Manual English Department

Below you will find the course requirements for high school graduation at Manual Academy.

The English curriculum allows students to have the language abilities they need to communicate effectively. In order to show progression with their skill development, common goals across the grade spans will be recognized. Emphasis is placed on what students should know and be able to progress through the various levels before exiting from high school. Students will work to earn half of the unit(s) of credit listed in the description for each semester, unless it is paired with another course.

English 1

This course allows students to build upon their prior knowledge of grammar, writing, vocabulary, literature, speech, and real world application.  The course integrates literary genres with critical thinking, test-taking strategies, writing, grammar, and vocabulary.  Along with non-fiction selections, short stories, and poetry, several longer pieces of literature will be read.  This will include a study of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, reading a novel, and a non-fiction book.     Students will be expected to present several speeches and complete expository and persuasive writings during the course of the year.  

English Composition

·         Develop fluency and comprehension in reading and writing

·         Learn and utilize strategies for reading non-fiction

o   Previewing

o   Setting a purpose for reading

o   Questioning

o   Predicting

o   Monitoring for meaning

o   Summarizing

o   Inferring

o   Clarifying

o   Making connections

o   Interpreting author’s purpose

·         Set and attain personal goals involving NWEA Reading RIT

·         Develop and apply test-taking strategies

English III

·         Exploration  and reading of American Literature through different genres from the beginning to modern day literature

·         2 novels:  The Crucible and The Great Gatsby

·         Pro/Con researched paper

·         Preparation for the ACT/PSAE testing

·         Literacy workshops

·         Advanced grammar and vocabulary building

English IV - British Literature

In their final year of English studies at Manual Academy, seniors are exposed to a wide variety of skills and important literature that will assist them in building real-world abilities and college-readiness.  English IV is a British Literature course, with students being tasked with reading some of the most difficult but rewarding texts the English Language has to offer.  These texts include:

·         Beowulf

·         Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

·         William Shakespeare's Sonnets

·         William Shakespeare's Macbeth

·         Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None

Students will also critically inspect and analyze the texts that they read, with all of their hard work accumulating in a course-required research paper.  Students will spend over a month researching a particular topic relating to British literature and culture and then apply that knowledge to writing an analytical paper.

The work that Manual Academy's seniors put forth in English IV will help prepare them for the challenges of college, technical school, the workforce, and beyond.

English 7th and 8th Grade

The students entering the program will be exposed to many types of literature through the use of John Hopkins Student-Team Literature.  Daily activities include:

·         practice with Literary Elements and Devices

·         comprehension skills

·         vocabulary acquisition

·         grammar work

·         writing skills