1. Pittsford Mendon High School Course of Studies Program
English Department
Course of Studies Program

2. ENGLISH COURSES & SEQUENCE 9-10
9th Grade
English 9 Honors - or - English 9 Regents
10th Grade
English 10 Honors - or - English 10 Regents
(plus optional electives)

3. ENGLISH COURSES & SEQUENCE 11-12
11th English 11 or
English 11 Honors or
AP Language and Composition
(plus optional electives)
12th AP Literature and Composition or
English 12 Honors: British Literature or
2 (or more) semester electives

4. Ninth graders may register for one unit (one full-year course) of English per academic year.
Tenth graders may register for one and a half units of English per academic year.
Eleventh and twelfth graders may register for two units of English per academic year.

5. Students in grade 10 may select from the following electives in addition to their full-year English class:
Creative Writing
Public Speaking
Theater Arts

6. Students in grade 11 may select from the following electives in addition to their full-year English classes:
Creative Writing
Mass Media and Society
Public Speaking
Theater Arts

7. GRADE 12 ENGLISH OFFERINGS
Single Semester Courses
Students may select two from the offerings below:
Full Year Courses
AP Literature and Composition
English 12 Honors: British Literature
Creative Writing
Film as Literature
Humanities
Mass Media and Society
Public Speaking
Studies in Modern Literature
Theater Arts

8. REGENTS
Regents courses require a solid investment of time for a wide range of students who have satisfactorily mastered the previous year’s content and skills. Regents students are expected to write frequently in a variety of genres, comprehend and discuss complex and varied literary works, and demonstrate independence.

9. HONORS Prerequisite: TEACHER RECOMMENDATION
Honors courses are designed for students who have demonstrated a high aptitude and interest in English literature and writing. Honors students are expected to learn quickly, to work independently, to read sophisticated and varied works of literature in depth, to understand abstract ideas, to participate in lively discussion, to write skillfully, and to act independently.

10. ADVANCED PLACEMENT
Prerequisite: TEACHER RECOMMENDATION
The AP English courses are college level courses for those students who are highly motivated and wish to pursue the serious study of literature and writing. Readings are sophisticated and varied. Required writings include longer papers and some research. Students choosing these courses need exemplary study skills and a serious commitment to the study of writing and literature. In order to be eligible to take AP English, students must have a teacher recommendation from their current English teacher and an A- average at the end of their first semester in their previous honors level course.

11. RECOMMENDED ADVANCED PLACEMENT STUDENT PROFILE 1
RECOMMENDED ADVANCED PLACEMENT STUDENT PROFILE 1. Students in this course should have the desire to learn more than the obvious or superficial. 2. Students should have above average ability in reading comprehension and a good command of language or the willingness to work hard to catch up with students who possess such skills. 3. Students should be competent writers who know standard English language structures. 4. Students should be avid readers and possess an academic curiosity that may initiate independent inquiry. 5. Students should be able to work on their own and complete major work projects without close teacher supervision. 6. Students should have the support of their parents in this course, including an understanding of its rigorous academic demands and the need for uninterrupted study. 7. Students should not enroll for status reasons or because they expect to ensure a high grade. Advanced Placement students must emphasize learning above all. 8. Students should be recommended for Advanced Placement enrollment by their sophomore or junior-level English instructors.
— Arthur Erb, Ph.D.                                                                    

12. A.P. Language and Composition – 11th grade
We expect students electing this course to be curious, motivated, and engaged. It is a rigorous, college level, writing-intensive course that fosters close reading of texts from a variety of periods and disciplines, including both non-fiction and fiction.
In recent years students have read a collection of non-fiction essays, The Great Gatsby, Huckleberry Finn, The Scarlet Letter, and many other books and essays.
Students will write in a variety of genres, from personal essays to literary analysis, from argumentative to narrative. The course will focus on language use, rhetoric, and argument.
Students must take the AP Exam and complete assignments through the end of the school year to receive course credit.
This course requires a substantial summer reading project.
Prerequisite: TEACHER RECOMMENDATION

13. Theatre Arts
This course is only offered at Mendon every other year. In 2017 – 2018 it will be offered at MHS.
The course will provide an overview of theater history and will introduce students to some of the elements of play production, including dramatic reading, line memorization, rehearsing and performing before an audience. Students will receive training in warm-up exercises, improvisation, projection and diction, stage movement, script analysis, costuming, and set design. The instructor will discuss with students some of the challenges involved in actual stage production. Students will prepare and perform monologues, dialogues, and scenes that reflect a wide range of styles and methods of characterization.
Open to: 10th, 11th, and 12th graders

14. Creative Writing
This course is for students who want to develop their writing skills in fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry and drama. Students will also develop criteria with which to judge their own and other’s writing through reading and studying published pieces. They will develop a portfolio of their work and make an effort to publish in either the school literary magazine or local and state writing contests.
Open to: 10th, 11th, and 12th graders

15. Public Speaking
Students will write, deliver and evaluate a variety of informal and formal speeches; exemplary models will be presented for purposes of comparison. They will also learn the literary techniques and presentation skills employed in the writing and delivery of such speeches.
Open to: 10th, 11th, and 12th graders

16. Mass Media and Society
This is a twenty-week writing intensive class that encourages students to identify the importance of media literacy. Students will explore the power and influences of journalism as well as electronic media in our world today. Information will be gleaned from a variety of sources, and students will learn how to assess the reliability and inherent value of such sources. This is a course that hopes to produce media-savvy students who, in turn, will become discriminating readers, viewers, and consumers.
Open to: 11th and 12th graders

17. Humanities
This course investigates the cultural aspects and movements that define us as human beings. In an effort to understand what defines us as individuals as well as parts of a greater community, teachers and students will explore a wide range of the facets of the human condition, among which are literature, film, art, design, architecture, and music.
Open to: 12th graders

18. Film as Literature
Open to: 12th graders
This course will focus on the study of film by applying much of the terminology of literary study and introduce strategies for “reading” a film. Close attention will also be paid to elements of filmmaking that differ from literature and how these elements, along with the traditional literary elements, create works which are worthy of repeated study. This course may also introduce major directors and movements in film history. As with all senior electives, Film as Literature is a reading and writing intensive course designed to improve the critical faculties and literacy levels of students.

19. Studies in Modern Literature
Students and teachers will discuss and explore how literature reflects modern society through an examination of novels, short stories, biographies, dramas, poems, and films. Studies will culminate in essays of critical analysis, class discussion, and writing across genres.
Open to: 12th graders

20. English 12 Honors: Survey of British Literature
English 12 Honors is a survey of British literature. Readings will include a variety of authors, literary periods, and genres. Writing will be of the type students will be expected to produce in college. This is an honors course and students should expect to read, write, and behave accordingly, demonstrating curiosity, independence, and initiative.
Prerequisite: TEACHER RECOMMENDATION

21. A.P. Literature and Composition
Prerequisite: TEACHER RECOMMENDATION
This is a college level course. The emphasis is on critical reading, written literary analysis, and participation. An extensive summer reading and writing project of approximately 30 hours is required. The course prepares students for the nationally administered AP Exam. High school course credit will be awarded upon completion of the Exam and all other assignments through the end of the PCSD school year.
Prerequisite: TEACHER RECOMMENDATION
Open to: 12th graders

22. RECOMMENDED ADVANCED PLACEMENT STUDENT PROFILE 1
RECOMMENDED ADVANCED PLACEMENT STUDENT PROFILE 1. Students in this course should have the desire to learn more than the obvious or superficial. 2. Students should have above average ability in reading comprehension and a good command of language or the willingness to work hard to catch up with students who possess such skills. 3. Students should be competent writers who know standard English language structures. 4. Students should be avid readers and possess an academic curiosity that may initiate independent inquiry. 5. Students should be able to work on their own and complete major work projects without close teacher supervision. 6. Students should have the support of their parents in this course, including an understanding of its rigorous academic demands and the need for uninterrupted study. 7. Students should not enroll for status reasons or because they expect to ensure a high grade. Advanced Placement students must emphasize learning above all. 8. Students should be recommended for Advanced Placement enrollment by their sophomore or junior-level English instructors.
— Arthur Erb, Ph.D.                                                                    

23. Questions?