Core

English 9 – Regular, Honors

Students in English 9 explore the ways that audience, purpose, and context affect oral communication and written communication. While emphasis is placed on communicating for purposes of personal expression, students also engage in communication for expressive, expository, argumentative, and literary purposes. In English I, students will:
Express reflections and reactions to literature and to personal experience through oral and written skills.

• Explain meaning, describe processes, and answer research questions.
• Evaluate communication and critique texts.
• Make and support an informed opinion.
• Use and expand uses of grammar conventions

English 10 – Regular, Honors

Students in English 10 engage in seminars about world literature.  Examining different cultural contexts, they will continue to pursue the competency goals as defined by the state of North Carolina which include expressive writing, definition and cause/effect essays, as well as argumentation.

English 11 – Regular, Honors

English 11 is a chronological study of master works in American Literature.  Through our study of short stories, poetry, novels and drama, we will trace the development of American literature from the founding of our nation to the present day. We will discuss how the historical significance of these works and how they reflect the social perspective of the time.  An overarching theme of our studies will be the idea of the “American Dream.”  As we study American Literature, we will practice and refine the language arts skills and concepts learned in the first years of your high school career with an emphasis on critical analysis and argument. Through our study of all facets of the language arts, we will work together to become better readers, writers, speakers and listeners!  The honors class will move at a faster pace, which will enable us to explore United States literature more widely and deeply.  Expect to read additional texts and complete more demanding assignments.

English 12 – Regular, Honors

English 12 is a chronological study of master works in British Literature beginning with Old English, Anglo-Saxon writings and culminating with twentieth century novels and short stories.  Through our study of short stories, poetry, novels and drama, we will learn about the development of the English language and trace the evolution of British Literature throughout the ages.  As we study British Literature, we will practice and refine the language arts skills and concepts learned throughout your high school career. Through our study of all things language arts, we will work together to become better readers, writers, speakers and listeners well-equipped for the challenges of the world beyond high school!

English 12 – AP

AP English combines North Carolina’s standard English IV curriculum with preparation for the Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Exam.  It is a rigorous, fast-paced college-level course that explores British Literature from the sixteenth through the twenty-first centuries.  The pillars of AP English Literature and Composition are reading and writing.  Together, we will build upon the reading you have completed in prior English courses with close and careful reading of master works from different genres and periods in British history.  As we read, we will consider large-scale elements of the works like structure, style and theme in addition to smaller-scale elements such as use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone.  We will complete numerous expository, analytical and argumentative essays that focus on the critical analysis of literature.

Electives

Creative Writing

The purpose of this course is to allow students to develop as well-rounded, effective writers through fiction and screenplay writing, poetry, various projects and assignments, and working collaboratively in a workshop setting.

Drama

Journalism

The first quarter of this class will focus on forging our identity as a student newspaper and the basics of good journalism: how to get information, write articles and work in peer groups.  The second quarter we will practice these strategies as we each learn how to accomplish all the different jobs that go into creating a newspaper.  In the second semester, we will begin the work of producing a regular student newspaper and establishing it as a presence in the Queens Grant community.

Yearbook