English

With a curriculum grounded in canonical as well as contemporary texts, students are exposed to a variety of viewpoints and experiences. Our focus on writing as a craft teaches students to write with precision while cultivating the power of their own unique voices.

During their freshman and sophomore years, our students develop foundational reading and writing skills that can be applied to all of their academic classes. In the second semester of English 1, students undertake an extensive research project in collaboration with their History classes. The sophomore English 2 course takes students into a deep-dive of the writing and revision process to instill confidence and self-awareness as writers.

Honors distinction can be earned at the freshman and sophomore level, and we offer two A.P. classes to upper-division students. A.P. Language and Composition focuses on analysis and argumentation, while A.P. Literature is grounded in literary analysis and an exploration of the human condition. Both of these classes provide a college-level English experience to prepare our students for the rigor of college coursework.

Seniors have the option of choosing from our broad range of semester-long classes. One of the highlights is a Dystopian Literature course taught by department member Jenny Lambert, whose own dystopian novel, The Memory Visit, was published in 2018. These classes are designed to resemble college seminar classes that focus on specific genres, and allow students to explore their own areas of interest.

Courses

• AP English Language & Composition

  Course Level(s): 11th & 12th grades
  Credits: 10
  Campus: Carondelet/De La Salle
  Prerequisites: 

  Completion of two semesters of English 2 Honors with at least a B+ each semester or completion of English 3 with at least a B+ each semester AND department approval

  The Advanced Placement English program, sponsored by the College Board, is a course that seeks to hone students’ skills as readers and writers of prose. The course uses a wide variety of selections from the rich tradition of world literature as the foundation for instruction. Analytical, expository, and argumentative writing are emphasized as these form the basis for academic and professional writing. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement examination.

  Note: summer reading requirement for this course will be announced in the spring via the Carondelet/De La Salle website.

• AP English Literature & Composition

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 10
  Campus: Carondelet/De La Salle
  Prerequisites: 

  Department approval AND completion of AP Language and Composition with at least a B each semester or completion of English 3 with at least a B+ each semester.

  AP English Literature and Composition is a specialized course for students who demonstrate an exceptional interest in and a commitment to the study of literature. The course is designed to cultivate careful readings of a variety of literary works (both in genre and in era) in order to develop a more sophisticated understanding of literary art and meaning. In order to develop the ability to perceive central issues, purposes, and techniques of various writers, students will learn to comment on abstract questions through analysis of specific works. In addition, students will explore, identify, and practice effective oral communication skills and improve their skills in written English through frequent writing. Students are expected to take the Advanced Placement examination.

   

  Note: Summer reading requirement for this course will be announced in the spring via the Carondelet/De La Salle Website.

• Children’s Literature

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  Completion of English 3 or A.P. Language and Composition

  While some might be inclined to reduce children’s literature to containers of morals and platitudes, there is a rich tradition of originality that drives the genre. This course will explore the wide range of themes present in children’s literature, and how deceptively complex these works can actually be. We will examine the capacity for children to deal with ambiguity and how strongly some stories resonate and contribute to the shaping of worldviews. An emphasis will be placed on picture books, folk tales, myths, fantasy and nonfiction as well as the cultural and historical contexts of individual works. The final project will be to go through the process of writing a work of children’s literature that will be presented to an actual audience of children.

• Classics of Horror

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: De La Salle
  Prerequisites: 

  None

  Classics of Horror is an English selective that gives the student an opportunity to thoroughly study and investigate the world of the horror story. The student will be asked to pay particular attention to the role of invasion, isolation, madness, pride, and family in the assigned texts. This course will focus on character and setting as a function of the Gothic novel and horror film. The student will learn to recognize common elements and themes and will learn to identify the relevance of social, historical and political context. Shelley, Stoker, and Stevenson have created texts that have haunted us for decades. Their respective “monsters” have become a part of the American psyche as well as part of our own “cultural literacy.” Frankenstein, Dracula, and Hyde have developed into symbols for Fear, Social Degeneration, the destructive power of the Ego, and the “Other.”

• Dystopian Literature

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  Completion of English 3 or AP English Language & Composition

  Students will investigate dystopian themes in literature and explore how authors from various cultures and time periods have attempted to draw attention to real world issues, specifically regarding the preservation of human dignity in a generally corrupt society. The course is designed to expand rhetoric, sharpen grammar, and hone the critical and analytical skills of students. There will be continued emphasis on advancing skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking, and critical thinking.

• English 1 / English 1 (H)

  Course Level(s): 9th grade
  Credits: 10
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  None

  English 1 is a foundational course designed to develop students’ skills in writing, reading, speaking, listening, and critical thinking. Students will produce written work in a variety of modes with particular emphasis placed on the thesis-driven analytical essay and the research process. Over the course of the year, certain skills and content will be taught in conjunction with World History.

  Honors credit is given to students who fulfill the honors criteria outlined by teachers at the beginning of each unit. To earn honors for the semester, students must complete all of the honors work in that given semester.

  Note: summer reading requirement for this course will be announced in the spring via the Carondelet website. 

• English 2 / English 2 (H)

  Course Level(s): 10th grade
  Credits: 10
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  Completion of English 1

  English 2 builds upon the skills learned during the freshman year. Students expand their study of a wide range of multi-genre fiction and non-fiction. Continued emphasis is placed on developing writing, reading, speaking, listening, and critical thinking skills. Students compose complex thesis-driven essays and deeply engage in the research process.

  Honors credit is given to students who fulfill the honors criteria outlined by teachers at the beginning of each unit. To earn honors for the semester, students must complete all of the honors work in that given semester.

  Note: summer reading requirement for this course will be announced in the spring via the Carondelet website.

• English 3

  Course Level(s): 11th grade
  Credits: 10
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  Completion of English 2 or Honors English 2

  English 3 is a comprehensive course that provides the junior student with practice in each of the language arts: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The content of the course includes the study of historical and contemporary American literature. Practice in writing across multiple genres is a major emphasis in this course.

  Note: summer reading requirement for the course will be announced in the spring via the Carondelet/De La Salle websites.

• Literature to Film

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  Completion of English 3 or A.P. Language and Composition

  This course centers on the analysis of films that are adaptations of literary works. Students will closely examine how different genres of literature, such as novels, plays, short stories, and memoirs, have been adapted to film. By exploring the choices that writers and directors make as they move a story from the page to the screen, students will have the opportunity to consider what makes a successful adaptation, possibilities and connections between different forms of media, and how adaptations can reflect changing historical, political, and aesthetic consciousness of a society. This course is designed to sharpen rhetorical analysis skills, hone analytical skills, and offer opportunities for creative expression. There will be continued emphasis on advanced skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking and critical thinking.

• Psychology in Literature

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  Completion of English 3 or AP English Language & Composition

  This course aims to make the students aware of the uniqueness of every individual and to sharpen their understanding of self and others. Students will deal with concepts of human psychology as evidenced in character behavior in novels and other works. The course is designed to expand rhetoric, sharpen grammar, and hone the critical and analytical skills of students as they use a psychological lens to analyze character motivation. Specific attention will be placed on developing strong inference skills. Students will be placed in situations in which not all the information is provided to them. Specifically the use of poetry, short stories, and one longer novel will help them develop strong inference skills and the major focus for the class will be to use literary and psychological devices to develop these skills. There will be continued emphasis on advancing skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking, critical thinking, and the ability to synthesize. Beyond the purely skills-based aspect of the course, the content is designed to have students engage with literature authentically and gain greater empathy and understanding of the human experience as a whole.

• Shakespeare

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: De La Salle
  Prerequisites: 

  Completion of English 3 or AP English Language Composition

  In this course students will read and experience a variety of Shakespeare’s work. The course will cover a play from each of Shakespeare’s three dramatic genres (comedy, history, tragedy) and some of his poetry. In addition, students will watch filmed and/or live performances of Shakespeare’s dramas in order to explore the variety of interpretations that the texts can generate. The course’s writing emphasis will be on expository work, but there will be some creative work as well. Students will also engage in the dramatization of some scenes from Shakespeare’s plays.

  Note: summer reading requirement for this course will be announced in the spring via the Carondelet/De La Salle websites.

• She Said: A Survey of 20th c. Women’s Literature and History

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: De La Salle
  Prerequisites: 

  None

  This course will encourage seeing human experience through a woman’s eyes as a means of enriching one’s understanding of history, her-story, and female identity. The course will offer a look at both male and female perspectives as part of a broader approach to the study of American women over the last century. Using literature, film, primary sources, and examples from pop culture, the students will examine the unique challenges of women and their role in society.

• The 21st Century Woman

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: Carondelet
  Prerequisites: 

  Completion of English 3 or AP English Language & Composition

  This course provides students with a variety of entry points for critically analyzing both opportunities and challenges facing women living in the 21st century. To help develop context and understanding for current women’s rights issues, students will both examine definitions and frameworks used to discuss women rights, including U.S. domestic and international laws and conventions, as well as study the U.S. women’s rights movement and other global women’s rights movements. Topics for study and analysis will include the current level of engagement and participation of women in a variety of spheres of life: education and career; health; politics and government; the media, spirituality, and the family.

• The Culture of Storytelling

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: De La Salle
  Prerequisites: 

  None

  The “Culture” of Storytelling: A Journey into Allegory, Mythology, Fable, and Fairy Tale

  Humans have always been bound by stories. Even before they were written down, stories were told through words and pictures as a means of expressing culture, tradition, values, history, and religion. This senior selective will take students on a journey through various storytelling platforms which include classic myth, fables, and fairy tales, only to conclude in a study of the modern novel and film as a reinterpretation of classic storytelling forms. Students will learn to see the allegorical and metaphorical dimensions of various narratives as expressions of human experience and human endeavor. The course will also encourage an appreciation of the universal motifs and themes which transcend culture and geography. Students will write analytical essays, engage in class discussion, perform literary and film analysis, and learn to synthesize various storytelling forms. The culminating activity for the course is a group project on the significant role of various archetypes, including the monsters and the hero.

• The Short Story

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: De La Salle
  Prerequisites: 

  Completion of English 3 or AP English Language Composition

  This course is intended to give students an understanding of the basic elements of short fiction: plot, setting, character, theme, tone and point of view, as well as knowledge of the development of the short story form. Students will study the works of representative authors from Poe to Capote. Students will write analytic papers, practice the elements of fiction in short writings, and compose one original work of fiction as the final project to increase their understanding of the form.

  Note: summer reading requirement for this course will be announced in the spring via the Carondelet website.

• The Wild West

  Course Level(s): 12th grade
  Credits: 5
  Campus: De La Salle
  Prerequisites: 

  None

  What is the American icon? What is the quintessential American image? The cowboy. The gunslinger. The loner riding his horse across the plain with his six-gun at his side. What is it about this image that speaks to the American and the global imagination? How accurate is this perception? Was there more to Western life than that? These are the questions the will open the door to the Western Literature course. As we proceed, we will look at written and filmed versions of popular Western American fiction to sort out fact from fantasy and to examine how this American iconography has evolved over time. Students will discover that the stereotypical image resonates with the desire for independence and initiative, as well as the distrust of authority gave birth to the United States. However, not surprisingly, students will discover that there is more to Western literature than that - just as there was more to life in the Old West than gunslingers and outlaws. Women, Native Americans, Mexicans, and Mexican-Americans all lived and died in the region and had unique perspectives on life there. All these will be explored over the course of the semester. Students will produce two essays and a brief research project during the semester as well as a number of small assignments such as journals and brief analytical writings. Students will engage in frequent small-group and class discussions to plumb the depths of this rich literary heritage.