AP English Literature and Composition 
The AP English is an accelerated, literature-based course, which uses writing as the primary mode of 
assessment and introduces students to college level scholarship involving careful reading and critical 
analysis of imaginative literature. Focus includes the historical placement of works as well as features of 
genre, literacy of Western tradition, rhetorical analysis, and sentence style and correctness. In addition to 
writing about each major work of literature under study,  students produce essays on poetry, drama, and 
nonfiction. 

 

Grade Level:  12  

Prerequisites:  Completion of English 11 with an A- or better or completion of AP English Language and 
Composition with a B+ or better, writing sample 

 

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AP English Language and Composition 
The AP English Language and Composition course is designed to help students become skilled readers 
and writers of prose written in a variety of rhetorical contexts. Both their writing and their reading should 
make students aware of the interactions among a writer's purposes, audience expectations, and subjects as 
well as the way generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing. 
This college-level course provides students with opportunities to write about a variety of subjects and to 
demonstrate an awareness of audience and purpose in writing.

 
Grade Level:  11  

Prerequisites:  Completion of English 10 with an A- or better or completion of English 10 Honors with a 
B+ or better, writing sample 

 

English 9 
English 9 broadens students’ historical, social, cultural, literary, and personal consciousness by exploring 
literature from around the world and from different eras. Core reading includes novels, short stories, and 
poetry from a variety of cultures and time periods. Writing instruction teaches writing as a process that 
involves thinking, planning, composing, revising, editing, and sharing. Writing assignments are varied 
and focus on developing students’ reflective and analytical voices. Vocabulary and grammar study are 
also important parts of the course; students master vocabulary from core reading and a personalized 
vocabulary program, and they study grammar and mechanics that sharpen personal communication skills 
as well as prepare students for the SAT/ACT.  

Grade Level:  9  

Prerequisite:  None  

 

English 9 Honors 
The difference between English 9 Honors and English 9 is that the honors students have a greater volume 
of reading and analytical writing and are required to work more independently. Honors students are 
expected to have mastered the five-paragraph essay upon arrival into this class.  

Grade Level:  9  

Prerequisites:  Completion of English 8 with a grade of  A- or better, writing sample 

 

English 10 
In this course, students read from a variety of plays, novels, poems and short stories and consider the 
themes that help illuminate the human condition and our own personal journeys. Core British and 
European literature texts help students explore the development of the English language. English 10 
challenges students to expand their critical reading, writing, and thinking skills as well as social, political, 
and personal awareness through literature that augments their study of European history. Writing 
assignments aim to sharpen the skills of close reading, literary analysis, argumentation, comparison, and 
narration as well as to promote thoughtful reflection. 

Grade Level:  10  

Prerequisite:  English 9 or English 9 Honors  

 

English 10 Honors 
Honors English students have a different reading list, and a greater volume of reading and analytical 
writing, from their English 10 counterparts. Honors English students are required to work more 
independently. English 10 Honors challenges students to expand their critical reading, writing, and 
thinking skills as well as social, political, and personal awareness through literature that augments their 
study of European history. 

Grade Level:  10  

Prerequisite:  Completion of English 9 with an A- or better or completion of English 9 Honors with a B+ 
or better, writing sample 

 

English 11 
Students continue to expand their critical reading, writing, and thinking skills as well as their social and 
political awareness through literature that parallels their study of American history. Core reading includes 
novels, plays, short stories, and poetry, and authors such as Colson Whitehead and F. Scott Fitzgerald. 
Students continue their exploration of major literary and philosophical movements. Writing assignments 
aim to sharpen the skills of close reading, documentation, literary analysis, and comparison/contrast. 

Grade Level:  11  
Prerequisite:  English 10 or English 10 Honors  

 

English 11 Honors 
Deeper analysis of American texts with college-level expectations for reading, writing, and oral 
communication. Includes independent literary research. 

Grade Level:  11  

Prerequisite:  Completion of English 10 with an A- or better or completion of English 10 Honors with a 
B+ or better, writing sample 

 

English 12 
In English 12, students build on their critical reading and writing skills. A thematic unit of study of drama 
culminates with a senior play production. Texts may include Shakespeare’s Hamlet or Othello. Novels, 
short stories, poetry, and drama are explored. This  college-level course provides students with 
opportunities to write about a variety of subjects and to  demonstrate an awareness of audience and 
purpose in writing. Ultimately, the goal of this course is to increase students’ confidence in their writing 
skills—and familiarity with literature 

Grade Level:  12  

Prerequisite:  Completion of three years of English  

 

English 12 Honors 
Advanced examination of world literature with cultural, philosophical, and historical lenses. Students 
develop essays and presentations with academic rigor. 

Grade Level:  12 

Prerequisite:  Completion of English 11 with an A- or better or completion of English 11 Honors with a 
B+ or better, writing sample