English at Carroll /

Welcome from the Department Chair

Welcome to the Carroll English Department!  We believe every student’s voice is important.  Through formal grammar instruction, writing instruction, and literature, we are able to encourage every student to build confidence in their voice.  We use classics and current selections to allow students to see the challenges that people have faced throughout time.  Our students learn how to passionately and articulately present their positions, and they also learn how to listen, discuss, and argue points in a logical, respectful manner. Our department is able to incorporate the Catholic Social Teaching Principles into our curriculum, because literature is often a snapshot of an era’s struggles and positions. 

We offer classes at various levels during all four years at Carroll, including Advanced Placement and College Credit Plus.  We also offer electives of creative writing, theater arts, and public speaking.  Our goal for every student is to realize the power that reading, speaking, writing, and education in general gives each person.  Each student is encouraged to challenge themselves to become lifelong readers and writers.  We believe “the pen is mightier than the sword,” and we hope each of our students finds the power of their voice to bring good to this world.

About the Curriculum

The English curriculum presents a rigorous and balanced program in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language.  We offer a literature program which provides extensive and varied preparation opportunities and materials for State of Ohio assessments as well as College and Career Readiness Standards in English Language Arts.  We encourage students to be excellent communicators and lifelong learners.  We offer a strong tradition of grammar, vocabulary, composition, speech, and classical and contemporary literature in the six levels of difficulty.

Requirements and recommendations:

• All courses will include reading, writing, and speaking activities
• Students are required to enroll in at least one English course each semester
• To move to a higher course in the regular sequence, a student must earn an “A” with teacher recommendation

English 101/102

Prerequisite: Recommendation from Guidance Department; Summer reading will be required. A reading list will be published in May.

This course will focus on traditional grammar and composition skills aimed at strengthening students’ writing proficiency.  Parts of speech, sentence structure, and punctuation will be emphasized. Students will practice writing descriptive, narrative, and expository essays.  Non-fiction selections and vocabulary study will also be included.  Students will study elements of fiction as they read short stories, narrative poetry, a Shakespearean drama, and novels.  Students will also continue to practice essay writing in the context of literature.  It is the goal of the department for these students to move to Classic Literature and Writing by junior year.

Intro to Literature and Composition 101/102

Prerequisite: Recommendation from Guidance Department; Summer reading will be required.  A reading list will be published in May.

Students will study the elements of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, folk literature, and drama.  This course provides for the development of composition. As an aid to logical organization of thought in writing, students will employ the entire writing process (outline, rough draft, final draft) in order to produce well-written essays.  A Shakespearean drama is studied, as well as various novels. Students are expected to learn the aspects of traditional grammar and develop vocabulary.

English 201/202

Summer reading will be required. A reading list will be published in May.

Students will study a selection of short stories, poetry, novels, and a Shakespearean play. Students will study basic grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, and vocabulary. As an aid to logical organization of thought in writing, students will employ the entire writing process (outline, rough draft, final draft) in order to produce well-written essays.  It is the goal of the department for these students to move to Classic Literature and Writing by junior year.

Experiences in Literature and Writing 201/202

Summer reading will be required. A reading list will be published in May.

Students will review the elements of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama and apply them to the literature studied in class.  Vocabulary, grammar, and writing will be emphasized, and students will use the writing process (outline, rough draft, and final draft).  Students will read short stories, a Shakespearean play, and various novels. Students will study persuasion and logical fallacies, applying this knowledge to their reading and writing.

English 301/302

Summer reading will be required. A reading list will be published in May.

Students will read, discuss, and write about literature.  Throughout the course, a Shakespearean play, mythology, and various novels will be used. Various writing assignments will allow students to express their thoughts on the literary aspects of the work, the story itself, and how the events experienced in the work apply to their lives. Continued emphasis will be placed on expanding the student’s vocabulary and on the writing process (outline, rough draft, final draft).

Classic Literature and Writing 301/302

Summer reading will be required. A reading list will be published in May.
Students will continue work on the writing process (outline, rough draft, final draft) as a preparation for college entrance essays. Students will make connections with the literature and develop critical thinking skills through various reading, writings, and oral presentations activities.  Throughout the course, Shakespearean plays, mythology, and various novels will be used.

English Literature and Composition 401/402

Summer reading will be required. A reading list will be published in May.

This course will focus on effective reading, writing, and speaking.  Students will learn reflexive, analytical, and argumentative writing strategies, incorporating sources and personal experience.  They will write multiple drafts as they work toward fluency in style and mechanics.  Requirements include an 8-10 page argumentative research paper.  In addition, students will explore universal themes in literature by studying a variety of classic, modern, and nonfiction works.

Honors Track

Honors English 101/102

Prerequisite: Recommendation from Guidance Department; Summer reading will be required. A reading list will be published in May.

Students will experience in-depth studies of the elements of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, folk literature, and drama, including a Shakespearean play.  Various novels, poems, and plays will be read throughout the course.  This course provides for the advancement of composition skills.  As an aid to logical organization of thought in writing, students will employ the entire writing process (outline, rough draft, final draft) in order to produce unified and cohesive essays.  A Shakespearean drama and a variety of novels are studied.  Students are expected to learn and comprehend aspects of traditional grammar, ACT vocabulary, and Greek and Latin roots.

Honors English 201/202

Prerequisite: Unweighted 2.5 or above in Honors English 101-102 or teacher recommendation; Summer reading will be required. A reading list will be published in May.

Students will read various novels, short stories, nonfiction, poetry, and drama, including a Shakespearean play.  Further study of grammar and vocabulary will be included.  Students will work to expand their writing through the formal writing process (outline, rough draft, final draft) and write both a critical analysis essay and a persuasive essay.  Persuasive techniques and logical fallacies will be studied and applied to various reading, writing, and presentation activities.  Students are expected to learn and comprehend aspects of traditional grammar, ACT vocabulary, and Greek and Latin roots.

Honors English 301/302

Prerequisite: Unweighted 2.5 or above in Honors English 201-202 or teacher recommendation; Summer reading will be required.  A reading list will be published in May.

This course will provide students with the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills by reading various novels, mythology, and drama, including Shakespearean plays.  Also, students will study the literary philosophies through the reading of these works.  Students will produce outlines and essays for expository writing assignments using the proper MLA format, and vocabulary lessons will be provided to prepare students for college entrance exams.

College Credit Plus

CCP English 1101 English Composition I (First Semester)
CCP Lit 2220 Introduction to Literature (Second Semester)

In the first half of this course, the students will learn reflexive, analytical, and argumentative writing strategies, incorporating sources and personal experience. Students will negotiate between public and private rhetorical situations and purposes to achieve academic literacy. They will write multiple drafts using a recursive writing process as they work toward fluency in style and mechanics. Requirements include an 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

The second half of this course introduces students to major literary genres, including narrative fiction, poetry, and drama. Emphasis is placed on literary terminology and interpretation. Students will effectively and ethically argue their interpretations of literary works using textual evidence and Modern Language Association (MLA) documentation.

Advanced Placement Courses

Advanced Placement English and Language Composition 501/502

Prerequisite: Unweighted 2.5 or above in Honors English 201-202 and teacher recommendation; Summer reading will be required. A reading list will be published in May.

This course is designed for the highly motivated student and will begin with discussion, assessments, and essays involving the summer reading assignments.  As preparation for the Advanced Placement test and college-level work, numerous examples of Advanced Placement objective and essay questions will be woven into the course. Also, the students will utilize Robert’s College Edition of Writing Themes about Literature to enhance their writing skills.  Students will compose rhetorical analysis, synthesis, and argumentative essays following their reading, discussion, and analysis of many literary works including various novels, mythology, and Shakespearean plays.

Advanced Placement English and Language Composition 601/602

Prerequisite: Unweighted 2.5 or above in AP English Language & Comp 501-502 and teacher recommendation; Summer reading will be required. A reading list will be published in May.

This course is designed as an intensive program containing college-level concepts for highly motivated English students and provides ample preparation and practice in the skills necessary to pass the Advanced Placement test in “English Literature and Composition.”  The course begins with discussion, assessments, and essays on the summer reading assignments. Students will compose essays based on selections from the anthology Literature and Composition, various novels, poetry, and drama, including
Shakespearean plays.  Students will be expected to utilize reflective, analytical, and argumentative writing strategies while addressing the themes and purposes of the literary works.  The students will also write an 8-10 page argumentative research paper applying works of literature to a values question.

Electives

Creative Writing

This course involves the student in a variety of writing experiences that range from responses to daily prompts to longer pieces of writing that fulfill pre-established rubrics.  Both prose and poetic styles are studied and written. Students compile a portfolio of writings to share with the class.  Students are also encouraged to submit selections to the school’s literary publication, Write-On.

Public Speaking

This course is designed to improve the student’s public speaking techniques, poise, and self-confidence in the following specific areas: persuasive speech, informative speech, demonstration speech, sales speech, and impromptu speech.  Each of these speeches will form a unit of the course.  A presentation before the class will be part of each unit.