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English

ENGLISH

PHILOSOPHY

Language belongs to each of us. At the very core of our identities, language permits us to understand ourselves individually and collectively. We use language to share feelings and opinions, define values and goals, and communicate ideas.

Dynamic and interactive, the language process is our vehicle to understand the world around us. Literacy and fluency empower us to become informed, responsible and thinking individuals. To this end, language arts require the integration of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

In the multi-lingual setting of EARJ, students have an ideal opportunity for seeing themselves as citizens of the world. English and Portuguese serve as a passport for the students of EARJ to acquire cultural knowledge and learn to appreciate the diversity in the world in which we live. As educators of language arts, we must direct our students to discover the best that human beings have thought, written, and spoken.

ESSENTIAL AGREEMENTS

  • Through language arts, teachers encourage an interest in universal themes and foster a greater concern for human society.
  • In preparing the course content, methodology, and instructional materials, teachers individualize instruction according to the following considerations: learning style differences, multiple intelligences, E.S.L. traits, cultural heritage, and learning disabilities.
  • Teachers embed critical thinking skills within the course content and teaching methodology.
  • Teachers use technology to further instruction.

STANDARDS FOR LANGUAGE ARTS

  1. Students develop skills in listening effectively through experience with everyday speech and exposure to literary works.
  2. Students develop skills in communicating effectively through speaking.
  3. Students cultivate an attitude toward reading as an important tool for learning and a pleasurable, fulfilling experience in and of itself.
  4. Students demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
  5. Students use knowledge of language and culture to increase understanding of what they hear and read.
  6. Students engage in independent reading.
  7. Students hear, read, and respond in a variety of ways to a body of core and extended literary works.
  8. Students use selected readings to explore personal and social values.
  9. Students read for comprehension.
  10. Students demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process.
  11. Students demonstrate competence in the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing.
  12. Students write with a command of the grammatical and mechanical conventions of composition.
  13. Students effectively gather and use information for research purposes.

102 HUMANITIES ENGLISH 9

Humanities 9 is an interdisciplinary course which combines instruction in World Literature and World History. Students will be scheduled in two blocks, one in which the primary instructor is an English teacher and one in which the primary instructor is a History teacher. Throughout the course of the year, students will be given an opportunity to study these two academic disciplines in an integrated setting. Students' appreciation of selected literary texts will be enhanced as they learn about the social and historical contexts for those works. Similarly, their grasp of historical events and broader social trends will be improved when their readings are augmented with works of prose, drama, and/or poetry that address related themes. While students can expect to spend part of the time during the week with one teacher in their designated block, there will be ample opportunity for instructors to combine classes for particular units and to generate assignments which combine both history and English. The course is chronological exploring history and literature from the prehistory era to the Renaissance.

104 HUMANITIES ENGLISH 10

Humanities 10 is an interdisciplinary course that combines instruction in World Literature and World History. Students will be scheduled in two blocks, one in which the primary instructor is an English teacher and one in which the primary instructor is a history teacher. Throughout the course of the year, students will be given an opportunity to study these two academic disciplines in an integrated setting. Students' appreciation of selected literary texts will be enhanced as they learn about the social and historical contexts for those works. Similarly, their grasp of historical events and broader social trends will be improved when their readings are augmented with works of prose, drama, and/or poetry that address related themes. Both classes will focus on strengthening skills in the following areas: reading, writing, speaking, listening, research, presentation and critical thinking. While students can expect to spend part of the time during the week with one teacher in their designated block, there will be ample opportunity for instructors to combine classes for particular units and to generate assignments which combine both history and English. The course is chronological exploring history and literature from the Renaissance to the 20th century.
Prerequisite: Humanities 9

105 AMERICAN LITERATURE

Grades 11-12
American Literature is a survey course that begins with colonial America and continues into the 20th century. Major authors covered include Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau, Twain, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, and Hemingway. Writing for the course includes personal and expository forms as well as a research paper.
Prerequisite: Humanities 10

107 BRITISH LITERATURE

Grades 11-12
British Literature is organized thematically and treats themes such as the nature of evil in man, manifestation of love, utopias and society, and psychology and literature of the absurd. The course includes the study of plays by Shakespeare and Shaffer, of novels by Bronte and Huxley, and poems by exponents of the Romantic Movement. In addition to literature, the development of writing skills remains a major objective of the course.
Prerequisite: American Literature

151 - 153 IB ENGLISH HIGHER LEVEL Two-year course

IB English HL is a two-year course that prepares students for the higher-level exam. The syllabus for the course consists of four parts. Part 1 - World Literature, requires a study of three selected works from a particular geographic region or on a particular theme. Students must submit two written essays on these three works, which are submitted to an official IB examiner for evaluation. Part 2 – Detailed Study, requires a study of Shakespearean and one or more poets. An oral assessment, which is internally assessed using guidelines set by the IB office, is required. Part 3 – Groups of Works, covers the study of four major works (three original English works and one translation to English) related to a specific theme such as “The Novel and Social Criticism” or “20th Century Theatre”. The final written exam, evaluated by an IB examiner, is based on this section of the syllabus. Part 4 – School’s Free Choice, requires the study of three original English works and one work translated into English, which are chosen by the school to complement other works in the syllabus. Training in style and expression, the art of composition, and the writing of literary essays are major objectives of the course. IB Higher Level English may be taken in 11th and 12th grades instead of American Literature and British Literature.
Prerequisites: Humanities 10 and faculty recommendation.

131 SPEECH AND ORAL EXPRESSION

Second semester
Speech and communication is a semester course. Students will study basic principles of effective verbal communication and apply them in a variety of communication contexts, moving from intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cross-cultural modes into group and public presentations. The study introduces the role of Voice and Diction, the methods of planning, preparing, and presentation; including awareness of audience, purpose, and effects to inform, entertain, persuade, and motivate. Students will plan, prepare, and deliver a variety of oral presentations.

117 CREATIVE WRITING

First semester
Creative Writing is a semester course designed to teach students the fundamentals of creative composition. Students will gain experience in writing drama, poetry, and prose. The course will introduce students to conventions of writing fiction while exploring a broad range of styles and themes. As preparation for writing, students will read from selected models, but the focus of instruction will be on composition skills. Composition workshops will focus on process writing, and, as part of the requirements of the class, students will be expected to produce a variety of works which display an understanding of the principles of the genre.

141 IB ENGLISH A2 SL

Grades 11-12
IB English A2 SL is a one-year course designed for students who already possess a high level of competency in a second language. The class will focus on the study of both literature and culture. Over the course of the year, students will look at a wide range of texts drawn from literature, mass communication, and professional communication. The syllabus is designed around a combination of Leterary Options and Cultural Options. For the certificate, one must demonstrate proficiency in writing, reading, and speaking as evaluated in internal and external assessments that may include essays, comparative commentaries, and oral presentations.
Pre-requisite: Humanitites 10
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