001 English 9 (9th)
Credit: 1
Pre-Req.: Completion of 8th grade. The English 9 course is designed to provide an opportunity for students to improve upon competencies in reading, writing, speaking and listening. Emphasis will be placed on instruction and practice to help introduce students to the skills necessary to succeed on the New York State Regents Exam. Additionally, the course covers a variety of formal and informal writing skills as well as personal and professional communication of ideas and opinions in life outside of school. Writing will be both analytical and creative, with intensive focus on the writing process. Students will continue to acquire the fundamentals of grammar and will broaden their vocabulary through exposure to modern and classical works of literature.
007 English 10 (10th)
Credit: 1
Pre-Req: English 9. In English 10, texts are read that explore the individual effect on the group dynamic. Texts vary, but focus on this main theme, and include drama, fiction, and non-fiction pieces. A research project will also be completed. Regents exam preparation is also a component of English 10. Students will explore and practice all four parts of the NYS English Regents Examination in preparation for the exam administration in June of their junior year.
013 English 11 (11th)
Credit: 1
Pre-Req: English 10. The English 11 course focuses on multiple genres of American literature and writing including: short stories, poetry, plays, novels, and memoirs. Students hone literary skills that enable them to become more critical in analyzing the author’s use of various literary elements such as theme, characterization, plot, mood or setting in conjunction with various controlling ideas for literary discussion and writing. The course focuses on the development of critical reading skills through various expositiory and persuasive essays. Additionally, students complete a research paper, which focuses on a contemporary American author. In addition to writing and literature, sustained effort is given to enriching the student’s vocabulary through the study of words in context in order to prepare students for the English Regents, which will be given at the end of the academic school year. This is a one-day exam required for graduation. The final examination in this course is a final portfolio comprised of five major essays.
035 CHS English 12 (12th)
Credit: 1 / FMCC CHS Credit: 6 (EN 103/104) / AP Credit (Exam may be taken in May)
Pre-Req: English 11, 90% on ELA Regents exam & 90% average in prior English courses. The first semester, FMCC EN 103, focuses on analytical writing, the research paper, and college requirements such as the college application essay. Students will learn how to improve their writing skills through various styles of essays. Peer review, revision, and other techniques are used in this course. Occasional speaking activities and group projects will be assigned to prepare students for their future college experience. The second semester, FMCC EN 104, studies literature, while continually working to improve writing skills. Students will read novels, poems, short stories, and a play. Through this literature, students will revisit the writing skills of the first semester while writing thesis essays. This full year class counts as two college courses, totaling six college credits, for students who wish to pay for the credits at a reduced rate through FMCC. CHS English is recommended for strong English students ready to study college-level writing and reading. Generally, students should have solid high 80s to 90s averages in prior English courses.
015 English 12 (12TH)
Credit: 1
Pre-Req: English 11. This fully aligned Common Core State Standards course focuses on critical reading, writing, speaking, listening, and grammar skills. The course includes novels, short stories, poems and plays, as well as nonfiction and technical reading selections. A primary goal of the course is to improve student college and/or career readiness.
018 Film as Literature: An Exploration of Visual Text Through Reading and Writing (11th & 12th or teacher recommendation)
Credit: .5
Pre-Req: Eng 10. This class will study celebrated films in the same way literature is studied, including analysis, identification of literary elements, and the recognition of specific and purposeful choices in craftsmanship. The main visual texts will be accompanied by a number and variety of ancillary texts which will support the main texts and add different factual information and dimensions to the discussion. The films are the basis for all writing done in class. Written assignments will be a large part of the course and are to be expected regularly. All writings will be done in preparation for college writing and will be argument-based. Class discussions are imperative to the course; a participation grade will be part of each student’s class average. All aspects of this course align to the Common Core State Standards and the College and Career Readiness Standards. This class is a college preparatory course.
Films to be studied include (list is tentative and subject to change): Psycho, Casablanca, It’s a Wonderful Life, Jaws, Rear Window, Life is Beautiful and Citizen Kane.
Journalism & Communication Media
This is a yearlong course offered every other day in which students will explore and create various forms of digital media. Students will collaborate to produce the 2018-2019 Yearbook and a monthly online newspaper. Students will develop their investigative skills, responsible reporting, and journalistic writing techniques as they read, respond to, and write their own news and feature articles. Students conduct interviews, research, write, and design their own publications. The class will also explore how news media has developed over time, including news television broadcasting, news radio, and the evolution of social media as a journalistic outlet. Students will create a digital portfolio as part of their culminating project for the course.