- Murrieta Valley High
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English Courses
All English courses are aligned to the California English Content Standards. Approved English Courses meet the (b) requirement for admission to theUC/CSU system.
ENGLISH I
Grade Level: 9
Course # 1001Prerequisite: None
Length: Year
This course meets UC/CSU and District graduation requirements. It provides students, through their experiences inreading, writing, listening and speaking, with the skills necessary to become informed and responsible citizens, productive and effective members of the work force, and individuals dedicated to lifelong learning.The class focuses on developing skills in creating composition and analyzing literature. Students will demonstrate skills using a variety of genres (poetry, drama, short stories, novels and biographies). The students will be introduced to a substantial amount of ongoing writing practice through journals, essays, creative writing, a mini-research paper, and extensive formal papers. The course is structured around reading of classical and contemporary works of literature. Assessments will include performance-based assessments, conventional assessments, portfolios and published products including standardized tests.ADVANCED ENGLISH I
Grade Level: 9
Course # 1021Prerequisite: Grade of A or B in advanced Language Arts with teacher recommendation.
Length: YearThis course meets UC/CSU and District graduation requirements. It provides students, through their experiences in reading, writing, listening and speaking, with the skills necessary to become informed and responsible citizens, productive and effective members of the work force, and individuals dedicated to lifelong learning.The class focuses on developing skills in creating composition and analyzing literature. Students will demonstrate skills using a variety of genres (poetry, drama, short stories, novels and biographies). The students will be introduced to a substantial amount of ongoing writing practice through journals, essays, creative writing, a research paper, and extensive formal papers. The course is structured around in-depth reading of classical and contemporary works of literature. Assessment will include performance-based assessment, conventional assessment, portfolios and published products. In the advanced course, students focus on independent, in-depth reading of challenging classical and contemporary literary works with more emphasis on higher level thinking skills. Advanced students are expected to read and write extensively.ENGLISH II
Grade Level: 10
Course # 1002Prerequisite: Successful completion of English I
Length: YearThis course meets UC/CSU and District graduation requirements for English.It provides students, through their experiences in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with the skills necessary to become informed and responsible citizens,productive and effective members of the work force, and individuals dedicated to lifelong learning. Students will demonstrate reading, writing, speaking and listening skills using a wide variety of genres (poetry, drama, short stories novels and biographies) and by using activities such as speeches debates, and oral presentations. Students will demonstrate the writing process through journals, short essays, creative writing, and formal papers. Assessments will include performance based assessments, conventional assessments (including standardized tests), portfolios and published products.ADVANCED ENGLISH II
Grade Level: 10
Course # 1022Prerequisite: Grade of A or B in English I or Adv. English I with teacher recommendation
Length: YearThis course meets UC/CSU and District graduation requirements for English.This course prepares students for advanced placement English and history courses and focuses on close literary analysis and written works. It provides students, through their experiences in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with the skills necessary to become informed and responsible citizens, productive and effective members of the work force, and individuals dedicated to lifelong learning. Students will demonstrate reading, writing, speaking and listening skills using a wide variety of genres (poetry, drama, short stories novels and biographies) and by using activities such as speeches debates, and oral presentations. Students will demonstrate the writing process through journals, short essays, creative writing, and formal papers. Assessments will include performance-based assessments, conventional assessments (including standardized tests), portfolios and published products. In the advanced course, students focus on independent, in-depth reading of challenging classical, multicultural and contemporary literary works with more emphasis on higher level thinking skills. Advanced students are expected to read and write extensively.THEMES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE
Grade Level: 11
Course # 1003Prerequisite: Successful completion of English II
Length: YearThis course meets UC/CSU and District graduation requirements for English.Students will demonstrate reading,writing, speaking, and listening skills using an extensive variety of classical and contemporary short stories, poems, drama, and novels. Students will engage in this analysis of core and extended reading. Students will trace the evolution of American literature while exploring such themes as "The American Dream," "Coming of Age," "Justice and Injustice," "The Pursuit of Happiness," "War and Peace," and "Freedom and Dignity." Students will interact with the literature and the writing on a personal level by using collaborative techniques, visual and written interpretations, and oral presentations. The students will complete a formal historical based research paper as an integrated project.
EXPOSITORY READING AND WRITING 11
Grade Level: 11
Course #1028
Prerequisite: Grade of A or B in sophomore English with teacher recommendation
Length: YearThis course meets UC/CSU and District approval for English credit.Expository Reading and Writing 11 will prepare students read and analyze non-fiction works representing the classical andmodern modes of rhetorical discourse. Students will develop skills to write effective expository and persuasive compositions, and will also develop the ability to produce an effective research paper. Students will learn to use the Rhetorical Analysis Template, developed by the CSU system, for their analysis of essays and development of compositions. This will help prepare students for college level reading and writing, and for success on the Early Assessment Program portion of the California Standards Test. Also included in the curriculum are full-length works from classical and contemporary American literature, including: The Crucible, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, and Fahrenheit 451.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Grade Level: 11
Course # 1005Prerequisite: Grade of A– or B in Advanced English II with teacher recommendation and signed AP contract.
Length: YearThis course meets UC/CSU and District graduation requirements for English. It is a one-year course primarily for juniors who have demonstrated excellent academic competence. Students who enroll in the course are required to register for the AdvancedPlacement Language and Composition exam, which is administered in the spring.The course focuses on compositionand literature. Students will demonstrate advanced reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills using an extensive variety of classical and contemporary essays, short stories, poems, drama, and novels, with an emphasis on non-fiction prose in preparation for the AP exam. Students will engage in the analysis of core and extended reading, and essays representing the four modes of discourse: narration, description, exposition, and argumentation. Students will be expected to understand rhetorical structures, devices, and techniques employed by authors. Additionally, students will trace the evolution of American literature while exploring such themes as "The American Dream," "Coming of Age," "Justice and Injustice," "The Pursuit of Happiness," "War and Peace," and "Freedom and Dignity." Students will interact with the literature and the writing on a personal level by using collaborative techniques, visual and written interpretations, and oral presentations. Writing will be taught at the advanced composition level focusing on writing skills and strategies for the college level student, and for the Advanced Placement Language and Composition exam. Students will utilize the writing process to compose formal essays and research projects, and will compose timed essays. Upon successful completion of the national test for AP Language Composition, students MAY also qualify for college credit.
Students are required to take the AP exam.
AMERICAN STUDIE
Grade Level: 11
Course # 1027Prerequisite: None
Length: YearThis course is pending UC/CSU and district approval for English and Social Science credit.American Studies is a two-period course, in which American literature and American history, from colonial period to the present, are presented as an integrated whole through cooperative teaching by English and Social Science teachers.Students will study works of literature with an emphasis on their historical settings and significance. This course makes history and literature come alive.
THEMES IN BRITISH LITERATURE
Grade Level: 12
Course # 1006Prerequisite: Successful completion of Junior English
Length: YearThis course meets UC/CSU and District graduation requirements.
This course is designed to introduce students to British literature and to continue writing development. The literary units will include short stories, essays, novels, drama and poetry from various time periods related to themes such as “The Heroic and The Humble”, “Love’s Labors”, Ambition and Anguish”, “Criticism and Satire”, “Life Goes On” and “The Natural and The Fantastic”. The course will focus on analysis, interpretation and evaluation of works of world artists through the use of reading and writing techniques. A major research paper will be required for this course.
EXPOSITORY READING AND WRITING 12
Grade Level: 12
Course #1030
Prerequisite: Grade of A or B in Junior English with teacher recommendation Length: YearThis course meets UC/CSU and District graduation requirements for English credit. Expository Reading and Writing 12 will prepare students for the intellectual demands of the university by requiring them to read extensively from challenging essays across the disciplines and to write analytically and critically about what they have read. Students will develop the skills to produce an accomplished essays based upon required expository readings. They will complete advanced explorations of the various rhetorical modes, including description, illustration, comparison and contrast, analogy, definition, process analysis, argument and persuasion, and causal analysis. This course is designed to prepare students for college level reading and writing, as well as for success on college entrance exams. Also included in the curriculum are full-length works from classical and contemporary literature: Hamlet, Native Son, John Adams, and Candid.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION
Grade Level: 12
Course # 1008
Prerequisite: Grade of A- in Junior English, or successful completion of Advanced Placement English Language and Composition plus passing score on essay exam in addition to signed AP contract. Length: YearThis course meets UC/CSU and District graduation requirements.
There is an intensive study of various genres of British and World literature and composition. Designed to prepare students for the AP test, the course focuses on the connection between reading and writing mature prose of various styles. Students study the individual work, its language, characters, actions and themes. They consider the structure, meaning and value of the work and its relationship to contemporary experience as well as to the times in which it was written. The course work includes a research paper and AP testing preparation. Students assume considerable amount of responsibility for the amount of reading and writing they do. Extensive reading will be required.
Students are required to take the AP exam.