The English Department offers courses designed to develop the ability of students to read, write, listen, speak, and, as a necessary part of these activities, to think for themselves. In addition to the intellectual and communication skills, all courses are intended to develop in students the humanistic values traditionally associated with the student of literature.
The overriding principle of this sequence is that, as far as possible, students should share a common program. Within limits imposed by the differences between the levels, all students will share a common experience in the study of English.
Students interested in further writing and speaking experience can choose to take the elective courses Journalism, Elements of Writing , Beyond the Basics and/or Speech and
Debate . These courses may be taken in addition to the required English courses.
At ninth and tenth grades, the English program makes use of two levels of ability. The
AP courses in grades eleven and twelve are a third level.
All students are placed in college preparatory classes. In general, honors students are expected to score in the advanced range on the English Language Arts (ELA) MCAS test and to receive the recommendations of their English teachers. Reading and writing ability is the most important factor in determining the appropriate level for a student.
All level placements are reviewed each year as a matter of course. Movement from one level to another is fairly common, especially as student ability develops. An important principle of the English program is that all students, regardless of level, share a common learning experience. As far as possible, program content is the same for all students and the overall objectives are the same. The difference between the levels is not in the amount of writing or work required. Rather, it has to do with the student’s writing ability and with the student’s ability and willingness to read critically and analytically. Reading is important in both levels, and students will read many of the same literary works in both levels.

GRADE
9
10
11
COURSE LEVEL
English 9 College, Honors
English 10 College, Honors
English 11 AP, College, Honors
12 English 12 AP, College, Honors
011, 012 ENGLISH 9 Level: Honors, College
Grade: 9 Required Full Year – 5 Credits
Students in the ninth grade acquire skills in several areas: reading, composition, vocabulary, speech, and listening. Both expository and creative writing opportunities allow students to exhibit an understanding of literature. Students not only read literature for content and theme but also for analysis and appreciation of style and genre. Some of the works offered are Oedipus Rex, Antigone, The Sword in the Stone, Romeo and
Juliet, Les Miserables, The Red Badge of Courage, This Boy’s Life, The Mayor of Casterbridge, The
Human Comedy, Oliver Twist, Night, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, The Hitchhiker’s
Guide to the Galaxy, A Christmas Carol, a book of short stories, Greek myths, and a selection of poems.
Students also study Biblical literature for its unparalleled influences on language, literature, and the arts. In writing, specific emphasis is placed on writing clear, well-constructed paragraphs and essays. In grammar, the focus is on use of consistent verb tenses, use of active/passive voice, use of gerunds, participles, and infinitives, and use of words often confused.
Prerequisite: None
Learning Expectations: I, V
021, 022 ENGLISH 10 Level: Honors, College
Grade: 10 Required Full Year - 5 Credits
Students in the tenth grade study proven and timeless fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. This literature addresses many contemporary issues including prejudice, oppression, censorship, and injustice. Matters of concern to emerging adults such as independence, self-esteem, love, hate, and jealousy capture students’ attention because engagement with universal themes such as these helps students to understand the world that confronts them and their place in it. Some of the works offered are The Count of Monte Cristo, To Kill a Mockingbird, Othello, Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher in the Rye, Great Expectations, David Copperfield,
Jane Eyre, The Return of the Native, Anthem, and Things Fall Apart. Throughout the year students read closely and learn by heart several poems and passages from the literature. Vocabulary is studied with each literary work. Intensive grammar instruction and review is also part of the grade 10 curriculum. Writing skills are developed through a variety of frequent written responses to the literature including informal and formal essays. Students also continue to write from observation and may keep journals or journal folders.
Prerequisite: None
Learning Expectations: I, V
031, 032 ENGLISH 11 Level: Honors, College
Grade: 11 Required Full Year - 5 Credits
The eleventh grade curriculum gives students a historical perspective on American life and values through the study of a wide variety of literary genres by famous Americans including novels, biographies, short stories, poetry, essays, journals, speeches, and letters. Some of the works offered are The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Their Eyes
Were Watching God, Our Town, The Crucible, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and Into the
Wild. Writing skills are developed through short, analytical responses to the literature and longer, more formal expository, analytical, and argumentative essays. The technical skills stressed include variety of sentence beginnings, variety of sentence structure, parallel structure, and organization of ideas.
Prerequisite: None
Learning Expectations: I, V

030 ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Grade: 11 By Application Full Year - 5 Credits
Advanced Placement students work to guidelines provided by the College Entrance Examination Board, which oversees the Advanced Placement program. Emphasis will be on writing. In keeping with the emphasis of English 11, the literature studied will be primarily, although not exclusively, American.
All students are required to take the AP examination administered in May.
Prerequisite: Selection based on the AP Application Process. This includes student motivation and achievement as demonstrated by past performance, recommendations by previous teachers, letter of application, writing sample essay, and statistical data such as GPA, grades in relevant courses, PSAT/SAT scores, and relevant MCAS scores. Successful applicants will have earned the following grade averages in
Semester I of sophomore English:
Honors (level one) students: 87% or higher.
College preparatory (level two) students: 93% or higher.
Learning Expectations: I, V
041, 042 ENGLISH 12 Level: Honors, College
Grade: 12 Required Full Year - 5 Credits
Following the emphasis on American Literature in grade 11, seniors study the fiction, non-fiction, and poetry of other countries. Students carefully read key literary works to sharpen their awareness of the universality of ideas and language and to understand the ways in which other environments have affected a writer's craft. Some of the works offered include Hamlet, Pride and Prejudice, Madame Bovary, Candide,
The Canterbury Tales, Crime and Punishment, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Things They Carried, A
Doll’s House, The Color of Water, Cry, The Beloved Country, No Exit, Red Harvest, and Henry IV, Part
One.
Throughout the year students read many poems closely. Vocabulary is studied with most literary works. Writing assignments will focus on the critical analysis of literature and will include essays in exposition and argument, and the college application essay. Essays vary in length and often require more than one draft. Students will keep journals or journal folders. Often students will give oral presentations on topics that are relevant to works being studied.
Prerequisite: None
Learning Expectations: I, V
040 ADVANCED PLACEMENT ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION
Grade: 12 By Application Full Year - 5 Credits
Advanced Placement students work to guidelines provided by the College Entrance Examination Board, which oversees the Advanced Placement program. Emphasis in this class will be on the study of English and other world literatures, in keeping with the emphasis of Grade 12 English.
All students are required to take the AP examination administered in May.
Prerequisite: Selection based on the AP Application Process. This includes student motivation and achievement as demonstrated by past performance, recommendations by previous teachers, letter of application, writing sample essay, and statistical data such as GPA, grades in relevant courses, PSAT/SAT scores, and relevant MCAS scores. Successful applicants will have earned the following grade averages in
Semester I of junior English:
AP students: 80% or higher.
Honors (level one) students: 87% or higher.
College preparatory (level two) students: 93% or higher.
Learning Expectations: I, V

044 BEYOND THE BASICS: CREATIVE WRITING
Grade: 12 Elective
Unleveled
Half Year - 2.5 Credits
Conducted in a workshop setting, this course is for students who enjoy writing and wish to go beyond the basics of writing as an essential tool. Students will write in a variety of literary and journalistic forms which may include poetry, dialogue, sketches, editorials, columns, feature stories, parody, satire, and possibly a full-length short story. Reading is required to provide models for student writing.
Class sizes will intentionally be kept small to maximize individual attention.
This course may not be taken in place of grade 12 English.
Prerequisite: None
Learning Expectations: I, V
045 SPEECH AND DEBATE Unleveled
Grade: 12 Elective Half Year - 2.5 Credits
Formal debate is a structured activity. The student must learn research skills, speech preparation and delivery, and be able to work cooperatively with a team. Speech is the individualized section of the course designed to improve all speech techniques.
This course may not be taken in place of grade 12 English.
Prerequisite: None
Learning Expectations: I, V
049 ELEMENTS OF WRITING
Grades: 9, 10, 11 Elective
Unleveled
Half Year - 2.5 Credits
This course is designed for students who have experienced difficulty with writing and need to develop fundamental writing skills. After the teacher identifies various areas of weakness, students will be given instruction in such areas as fluency, organization of ideas, supporting a topic completely and coherently, sentence structure, grammar, usage, and mechanics. Word processing with computers will be an integral part of the instruction.
Class sizes will intentionally be kept small to maximize individual attention.
This course may not be taken in place of grade 9, 10, or 11 English.
Prerequisite: English teacher recommendation.
Learning Expectations: I, V
055 JOURNALISM Unleveled
Grades: 10, 11, 12 Elective Full Year - 5 Credits
Journalism is a hands-on class in which students will apply the essential skills in a journalist’s toolbox--researching, interviewing, writing and revising---by publishing the DHS newspaper, The Dragon Flyer . In addition to news, feature, sports and editorial writing, students will learn and apply basic elements of photography and page design. As responsible journalists, students will consider the First Amendment and analyze how it affects the relationship between the media and government, focusing on the rights and ethical responsibilities of the journalist in reporting the news. As educated decision makers of the future, students will explore the various forms of news media including newspapers, magazines, radio, television and the Internet, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each. The successful journalism student will be curious about culture and current events, and will be able to set goals, work independently and meet deadlines.
This course may not be taken in place of grade 12 English.
Prerequisite: English teacher recommendation
Learning Expectations: I, V
SENIOR SEMINAR
A long-standing tradition at DHS, Senior Seminar is a voluntary program in which students who are interested in speaking at graduation meet for a series of five evenings in April and May to explore the methods of effective speech writing and speech delivery.
In addition to the Class President and the Valedictorian, three speakers are chosen from among the participants at Senior Seminar. In order to have their speeches considered, students must attend all of the scheduled sessions, write a polished speech, and deliver it in front of the other members of the group. The group then votes for three candidates to represent the class at graduation.
Senior Seminar meetings are held on Tuesday evenings from 5:30 p. m. to 7:30 p. m., with dates to be announced.