing about culture can be creative but also informative. As a course that invites students to reflect on the “personal” while attempting to make the personal meaningful for diverse audiences, WRT 114 necessarily requires they develop strong analytic and self-reflexive skills. Students will be expected to read and critically reflect upon complex nonfiction texts from different genres, such as science writing or new journalism, to write frequently, and to engage in researched writing projects of their own.

Grade 11 or 12
1 semester subject
1/2 unit of credit
Final project
$345.00 (2022 rate) Syracuse University tuition. Upon successful completion of the course, students will earn three Syracuse University credits.

Theater: Acting & Directing

This is a non-threatening, fun and interactive course where performance skills are explored through theater games, improvisation and acting exercises. Whether you’re shy or headin’ to Broadway, this course is one where your creativity becomes the centermost important aspect. Modern classic plays and film scripts will also be read in class.  
Grade 9, 10, 11, 12
1 semester subject
1/2  unit of credit

True Crime

This course will dive into the history of “true crime” in North America.  Students will examine the origin of true crime writing, study the creation and development of psychological profiling, and explore the true crime genre as presented in articles, novels, documentaries, and podcasts.  We will also explore the origins of our fascination with crimes of ever-increasing magnitude and horror and investigate the potential impact public exposure of these crimes may have on its viewers. This class is not for the faint of heart or stomach.

Grade 11 & 12
1 semester subject
½ unit credit

Women's Voices

We will read women authors, study women artists, watch women-directed films, learn about great women in history, and focus on contemporary women who are changing the world. This is not a theory class or a history class or a philosophy class or a lecture class. But it IS a class for people who want to study and discuss and write about the great work that women have done and continue to do.                                                      Grade 10, 11, 12
1 semester subject
1/2 unit of credit