Course Title: English I- Introduction to English
2 Semesters – 10 Credits – 5 Class Periods per Week
 
Course Description:
 
This course is designed to not only build the skills developed in previous writing courses, but to introduce students to a more advanced form of secondary writing and to begin to develop the critical thinking skills necessary to perform at  higher levels of academia. Although this is the first in a series of required English courses at WCS, it is writing intensive and rigorous as appropriate to the age level. The skills gained at this stage will not only meet and exceed the expectations for preparation for English II, but will begin the process of building a foundation for success in college and in career.
 
The central focus of this introductory course is to perform basic literary analysis and begin to express ideas both orally and in writing. The curriculum design includes: literary analysis of a novel drama, non-fiction essays, poetry, and selected short stories.  Students will also write critical evaluations of these different types of literature. Through discussion and direct application of Core Biblical Truths, students will also examine the overarching worldview of the reading selections by identifying the obvious, as well as the often concealed worldview assertions, in order to test content validity against Biblical truth in the areas of equality, truth, purpose, and the nature of man.
 
Students will also hone their writing skills in various patterns of composition as they review and work through The Jane Schaffer Writing Program, which has been adopted school-wide. Writings will be displayed in a portfolio designed to help students not only increase their skills as writers, but to take ownership for learning. A central goal of the department is that all students will begin to see writing as an art form, and as such, they will see that writing is recursive and that it is in the revision process that the art begins to take form.
 
As a culminating project, students will prepare a writing portfolio which will display selected writings, timed writes, semester writing goals, and a reflective essay.  The purpose of this portfolio is to help students grow in their writing development, to be able to examine evidence of that growth, and to help students begin to take ownership over their writing development and learning in general. The final and most significant element of the portfolio is the Biblical Worldview essay. This essay will demonstrate the student’s ability to recognize and defend their understanding of a biblical worldview as it is has been examined and applied in the course.
 
Objectives

• Implement Core Biblical Truths in writing and discussion
• Compare and contrast Biblical and secular worldview
• Utilize Biblical Truth to begin to develop skills of self-reflection
• Write a multi-paragraph essay in various compositional patterns
• Identify and define literary terms and devices
• Become comfortable with figurative language
• Appreciate the transcendent themes in literature
• Begin to utilize “close reading” skills
• Examine the elements of short story and novel

 
 
 
 
 
Textbooks:
The Bible
Prentice Hall
M. Richek, R.A. McRae, S. Weiler, Vocabulary for Achievement, Third Course, Houghton Mifflin, 1988
Harper Lee,To Kill A Mockingbird
Chaim Potok, The Chosen
George Orwell, Animal Farm
Ayn Rand, Anthem
Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place
King James Version, Esther
Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
 
Required Materials:
                Required portfolio materials
                Computer/ Internet Access
 
Prerequisites: None