English 9: Foundations in English
Full Year Course. English 9, the first in a two-year study of the foundations of English, introduces students to the advanced literary study required in the courses of the Upper School English Department. The beginning of the semester focuses on helping students build an understanding of and proficiency with developing and presenting arguments. Later, students use in-depth examinations of poetry, short stories, and longer texts to explore and present their personal and academic views, ideas, and opinions through a variety of exercises. In addition to literary study, students develop speaking and oral presentation skills through a variety of activities including the annual Ninth Grade Poem Off. The year culminates in a portfolio of examples of the students’ best revised written work.
English 10: Foundations in English II: The Individual in Society
Full Year Course. English 10 is the second year of Country Day’s Foundations of English course. Students continue their study of classic and modern texts with a specific look at how literature reflects humans’ desire to understand themselves in relation to their world. Students study texts during the year to inform their perspectives on and responses to literature and demonstrate their knowledge of a work through writing in different genres. Course literature includes Antigone, Macbeth, The Metamorphosis, Frankenstein and Persepolis as well as major poetic forms. Analysis and argumentative thesis development are at the forefront of all writing projects, and a focus is placed on MLA citation for documentation of sources. The year culminates in a multi-genre portfolio of original student work.
English 11: American Literature
Full Year Course. English 11, a selected survey of American Literature, enables juniors to apply knowledge of genre and authorship gleaned in English 9 and English 10 to specifically American themes, questions, and voices. Through close reading, careful textual analysis, writing in various rhetorical modes, and small group discussions, students in their junior year develop specific understandings of American culture and expression, including the major movements of the Enlightenment, Romanticism, and Modernism. As a culminating assignment, students write, revise and edit an autobiographical portfolio of considerable length and variety.
English 12
(First and second semesters; offerings vary). English 12 consists of semester-long courses varying in theme, genre, period, or critical approach. Each unique course requires students to read texts and to focus on how authors use purpose and audience to guide their writing. Students in English 12 are expected to respond to literary criticism, to write analytically and personally about literature, to complete research on a given topic and present their findings through oral presentations, and to collaborate by creating and problem solve in group settings.
Most courses incorporate film study, media, and other interdisciplinary subject matter. English 12 course offerings are a function of faculty availability and interest.
Some English 12 courses that have been offered in the past:
- 21st Century Literature
- Creative Writing
- Classical Mythology
- Philosophy, Faith, and Fiction
- Writers Who Paint
