ENGLISH
Introduction: Although high
school graduation requires a minimum of 30 units, the University of
California, California State Universities, and most private colleges
require four years of English. We strongly encourage all students
to enroll in English classes in both their junior and senior
years. Throughout all courses, students will work on English
Language Arts Portfolios to demonstrate their ability to meet or exceed
California state standards.
Intensive 9th: Intensive English 9
College 10th: Intensive English 10
Prep 11th: Honors American Literature
12th: Intensive English 12, AP English Literature and Composition
College 9th: English 9 Literature and Composition
Prep 10th: English 10 Literature and Composition
11th: American Literature
12th: English 12
Elective Science Fiction
Classes Journalism
English English Language Development--Beginning
Language English Language Development--Intermediate
Development Transitional English
Humanities Academy – see the description under the Social Studies section of this handbook
Speech/Mock Trial – see the Special Opportunities sections of this handbook
ENGLISH 9
Grade
Duration Credits
Repeat Status
9 Year
5/5 No
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS, for UC/CSU, see a-g list
Prerequisite: Recommendation of 8th grade teacher
Course Description: This college preparatory, year long course builds
skills as advised in the California state standards. Students
read and analyze short stories, mythology, biographies,
autobiographies, novels, drama, and informational
materials. Texts designated for English 9 include the
following: Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, The House on
Mango Street, Night, The Bean Trees, Heroes, Gods and Monsters, Edith
Hamilton’s Mythology, The Education of Little Tree, Farewell to
Manzanar, Of Mice and Men, Cannery Row, Good Sentences, The Holt
Anthology and the McDougal Littel anthology. Students also have
opportunities to select independent reading choices. Students
write a multi-paragraph essay at least once each six-week grading
period. Students will begin to develop a writing portfolio with
an emphasis on autobiographical essays, biographical essays, original
narratives, responses to informational materials and responses to
literature.
INTENSIVE ENGLISH 9
Grade
Duration Credits Repeat Status
9 Year
5/5 No
Fulfills Requirement: English or SHS; for UC/CSU, see a-g list
Prerequisite: Recommendation of 8th grade teacher
Course Description: This college preparatory, year long course builds
skills as advised in the California state standards. Students
read and analyze short stories, mythology, biographies,
autobiographies, novels, drama, and informational materials.
Texts designated for English 9 include the following: Romeo
and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, The House on Mango Street, Night,
The Bean Trees, Heroes, Gods and Monsters, Edith Hamilton’s Mythology,
The Education of Little Tree, Farewell to Manzanar, Of Mice and Men,
Cannery Row, Good Sentences, The Holt Anthology and the McDougal Littel
anthology. Intensive students also read Les Miserables. Students
also have opportunities to select independent reading choices.
Students write a multi-paragraph essay at least once each six-week
grading period. Students will begin to develop a writing
portfolio with an emphasis on autobiographical essays, biographical
essays, narratives, responses to informational materials and responses
to literature. The pace and complexity of this course best serve
highly motivated and academically prepared students.
ENGLISH 10
Grade Duration Credits Repeat Status
10 Year 5/5 No
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS; for UC/CSU, see a-g list
Prerequisite: Pass English 9 or previous teacher recommendation
Course Description: Students will continue to build their writing
portfolio with an emphasis on response to public documents, persuasive
writing, and responses to literature. One research project is
required. Texts designated for English 10 include the following:
The Catcher in the Rye, The Illustrated Man, The Autobiography of
Malcolm X, The Tempest, Cold Sassy Tree, I Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings, Julius Caesar, Animal Farm, Kindred, The Late
Great Me, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Eye of the Heart, the Holt
Anthology and the McDougal Littel anthology. Students also have
opportunities to select independent reading choices.
INTENSIVE ENGLISH 10
Grade Duration Credits Repeat Status
10
Year 5/5 No
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS; for UC/CSU, see a-g list
Prerequisite: Pass Intensive English 9 or previous teacher recommendation
Course Description: In this course, students continue to build their
writing portfolio with an emphasis on response to public documents,
persuasive writing, and responses to literature. One research
project is required. Texts designated for English 10 include the
following: The Catcher in the Rye, The Illustrated Man, The
Autobiography of Malcolm X, The Tempest, Cold Sassy Tree, I Know
Why the Caged Bird Sings, Julius Caesar, Animal Farm Kindred, The
Late Great Me, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Eye of the Heart, the Holt
Anthology and the McDougal Littel anthology. Intensive 10 students also
read Earth Abides and The Jungle. Students also have
opportunities to select independent reading choices. The pace and
complexity of this course best serve highly motivated and academically
prepared students.
ENGLISH 11 (American Literature)
Grade Duration Credits Repeat Status
11-12 Year
5/5 No
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS; for UC/CSU, see a-g list
Prerequisite: Pass English 10, or previous teacher recommendation
Course Description: In this course, students
continue to build their writing portfolios with an emphasis on
persuasion in responses to public documents authored by Patrick Henry,
Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X et
al. They also write original persuasive essays and expository,
literature-based essays. Additionally, students create original
scenes, stories and poetry. Discussion and presentation help
students to develop their understanding of the literature. Texts
designated for American literature include the following: Zoot
Suit, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Adventures of Huck Finn, The
Great Gatsby, The Inland Whale, Brave New World Their Eyes Were
Watching God, The Crucible, The Illustrated Man, The Eye of the Heart,
the Holt anthology and the McDougal Littel anthology. Students
also have opportunities to select independent reading choices.
HONORS AMERICAN LITERATURE
Grade Duration Credits Repeat Status
11
Year 5/5 No
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS; for UC/CSU, see a-g list
Prerequisite: Pass Intensive English 10, or previous teacher
recommendation, Proficient or higher on current STAR test, a writing
assessment and completion of reading and writing in the summer before
the course begins.
Course Description: In this course, students continue to build their
writing portfolios with an emphasis on persuasion in responses to
public documents authored by Patrick Henry, Abigail Adams, Thomas
Jefferson, Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, et
al. Students also write original persuasive essays that require
triangulated research. Discussion and presentation help students to
develop their understanding of the literature. They also compose
expository, literature-based essays on selected texts from the
following list: Zoot Suit, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The
Great Gatsby, Brave New World, Their Eyes Were Watching
God, The Crucible, The Illustrated Man, The Eye of the Heart, the Holt
anthology and the McDougal Littel anthology. Additionally they
explicate poetry by Hungry Coyote, Shakespeare, Whitman, Dickinson,
Pound, Eliot, Bishop, Forche, Mitchell, Simon, Walcott et al.
Students will also have opportunities to select independent reading
choices, and they will have opportunities to compose original poetry,
scenes and stories. The pace and complexity of this course best serve
highly motivated and academically prepared students.
ENGLISH 12 (Composition and World Literature)
Grade Duration Credits Repeat Status
12
Year 5/5 No
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS; for UC/CSU, see a-g list
Prerequisite: Pass American Literature, or teacher recommendation
Course Description: Students complete their writing portfolios to
include autobiographical essays, response to informational materials,
response to literature and response to public documents as well as
expository and persuasive essays that show passing skills according to
CAHSEE and District standards. Twelfth grade texts include
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Candide, A Christmas Carol,
Frankenstein, Gilgamesh, Heart of Darkness, Hamlet, Joy Luck Club,
Madame Bovary, Kafka’s Metamorphosis, Ovid’s Metamorphosis, The
Odyssey, Siddhartha, The Stranger , Things Fall Apart and selections
from the Glencoe, McDougal Littel and/or Holt anthologies. Students
also have opportunities to select independent reading choices. In this
course students have the opportunity to revisit the universal themes of
humanity as expressed by various authors from around the world.
INTENSIVE ENGLISH 12 (Advanced Composition and World Literature)
Grade Duration Credits Repeat Status
11 Year 5/5 No
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS; for UC/CSU, see a-g list
Prerequisite: Pass English 11, or previous teacher recommendation
Course Description: Intensive English 12 is a college-prep course
for the highly motivated student. The first semester will focus on
acquainting the student with the universal themes of humanity as
expressed in the writing of various civilizations and nations of the
world from 2000BC through the Renaissance. Forms of written
expression, strategies to execute them, and opportunities to practice
and perfect them will be the other aim of this course. The second
semester of this course will continue to focus on universal themes of
humanity as expressed in writings from various European nations from
the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries. Practice in forms
of written expression to analyze, interpret and relate these themes
will continue with an emphasis on preparing for college writing.
Students will review and refine portfolio entries before writing their
final reflective piece.
AP ENGLISH LITERATURE (Advanced Placement)
Grade Duration Credits Repeat Status
12
Year 5/5 No
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS; for UC/CSU, see a-g list
Prerequisite: Admission for seniors upon successful completion of
Intensive English 11, Honors American Literature, or an equivalent
course; Proficient or higher on current STAR test; previous teacher
recommendation; and an application process which includes an AP writing
assessment (essay) in March of the junior year.
Course Description: AP English is a college-prep course for the highly
academically motivated student. This course studies a wide
variety of literature, drama, poetry, and non-fiction essays,
concentrating on critical analysis of both the structural and thematic
elements of texts. Students examine texts within the
cultural, social, historical, and artistic contexts of the eras in
which they were written, and text selection varies from year to
year. Extensive student participation is required in the form of
class discussions (both teacher and student directed) and the
completion of critical analysis reading journals. Students read
critically, and advanced composition skills are taught and practiced
through the writing of a significant number of formal literary analyses
and expository essays equivalent to the writing required in a first
year college composition course. Extensive summer reading and
writing are required. Students are encouraged to take the
Advanced Placement Exam offered by the College Board in May of their
senior year; depending on individual college admissions policies, a
score of 3, 4 or 5 on the exam results in elective or English college
credit.
SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY
Grade Duration Credits Repeat Status
11-12 Semester 5 Yes-teacher permission
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS; for UC/CSU, see a-g list
Prerequisite: Completion of English 10
Course Description: The best science fiction and fantasy
literature is great entertainment, and more: it asks the big
questions. What is the future of humanity? What is the
relationship between magic, science and religion? What other
beings, worlds and dimensions may exist? Students will explore
these and other ideas through READING, writing and talking about
science fiction. Motivated students who received an "A" or "B"
previously may repeat the class; the work will consist of directed
independent study and serving as a resource for the class in various
ways.
SPECIAL STUDIES IN ENGLISH
Grade Duration Credits Repeat Status
10-11 Semester 5 By teacher
approval only
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS; for UC/CSU, see a-g list
Prerequisite: Permission of teacher
Course Description: Students work independently on various projects under the supervision of an English teacher.
ENGLISH ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT—BEGINNING
ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT--INTERMEDIATE
Grade
Duration
Credits Repeat
Status
9-10-11-12
Semester 5 Yes
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS
Prerequisite: Level is determined through CELDT testing and teacher recommendation
Course Description: Grammar, vocabulary and language structure
are presented in all ELD class levels. Also, students are
introduced to the American culture and basic communication
skills. Activities may include dialogues, plays,
interviews, group discussion, reading, listening and writing through
textual study and conversation. Daily projects will reinforce
listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. The objective is
to obtain fluency in English.
TRANSITIONAL ENGLISH
Grade
Duration
Credits Repeat
Status
9-10-11-12
Semester 5 Yes
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS
Prerequisite: Level is determined through English tests, writing test, and teacher recommendation
Course Description: Students read and
analyze short stories, poetry, news articles and other non-fiction
pieces from textbooks and other sources. Students review grammar
and punctuation of Standard Written English and build vocabulary.
The purpose of this class is to provide the foundation needed to
transition into mainstream English classes. Some tutorial help is
provided.
YEARBOOK AND JOURNALISM
The Year book and Journalism class is a yearlong, self-sustaining
business that produces both the school newspaper and the
yearbook. Students will combine academic and creative aspects of
journalism (including photojournalism) and computer technology to
record the people, events, and ideas that shape our community.
This course will provide students with a solid foundation in practical
journalism skills as well as insights into some common ethical issues
that reporters confront. Within the confines of this
project-based class, students will learn where to find information,
interviewing techniques, how to deal with sources, how to organize
stories, concise and clear communication skills, the fundamentals of
writing in the news genre, and intricacies of employing visual aids to
present ideas. Students have the option of enrolling in one of
the following courses, based on their area of emphasis and experience,
and receive credit accordingly: Beginning Journalism (English credit),
Advanced Journalism (English credit), or Yearbook (Applied Arts or
elective credit). For a description of Yearbook, see the Special
Opportunities section of the Course Catalogue.
BEGINNING JOURNALISM
Grade
Duration
Credits Repeat
Status
9-10-11-12 Year 5/5 No
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS; for UC/CSU, see a-g list
Prerequisite: Year-long commitment. No enrollment without
instructor consent. Strong skills in English, photography and/or
computers are required.
Course Description: Yearbook and Journalism is a year long
business that publishes the school paper, and produces and sells the
255 + page book documenting student life at Soquel High School.
It requires organizational, interpersonal, artistic design and
writing/editing skills as well as salesmanship. Students will become
very familiar with Adobe Pagemaker to design pages, photography and
interviewing. Assessment is based on production, attendance, and sales
in this very intense work environment.
ADVANCED JOURNALISM
Grade Duration Credits Repeat Status
10-11-12 Year 5/5 Yes
Fulfills Requirements: English for SHS, for UC/CSU, see a-g list
Prerequisite: Year-long commitment. No enrollment without
instructor consent. Strong skills in English, photography and/or
computers are required.
Course Description: Yearbook and Journalism is a year long
business that publishes the school paper, and produces and sells the
255 + page book documenting student life at Soquel High School.
It requires organizational, interpersonal, artistic design and
writing/editing skills as well as salesmanship. Students will become
very familiar with Adobe Pagemaker to design pages, photography and
interviewing. Assessment is based on production, attendance, and sales
in this very intense work environment.
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