12th Grade English Courses

English 4
Grade 12
In English 4, students refine their writing, note taking, reading, research, and study skills that are needed to prepare them for college. They learn to write college-level essays in a variety of rhetorical patterns. Throughout the year, students analyze an author’s implicit and explicit philosophical assumptions and beliefs about a variety of subjects. Students also enrich their understanding of fiction by drawing connections to multiple nonfiction essays. In the fall, students read Exit West, The Stranger, and short stories. In the spring, students read Othello, Siddhartha, and a variety of nonfiction articles. Students also conduct both short and sustained research projects. In the fall, students explore how an author’s life and times shape their writing, while in the spring, students conduct research on a career and develop a web page featuring an individual in that career. The spring semester culminates in a research paper where students utilize research, writing, computer, and presentation skills.

AP English Literature and Composition
Grade 12
This course is a college-level English class which also prepares students to take the AP Examination offered by the College Board. Students read a variety of prose and poetry selections, study complex works of literature, and learn a variety of techniques for approaching all types of literary works. They further develop their writing as well as perfect their own critical essays. Students learn to analyze the stylistic characteristics of prose and to define the relationship between a writer’s style and his meaning. They also read works of literary criticism and theory. In the fall, students read such works as Catch-22, Heart of Darkness, and White Noise, among others. In the spring, they focus on poetry and plays, and reading works such as The Importance of Being Ernest, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oedipus the King, and Hamlet. All students enrolled are prepared to take the AP Literature and Composition exam in May.