St. Francis Prep English Department Curriculum 2013/14
Freshman English Curriculum
This course presents a study of high school language-arts. The curriculum builds on the reading, writing,
listening, and speaking skills which the students studied in their grammar, junior high, middle, and
intermediate schools. The major areas of concentration include introduction to literary genre and
analysis, grammar and composition, vocabulary, and study skills.
Literature
Introduction to Literary Genre
Textbooks: Adventures in Reading (HBJ), Reflections
Night by Elie Wiesel (Summer Reading)
Shakespeare Stealer (Summer Reading)
Of Mice and Men --John Steinbeck
To Kill a Mockingbird --Harper Lee
A Shakespearean play: Romeo and Juliet, Othello
All selections from The Odyssey contained in textbook
A significant selection of short stories from the textbook which use literary devices that will give
the students the foundation in reading prose fiction.
Poems from the text which employ poetic devices that will give the students the foundation in
reading verse.
An additional novel/play of the teacher’s choice, approved by the chairperson.
Common Core Readings
Literary Terms/Poetic Devices:
allegory, alliteration, allusion, antagonist, aside, assonance, blank verse, character
(dynamic/developing, static) and characterization, climax, conflict, consonance, denouement, dialect,
diction, dramatic irony, end rhyme, epic, figurative language (simile, metaphor, extended/sustained
metaphor, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, hyperbole, personification), flashback, foreshadowing, free verse,
iambic pentameter, imagery, irony, meter, narration, narrator, plot, point of view, protagonist, rhyme,
rhyme scheme, setting, stanza, suspense, symbol, theme, tone.
Grammar/Writing
Formal instruction in grammar rules and usage. The curriculum covers the following topics:
consistency of tense, fragments, forms of sentences (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex),
clear pronoun antecedent, apostrophes, run-on sentences, active and passive voice, agreement in number
of pronoun and antecedent, singular verb with singular indefinite pronoun, prepositional phrases, pronoun
case. Every freshman takes grammar assessment exams.
Formal instruction in essay writing. Students begin formal instruction in the literary essay. By
the end of freshman year, students have practiced and mastered the five paragraph essay. The writing
curriculum covers the following: paragraph and essay structure, transitions between paragraphs, using
appropriate diction, tone, proofreading, topic sentences in body paragraphs, adhering closely to a topic,
supporting a position, writing for a particular audience.
As upperclassmen, the class of 2017 will sit for the PSAT and SAT. The format of the SAT
includes a two part writing test: a multiple choice section and a 25 minute essay. English teachers are
committed to giving freshmen the foundation skills in grammar and essay writing which the students need
to produce excellent results on these college entrance examinations.
Study Skills
Presentation of basic skills: academic responsibility, note-taking, outlining, studying, reading
comprehension, time management. In particular, the English department has committed to emphasizing
the following as part of the school-wide freshman study skills curriculum: reading a short story, writing a
paragraph, learning and studying vocabulary.
Vocabulary
Completion of the words in the vocabulary text Level D. Freshmen must understand the importance of
vocabulary development in taking the Critical Reading sections of the PSAT and SAT.
Sophomore English Curriculum 2012/13
Literature
The sophomore program continues the introduction to literary genre that is begun in freshman year.
Although much of the literature is drawn from British works, other national texts may be included.
Textbook: Adventures in English Literature
Excerpts from Beowulf;
Excerpts from The Canterbury Tales --Geoffrey Chaucer;
Optional: excerpts from Morte D’Arthur --Malory; excerpts from Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight --The Pearl Poet
Macbeth --Shakespeare
A 19th c. British novel: either Frankenstein --Mary Shelley; Dracula --Bram Stoker; Great
Expectations --Charles Dickens; Jane Eyre --Charlotte Bronte; Wuthering Heights -Emily Bronte;
Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Northanger Abbey. Jane Austen.
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
An additional novel/play of the teacher’s choice.
A significant selection of prose fiction and non-fiction, including articles, which reinforces the
literary terms the students learned in freshman year.
Poems which emphasize the poetic devices the students learned in freshman year. These poems
must cover the forms of the sonnet and may include other forms that developed as part of the
English tradition, such as the ode, the ballad, the elegy, and the dramatic monologue.
Common Core Readings
Grammar/Writing
Formal instruction in grammar rules and usage. The curriculum covers and reinforces the
following topics which the students cover in freshman year: consistency of tense, fragments, forms of
sentences (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex), clear pronoun antecedent, apostrophes,
run-on sentences, active and passive voice, agreement in number of pronoun and antecedent, singular
verb with singular indefinite pronoun, prepositional phrases, pronoun case. Every sophomore takes
grammar assessment exams.
In sophomore year, students improve their analytical skills by focusing on the expository essay.
The students come to understand the differences between the literary and non-literary essay and receive
formal instruction in the literary essay and focus on improving their skills in writing this type essay. The
writing curriculum covers the following: essay structure, transitions between paragraphs, using
appropriate diction, tone, proofreading, topic sentences in body paragraphs, adhering closely to a topic,
supporting a position, writing for a particular audience.
The class of 2016 will sit for the PSAT and SAT. The format of the SAT includes critical reading
tests and a two part writing test: a multiple choice grammar section and a 25 minute essay. English
teachers are committed to giving sophomores the foundation skills in reading comprehension and
grammar and essay writing which the students need to produce excellent results on the college entrance
examinations. Every sophomore will use the Barron’s SAT Critical Reading workbook to achieve this.
Vocabulary
Completion of the words in the vocabulary text, Level E. In addition, students are encouraged to
be aware of their responsibility for the vocabulary in the written texts. Sophomores come to understand
the importance of vocabulary development in taking the verbal section of the PSAT and SAT.
Study Skills
Emphasis of basic skills: academic responsibility, note-taking, outlining, studying, reading
comprehension, time management.
Junior English Curriculum 2013/14
Literature
The junior program provides a survey of American literature that introduces the students to the
major themes, topics, authors, and works.
Textbook: Adventures in American Literature
The Great Gatsby --F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Catcher in the Rye --J. D. Salinger
The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, or
Billy Budd, Herman Melville
Death of a Salesman --Arthur Miller
An additional novel/play of the teacher’s choice
Common Core Readings.
Writing
Junior year strengthens, expands, and reinforces the techniques of analytical writing which the
students practiced in freshman and sophomore years. Students continue formal instruction in the literary
essay, focusing on using the primary texts in their literary analysis. Students sit for the English Regents
Examination in June of junior year. On this exam, which will have a new format in 2011, students must
write two responses based on reading comprehension and a literary essay discussing works which
students have read in junior year. Throughout the year, students consistently practice writing in these
formats in preparation for the Regents exam.
The class of 2015 will sit for the PSAT and SAT. The format of the SAT includes critical reading
exams and a two part writing test: a multiple choice section grammar section and a 25 minute essay.
English teachers are committed to giving juniors the foundation skills and the practice in reading
comprehension and grammar and essay writing which the students must use to produce excellent results
on the college entrance exams.
Vocabulary
Completion of the words in the vocabulary text, Level F. Students are encouraged to be aware of the
importance of intensive vocabulary study for success in reading comprehension on the PSAT and SAT.
Study Skills
Emphasis of refining the skills which students learned in freshman and sophomore years: note-taking,
outlining, studying, reading comprehension, time management. Junior year stresses the importance of
personal academic responsibility for upperclassmen on the brink of college.
Senior English Curriculum 2013/14
Eng. 6506
Advanced Placement English in Literature and Composition
A two semester course
As the senior honors class, this course is designed for advanced students who have exhibited a high
degree of interest and accomplishment in their English studies at St. Francis. A.P. English focuses on the
analysis of poetry, fiction, and drama from the Western canon. In addition to participating in intelligent
class discussion, students are required to respond to complex essay questions that ask them to connect
style and meaning. Students must apply their knowledge of figurative language, narrative, and dialogue
to the works in each genre and write essays that require coherent theses, specific detailed references, and
consistent focus.
All students in this course must sit for the Advanced Placement Examination in English Literature and
Composition. The course includes preparation for successful achievement on the exam. This is the only
way to take the A.P. Exam in English; students in other English courses may not sit for the exam.
Eng. 6610
Drama: Shakespeare and Company
A two semester course.
The course examines representative plays of Western drama from its beginnings in ancient Greece
through the Renaissance to the contemporary theater of the United States and England. The approach is
historical and thematic. The course includes a study of major playwrights including Sophocles,
Shakespeare, Ibsen, Beckett, Pirandello, O’Neill, Miller, Williams, and Stoppard. Students focus on how
philosophical, political, moral, and cultural attitudes shape each playwright’s vision. Issues we consider
include drama as text and performance, stagecraft, playwriting, and theater and film criticism.
Eng. 6620
World Literature: Great Authors of Many Nations
A two semester course
This course considers literature of the Western and non-Western canon, exclusive of England and the
United States. The curriculum includes reading and analysis of the great writers and works of Continental
Europe, South America, Russia, Asia, and Africa from civilizations past and present. Students will
particularly focus on the texts as products of the culture in which they were written and the effect of
reading works in translation. The course includes all literary genres: poetry, novels, short stories, drama.
Eng. 6630
Gothic Literature: The Mysterious and the Grotesque
A one semester course
This course fosters an understanding of American “Gothic” literature: the study of the supernatural, the
darkness, the mysterious, and the grotesque. We will trace the origins and development of Gothic
literature in Europe, but will concentrate on American authors. Students will also explore Gothicism in
popular culture. The course includes all literary genres: poetry, novels, short stories, drama.
Eng. 6680
Fiction: The Short Story, The Novella, The Novel
A one semester course
This course is an examination of prose fiction. Students will read and analyze prose fiction in all its
forms: the short story, the novella, and the novel. Students study the historical development of prose
fiction, especially the major British, American, and European Continental writers who significantly have
advanced the form in the nineteenth century, the twentieth century, and contemporary literature.
Eng. 6690
Poetry: “The Best Words in their Best Order”
A one semester course
This course examines how poems create their effects on readers. Students study how a poem begins as
a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” in the poet and finishes as evocative language on the page.
Students analyze how the poet takes his source of inspiration, crafts it into imagery, and gives insight into
human experience. The course includes poems from the entire history of English verse including epic
poetry and narrative poetry. The curriculum also includes a selection of “lyrical” novels.
Saint Francis Prep Writing Curriculum 2013/2014
Freshman Year
Formal instruction in grammar rules and usage. The curriculum covers the following topics:
consistency of tense, fragments, forms of sentences (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex),
clear pronoun antecedent, apostrophes, run-on sentences, active and passive voice, agreement in number
of pronoun and antecedent, singular verb with singular indefinite pronoun, prepositional phrases, pronoun
case. Freshmen take grammar assessment exams.
Formal instruction in paragraph and essay writing. Students begin formal instruction in the
literary essay. By the end of freshman year, students have practiced and mastered the five paragraph
essay. The writing curriculum covers the following: essay structure, transitions between paragraphs,
using appropriate diction, tone, proofreading, topic sentences in body paragraphs, adhering closely to a
topic, supporting a position, writing for a particular audience.
As upperclassmen, the class of 2017 will sit for the PSAT and SAT. The revised format of the
SAT includes critical reading tests and a two part writing test: a multiple choice grammar section and a 25
minute essay. English teachers are committed to giving freshmen the foundation skills in reading
comprehension and grammar and essay writing which the students need to produce excellent results on
the college entrance examinations.
Sophomore Year
Formal instruction in grammar rules and usage. The curriculum covers and reinforces the
following topics which the students cover in freshman year: consistency of tense, fragments, forms of
sentences (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex), clear pronoun antecedent, apostrophes,
run-on sentences, active and passive voice, agreement in number of pronoun and antecedent, singular
verb with singular indefinite pronoun, prepositional phrases, pronoun case. Sophomores take grammar
assessment exams.
In sophomore year, students improve their analytical skills by focusing on the expository essay.
The students come to understand the differences between the literary and non-literary essay. Students
receive formal instruction in the literary essay and focus on improving their skills in writing this type
essay. The writing curriculum covers the following: essay structure, transitions between paragraphs, using
appropriate diction, tone, proofreading, topic sentences in body paragraphs, adhering closely to a topic,
supporting a position, writing for a particular audience.
The class of 2016 will sit for the PSAT and SAT. The revised format of the SAT includes critical
reading tests and a two part writing test: a multiple choice grammar section and a 25 minute essay.
English teachers are committed to giving sophomores the foundation skills in reading comprehension and
grammar and essay writing which the students need to produce excellent results on the college entrance
examinations. Every sophomore will use the Barron’s SAT Critical Reading workbook to achieve this.
Junior Year
Junior year strengthens, expands, and reinforces the techniques of analytical writing which the
students practiced in freshman and sophomore years. Students continue formal instruction in the literary
essay, focusing on using the primary texts in their literary analysis. Students sit for the English Regents
Examination in June of junior year. On this exam, which will have a new format in 2011, students must
write two responses based on reading comprehension and a literary essay discussing works which
students have read in junior year. Throughout the year, students consistently practice writing in these
formats in preparation for the Regents exam.
The class of 2015 will sit for the PSAT and SAT. The revised format of the SAT includes critical
reading exams and a two part writing test: a multiple choice section grammar section and a 25 minute
essay. English teachers are committed to giving juniors the foundation skills and the practice in reading
comprehension and grammar and essay writing which the students must use to produce excellent results
on the college entrance exams.
Senior Year
In all the courses of senior year, students work to achieve the level of mature writing expected of
secondary school graduates who will attend college. Students are introduced to the techniques of literary
research and how to incorporate sources into their literary analysis. Students practice both the “on
demand” writing of in-class essays and the formal “at home” papers.
In the fall, the class of 2014 will sit for the SAT which includes critical reading tests and a two
part writing test: a multiple choice grammar section and a 25 minute essay. English teachers are
committed to giving seniors the foundation skills and the practice in grammar and essay writing which the
students must use to produce excellent results on this portion of the SAT.
Seniors also must write the personal essay on their college applications. The English department
offers assistance with the composition and editing of these essays in formal classroom instruction,
individual tutorials, and in the SFP Writing Center.
Writing Center
Selected students from all classes attend regularly scheduled sessions in the St. Francis Prep
Writing Center. Individual and small-group instruction emphasizes the parts of the writing process in
which each student needs improvement. The Writing Center staff is particularly committed to assisting
with the college essay, the SAT essay, and the English Regents
English Enrichment Curriculum
The English Enrichment course is designed for English language learners for whom English is a second
language and whose writing skills need improvement. Students concentrate on the grammar and essay
construction issues vital for English language learners. The course focuses on giving the students the
skills necessary to write clear and effective essays in St. Francis Prep’s college preparatory curriculum.
Thus, students learn how to improve their essay writing in all their academic subjects.
Students are placed in this class after a careful evaluation of their writing skills. This evaluation may take
place during the admissions process or on the recommendation of a student’s St. Francis Prep English
teacher in consultation with the chairperson of the English department. This course must be taken in
addition to the regular full unit of English and is a two semester course for which the student receives one
unit.
Each English Enrichment class enrolls no more than twenty students in order to maintain flexibility for
the instructor to develop an individual plan of instruction based on each student’s writing needs.
The course provides individual, small group, and classroom instruction--all of which is tailored to pace
every student’s own progress in improving their essay writing.
The philosophy which drives the course is that success/improvement in writing come by studying all
areas of the language arts. Therefore, the course stresses how reading literacy and comprehension is a
key to writing improvement. An understanding of the grammar of English usage is essential with key
comparisons made to the formation and usage of language in the student’s native language.
The course aims to improve student literacy in writing not only in their English and language arts courses,
but also in other academic disciplines where fluency in writing should be a priority in academic success
such as the arts and humanities, social sciences, hard sciences, religion and philosophy and theology. The
“writing across the curriculum” which is driving force behind the St Francis Prep Writing Center is
equally important in the English Enrichment curriculum.
At the start of each semester, the instructor conducts an in-depth evaluation of the student’s writing needs;
this analysis includes composition, grammar and usage, reading and writing comprehension. After this,
the instructor will construct an individual plan of improvement for each student, along, with the input of
each student’s English course instructor and the chairperson of the English department. There will also be
outreach/consultation/ communication with teachers in other academic disciplines
Daily routine includes varies depending upon the teacher’s determination of individual, small-group, and
large group needs. Course contains very busy hands-on classroom experiences with daily feedback on
student writing and language use, grammar lessons, essay review.