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 ($105)

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 ($105.00) and English Language Arts Common Core exam: (graduation requirement)

Advanced Placement Research

AP Research is a course available to juniors who have successfully completed AP Seminar and are interested in pursuing the AP Capstone designation. The course allows students to deeply explore an academic topic, problem, issue, or idea of individual interest. Students design, plan, and implement a yearlong investigation to address a research question. Through this inquiry, they further the skills they acquired in the AP Seminar course by learning research methodology, employing ethical research practices, and accessing, analyzing, and synthesizing information. Students reflect on their skill development, document their processes, and curate the artifacts of their scholarly work through a process and reflection portfolio. The course culminates in an academic paper of 4,000–5,000 words (accompanied by a performance, exhibit, or product where applicable) and a presentation with an oral defense.                                            

Grade 11
Full year subject 
1 unit of credit
Final research submission ($105.00)
Prerequisite- AP Seminar

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 ($105.00) 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 college portion of the course through Syracuse University (SUPA).  Students who do not register and pay by the college deadline will be dropped from the class at both the high school and college level.  Teachers will assist in the registration process at the beginning of the year.

 Class and Literary Texts
Component 2
Syracuse Univ. - ENG 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 college portion of the course through Syracuse University (SUPA).  Students who do not register and pay by the college deadline will be dropped from the class at both the high school and college level.  Teachers will assist in the registration process at the beginning of the year.  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.
Mandatory Dual Enrollment

Elective Classes:

 

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

SUNY ERIE - EN 140

Through a wide variety of poetry and fiction, students will have the opportunity to develop their creative writing skills in both genres and produce a project in each.  Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to recognize and incorporate major elements of a short story; demonstrate an awareness of various poetic structures and utilize poetic forms effectively; develop critical skills and appreciation for superior creative writing; exhibit, through journal writing, readings, and discussion, the development of a beginning understanding of style, voice, sensory details, form and literary devices. Highlights of the course also include 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.  While not required, students can choose to earn college credit for the course through SUNY Erie.  Teachers will assist in the registration process at the beginning of the year. 

Grade 11, 12
1 semester subject
1/2 unit of high school credit
Final Project
Optional Dual Enrollment - 3 units of SUNY credit (fulfills SUNY General Education - The Arts)              
$98 per credit hour ($294 total) SUNY Erie tuition

 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

SUNY ERIE - EN 114

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. Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: present coherent and organized public speeches, demonstrate critical listening and analysis skills, design a message for a specific audience, understand and apply the basic rhetorical canons, demonstrate an understanding of the ethics of speaking and listening, and demonstrate an understanding of the role of public discourse in society.   While not required, students can choose to earn college credit for the course through SUNY Erie.  Teachers will assist in the registration process at the beginning of the year. 

Grade 11, 12
1 semester subject
1/2 unit of high school credit
Final Project                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Optional Dual Enrollment - 3 units of SUNY credit (fulfills SUNY General Education - The Arts)              
$98 per credit hour ($294 total) SUNY Erie tuition

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

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

Writing for the Stage and Screen

This engaging, half-year class offers students an introduction to the practice of scriptwriting with the opportunity to read, view, evaluate, write, and revise scripts that are meant to (maybe someday?) be performed for an audience. Students will practice writing for the stage, film and television, with an opportunity to sit on a sitcom writing team.  Students will also analyze and critique a live, professional play, learn how to storyboard as well as examine texts that have been successful across different formats. This is a fun, interactive ½ year class that pairs nicely with Acting and Directing. This class also fulfils a requirement for The Academy of Visual and Performing Arts at Clarence High School.
Grade 9,10,11,12
1 semester subject
1/2  unit of credit
Final project