English

"The more you read the more things you know. The more that you learn the more places you'll go." - Dr. Seuss 


Studying English Language and Literature 
  1. You will be able to communicate a position and defend it with effective evidence and line of reasoning.  
  2. You will be able to discriminate between strong and relevant source materials and those that do not effectively support or strengthen your position.
  3. You will demonstrate an organized and effective writing style that allows readers to navigate easily through the text.
  4. You will be able to interpret, analyze and evaluate fiction and non-fiction texts.  
  5. You will engage with perseverance in a long term research writing process, gathering and responding to effective evidence, formulating and organizing an effective thesis, and       drafting and revising towards a finished product.

English 9
This required course introduces students to basic skills in reading, research in the digital age and the expository writing process, thus laying a foundation for success in Del Oro’s four year English 
program. Through close reading, reflection and discussion of novels and short fiction as well as informational texts, students will explore the central question: How can a person change and mature through 
heroic action? Writing assignments engage students in the process of 
expository and literary response compositions as well as documentation of the research process.

AP English Language 
This course is designed to prepare students to take the AP English Language & Comp. Exam. Students may receive college credit through successful completion of the AP English Exam. Language and Composition students are provided a unique opportunity as they will read a wide variety of prose that span a range of interests between the disciplines of art and science with an emphasis in American writings. These readings provide models for a variety of writing opportunities in rhetoric and expository writing. The theme of “the American Dream” allows reading, writing, and discussions to include a wide variety of conflicts that allow the course to focus on cultural, social, and philosophical, issues that have created the American world and that confront our diverse populations in the twenty-first century.

Philosophy
Are you really reading this course description? What is real? What is Truth? What is Time? Will I ever stop asking questions? Find out what philosophers past and present have to say about these and other central issues. In this course, you will learn to think, read, write, and talk philosophically. This is a beginner's guide, and will introduce you to a number of different philosophical topics including 
the nature of knowledge, truth, reality, and individualism.

Creative Writing 
This course is a “hands-on” creative writing experience. The class is designed for students who like to read, discuss, and write. It is a workshop approach that consists of writing exercises, reading, and 
discussion. The goal of the course is to help you become an active, discerning reader, and a thoughtful, perceptive writer. PLEASE NOTE: Assigned literary readings will deal with some mature themes, and as it is an elective course, no alternate assignments will be offered.

English 10
This required course builds upon the skills introduced in English 9, solidifying their foundation for success in Del Oro’s four year English program. Through close reading, reflection and discussion of narrative nonfiction, informational texts and a selection of global fiction, poetry and drama, students will explore the central question: What are the benefits and boundaries of culture? Writing assignments engage students in the process of narrative, expository and persuasive compositions, as well as documentation and synthesis 
of the research process. Participation in this course also prepares students for the English portion of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), which is required to earn a diploma.


English 11
This required course is focused on the theme of “The American Dream” and involves close reading of American literature and nonfiction, with an emphasis on seminal U.S. primary source documents. 
Literary readings are drawn from poetry, short stories, novels, and plays. Composition assignments will focus on both literary and rhetorical response (in preparation for the EAP), and will culminate in a long-term research project. This course is intended as a bridge to English 12 and a first step toward the critical thinking required beyond high school.


English 1A
 Introduction to Composition (Sierra College) Writing, reading and critical thinking skills necessary for successful completion of a four-year college  program. Includes reading, discussion and analysis of selected  non-fiction texts. Writing assignments teach students to summarize, explain, analyse, synthesize and organize information in research, MLS documentation and completion of a fully-documented paper using multiple sources. 

English 1B
Critical Thinking and Writing About Literature (Sierra College) Develops critical thinking, reading and writing skills applicable to the analysis of  prose, poetry, drama and criticism from diverse cultural sources and perspectives. Emphasis on the techniques and principles of effective written argument. formal writing and some research.
English 10 Honors 
This class will take the place of English 10 and is designed to prepare students for the additional writing and reading rigors of future AP English coursework (offered junior and senior year). It will cover all 
basic requirements, but will move at a more accelerated rate and include supplemental texts and materials. Students earn Honors grade bump.

English 12
This senior studies course is focused on the theme of "The Individual in Society" and involves both close reading of literature and non-fiction. Readings will be taken from a wide variety of novels, short stories, poetry, and creative non-ficition, with an emphasis on argument and rhetoric. Composition assignments will focus on both literary response and argument and persuasion, with a culminating evaluative research paper that asks students to take a position and defend it. This course requires students to draw upon the critical thinking skills acquired over their four years of English study at Del Oro and is designed to prepare them for college and/or post-high 
school experience.

Humanities 
This course is designed to give students a rich perspective of the world. Through studying disciplines such as cultural anthropology, world religion, mythology, film studies, and fine art, students will gain 
awareness to societal issues and an understanding of the differences and similarities between people. Through class discussion, oral presentations, writing and reading, students will learn to see how all 
human learning and ideas are connected.

AP English Literature
This course is designed to prepare students to take the AP English Literature & Composition Exam. Students may receive college credit through successful completion of the AP English Exam.
The AP English Literature and composition course is designed to engage students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Readings will be taken from a wide variety of short stories, novels, plays, essays, and poetry, and will cover a variety of periods and cultures – from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century. Students will gain the tools to approach a text critically, learning to 
analyze a work for literary craftsmanship as well as the social and historical values it reflects and embodies. Writing assignments, in preparation for the AP exam as well as future college writing 
courses, will focus on the critical analysis of literature and will include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays. This is a course for college-bound students who enjoy reading and discussing 
literature and desire a deeper understanding of the artistry behind the written word.

Yearbook l
Do you want to join the class on campus that is more like a student-run business than a high school course? Are you creative with lots of good ideas? Do you like photography, feature writing, and 
computer design? Are you interested in ending every school day among really fun and friendly people? Yearbook just may be the class for you - where all your hard work and effort and service to the student body will result, not merely in a grade, but a professionally printed and produced book containing a year’s worth of memories. 
Yearbook is a two-term, year-long class.

Yearbook ll
This is an elective course for students who are continuing yearbook production for the second year. Students must attend both fall and spring terms.