English

English I

English I is the first year of a four-year sequence in English required of all students for high school graduation. Based on the theme Self and Others and on a variety of thinking skills, English I presents a wide range of activities designed to extend mastery in literature and reading, writing, grammar, word study, discussion, and study/research skills. Literary works studied include To Kill a Mockingbird, Old Man and the Sea, The Glass Menagerie, Romeo and Juliet, and a wide selection of short stories, essays and poetry.

Grade 9 - 1 credit

[top]


English II

Students continue to develop and refine their language skills in English II. In writing they develop a sense of form and methods of discourse for descriptive, narrative and expository paragraphs and essays using the writing process. Gaining an awareness of sentence variety, transitions, and topic sentences, students increase their proficiency in editing and proofreading . In literature students focus on the theme Individual and Society as they read novels, short stories, drama, and poetry. Literary works include The Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, and Julius Caesar. Students expand their understanding of the nature and functions of language, develop listening habits, enlarge their vocabularies, and enhance their study skills.

Grade 10 - 1 credit

[top]

College Prep Writing (co-registered with English II)

The goal of this course is to provide superior composition instruction for Jericho students - instruction that exceeds the minimal standards set by the State and prepares students for the writing demands of the most selective colleges. In this course, students write and present research reports, feature articles and thesis/support papers on a variety of topics related to all school subjects. Students practice such genres of writing as exposition, argument, description and narration-genres important to college writing as well as to the new English and Social Studies Regents and AP Examinations. Students learn effective prewriting and revision strategies and employ an increasingly apt vocabulary to write insightfully to a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes.

Grade 10 - 1/2 credit

[top]

English III

The points of view and themes of American writers comprise the major elements of this eleventh-grade English course. Specific literary works include: The Scarlet Letter, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, The Crucible, and Death of a Salesman. In addition, students read the English tragedy Macbeth. As each piece of literature is read, its historical, psychological, and philosophical backgrounds are presented and discussed. Speaking and listening are important aspects of this learning process. The analytical and argumentative essays as well as narration and description are emphasized in students' writing. SAT preparation is included in the study of vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension. Students taking this course complete the English Regents.

Grade 11 - 1 credit

[top]

English IV

English IV is the required semester course of fourth-year English. Students trace the development of the hero through a survey of literature from the Greek Age to the Anglo- Saxon Period to the Modern Era. Literary works, such as Oedipus Rex, Beowulf, Hamlet, and The Stranger, are included as well as poetry. In addition, students research a topic of their own choice and use the resources of the library to locate information. In mastering the format of the research paper, students focus on unity and coherence in their writing and prepare for future academic work.

Grade 12 - 1/2 credit

[top]

Advanced Placement English: Language and Composition

Students gain an understanding of the principles of effective writing. They read and analyze fiction, drama and various prose texts for use as models of effective writing styles. They complete a variety of writing assignments employing different styles for various purposes. They aim for rhetorical effects through diction and sentence patterns. AP Comp is designed for students with a high interest in reading, analysis, and writing. Students electing to take this course as juniors should have demonstrated an outstanding level of achievement in writing and in reading literature. The course requires a summer reading and writing assignment as well as independent course work during the year. Students taking this course complete the English Regents. All students take the AP Exam at the conclusion of the course.

Elective Grade 11-12 - 1 credit

[top]

Advanced Placement English: Literature and Composition

In this full-year college-level course, students are engaged in an intensive study of literature as they read short stories, novels, plays and poetry. A sampling of readings include Oedipus, Hamlet, Jane Eyre, Hedda Gabler, Heart of Darkness, The Stranger, The Sun Also Rises, short stories by J.D. Salinger and James Joyce, and poetry from Wordsworth to T.S. Eliot. Students write frequently and assignments are varied. Through conferences with the teacher, students develop a recognition of their strengths and strategies to improve their writing. There is a summer reading and writing assignment. All students take the Advanced Placement Examination at the conclusion of the course.

Elective Grade 12 - 1 credit

[top]

Film Study

Students view films ranging from the earliest to the most current experiment in the medium. With visual literacy as the goal of the course, students examine film as literature and ultimately learn how to read a film. Students are responsible for various projects and papers throughout the course.

Grades 11-12 - 1/2 credit


[top]

Journalism I

Journalism I is designed for students to discover how newspapers function. As part of the course, students will report, write and edit news stories, editorials, columns, reviews, sports and features. In addition, students will learn how to layout and design newspaper pages using PageMaker. The course will focus on the impact of the media on society and how the media, including television news, tabloid shows like Inside Edition and A Current Affair, and such metropolitan newspapers as the New York Times, Newsday, and the Daily News, reports the news.

Grades 9-12 - 1/2 credit

[top]

Creative Writing

In this collaborative course with Molloy College, students will develop creativity in such forms as short story, informal essay, and original verse. Using new and traditional media, students will read and analyze texts, and produce their own works for personal enjoyment, publication and contest entry. All seniors who enroll may register for Molloy credit and receive three undergraduate credits upon successful completion of the course. Seniors for whom this course is their fourth year English requirement will complete a reseach project. A variety of writing rubrics will differentiate criteria for students in different grade levels. This course is open to juniors and sophmores but only for high school credit.

Grades 10-12 - 1 Credit

[top]

Myths and Legends from Homer to Harry Potter

This course will examine the connection between ancient myths, legends and folk lore such as Norse, Greek and Roman mythology, Arthurian legends, American folk lore, and modern legend like the Harry Potter series and the Lord of the Rings books.

Grades 9-12 - 1/2 credit

[top]

SAT Preparation - Verbal

This course is designed to prepare students for the new SAT: Students will be provided with instruction and practice in grammar, composition and critical reading skills. These areas are central to the new SAT examination. This course will be pass/fail.

Grades 10-12 - 1/4 credit

[top]

Asian-American Literature

What does it mean to belong to two distinct cultures simultaneously? Through a survey of Asian-American Literature, poetry, and films, students will explore how texts and visual mediums give voice to issues regarding identity and culture. There will be an emphasis on the coming-of age journey, immigration, the evolution of subcultures, interracial relations, assimilation, gender and cultural stereotypes. Students from both Western and Eastern backgrounds will share in this dialogue, responding to universal conflicts and themes. Some of the authors who will be considered in this course are: Maxine Hong Kingston, John Okada, Chang Rae Lee, Jhumpa Lahiri, Amy Tan, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Frank Chin Carlos Bulosan, and Elaine Kim.

Grades 9-12 - 1/2 credit

[top]

Communication/Speech

NOT OFFERED 2009 - 2010

In this course students prepare extemporaneous, impromptu and manuscript presentations, with the help of computer and video technology. They use the Internet and print sources to research topics. Then, they organize their ideas and information for interdisciplinary presentations.

Grade 9-12 - 1/2 credit

[top]

Humanities I: The Creative Edge

NOT OFFERED 2009 - 2010

Students taking this semester course will comb through the history of the arts - including music, architecture, the visual arts and literature - to find great creative leaps and highly original moments. We will look at the psychology, the cultural factors and the utter strangeness of elements that often lead to creative work. We will study what makes particular works so original and how their influences and approaches are relevant today. We will examine such artists as Bosch, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Van Gogh, Picasso; composers Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Davis; architects Palladio, Gaudi and Wright; and authors Dante, Baudelaire and Kafka. The course will include field trips and numerous opportunities for students to express their own creativity.

Grades 11-12 - 1/2 credit

[top]

Humanities II: The Critic's Eye

NOT OFFERED 2009 - 2010

In this semester course students will learn to better appreciate works of art including music, architecture, the visual arts and literature. We will use a series of approaches, from classical to postmodern, to explore and examine works. We will break down elements, search for clues to understanding, discover patterns of meaning, and even watch how patterns can be destroyed. We will study what makes particular works "good" or "bad" or "memorable" and how their influences and approaches are relevant today. Some of the works we will examine include works by artists Da Vinci, Velasquez, Rembrandt, Monet; composers Mozart, Mahler, and Nirvana; architects from Eastern, renaissance, baroque and modern periods; and authors Coleridge, Hesse and Rand. The course will include field trips and numerous opportunities for students to express their own critical views.

Grades 11-12 - 1/2 credit

[top]

Dramatic Arts

NOT OFFERED 2009 - 2010

The students acquire a general background in the various phases of dramatics. Through exercises and demonstrations, they become acquainted with the basics of acting, concentration, blocking, movement, and voice projection. Improvisation and theater games are emphasized throughout the course.

Grades 10-12 - 1/2 credit

[top]

Women's Studies

NOT OFFERED 2009 - 2010

Essentially a course in close reading that mainly relies upon feminist literary criticism, "Introduction To Women's Studies" will require that students use their critical skills in order to read and discuss, orally, and in writing, a variety of texts that address issues relevant to the lives as women, as well as to their own lives. Students will encounter fictional genres, such as poetry, short stories, films, and television shows, as well as non-fictional genres, such as essays, editorials, theories, and news articles that engage women's issues from diverse perspectives.

Grades 11-12 - 1/2 credit

[top]

Introduction to Environmental Literature ("Ecocriticism")

NOT OFFERED 2009 - 2010

This interdisciplinary course will explore how writers have imagined and explored the human relationship with the environment. How do human behaviors impact the environment? How has the environment impacted human behavior? How does the way we speak about the environment impact the way we behave toward it,and vice versa? What is the "proper" relationship between humans and the environment? What are our environmental responsibilities? Should we be discussing humans and environment as distinct, or opposed entities, or would we be better off considering their interrelationships? Examples of texts that address course themes are books such as Silent Spring, movies such as The Matrix, essays by Clifford Stoll, Aido Leopold, and Lawrence Buell, and television programs such as "Smallville."

Grades 10-12 - 1/2 credit

[top]

English IV Full Year

NOT OFFERED 2009 - 2010

This full year course combines the semester-long English IV with a thematic and critical analysis of film study. Students trace themes through a survey of traditional literature including works such as Hamlet and The Stranger and develop visual literacy through classic films such as The Graduate and The Godfather. In this course, students deliver film presentations demonstrating their ability to read film on literary, dramatic, and cinematic levels. In addition, students research a topic of their own choice and use the resources of the library to locate information. In mastering the format of both the literary essay and research paper, students focus on unity and coherence in their writing and prepare for future academic work.

Grade 12

[top]

Independent Writing

NOT OFFERED 2009 - 2010

In this course students will express themselves in writing and get published using traditional media as well as new media technologies. Students will write in an atmosphere of empowerment and professionalism. They will become part of a writing group, giving and receiving feedback on their original work. Students will keep writers' journals in which they track and analyze their writing processes and complete daily writing exercises designed to help them explore possible material. We will analyze published works from a variety of genres and model our writing after these. All major pieces will be "published" and shared with real audiences. Students will be encouraged to enter their work into various contests and teen publications.

Grades 11-12 - 1/2 credit

[top]