Putnam High School

English Staff

Mrs. Rae-Anne LaPrade      Laprader@putnam.k12.ct.us

Mrs. Megan Silver                  Silverm@putnam.k12.ct.us

Mr. Sean Trainor                    Trainors@putnam.k12.ct.us

Mrs. Erin Williams                 Williamse@putnam.k12.ct.us

**Erin Williams is the Area Coordinator

Course of Study

Course: ENGLISH 1                                                      Level: College Prep, Honors 1 credit

Length: Full Year                                                           Open to Grade: 9
Prerequisites: For honors level - average or above average reading and writing ability, high scores on standardized tests.
Course Description:  Freshman Academy English provides students with the opportunity to read, think, write, and discuss critically and creatively.  Students will study literature from a variety of genres and time periods.   Students will have the opportunity to write formally in literary analysis and informally in journal entries. The focus of this course is to improve skills needed for success in the English classroom.

Course: ENGLISH 2                                                      Level: College Prep/Honors, 1 credit
Length: Full Year                                                            Open to Grade: 10
Prerequisites: For honors level - above average reading and writing ability, high scores on standardized tests.
Course Description:  This course will cover the literary forms of poetry, short story, drama and the novel.  Students will be reading and writing analytically.  Vocabulary and practical grammatical applications will also be part of class focus.  Emphasis will be placed on writing skills and CAPT preparation.  For honors level, vocabulary and composition development will be an integral part of the course.

Course: ENGLISH 3, AMERICAN LITERATURE               Level:  College Prep, 1 credit
Length:  Full Year                                                                Open to Grade 11        
 Course Description:  This course involved a study of American authors and to explore American literary heritage.  Works have been selected which deal not only with the periods of literature but also with genres of fiction and drama.  Vocabulary units are correlated to the literary selections.  Students will be expected to write analytical compositions. 


Course: AP LANGUAGE & COMPOSTION                   Level: AP, 1 credit
Length: Full Year                                                            Open to Grade:  11, 12
Prerequisites: Completion of Advanced English 2 with at least a B average
Summer reading for this course must be completed.
Course Description: This course revolves around the development of academic writing as well as a survey of American authors. While focusing on contemporary and classic American pieces of writing, students will explore how authors attempt to persuade audiences.  Through fiction, visuals, poetry, essays, speeches, and other types of nonfiction, students will start to see how the world communicates.  The intent of this course is to prepare students for taking a mandatory A.P. Language and Composition exam given in May. Passing this strenuous test could allow the students to receive 3 college credits.


Course: AP LITERATURE & COMPOSITION              Level: AP, 1 credit
Length: Full Year                                                            Open to Grade: 11, 12
Prerequisites: Completion of Advanced English 2 with at least a B average
Summer reading must be completed for this course.
Course Description: The emphasis of this course is to sharpen student analytical and close reading skills and to develop college level writing skills.  This course focuses on a diverse world literature multi-genre curriculum.  A required summer reading assignment will be evaluated at the beginning of the course.  The mandatory AP English Literature exam sponsored by the Education Testing Service will be administered in May.  Passing this strenuous test could allow the student to receive 3 college credits.


Course: ENGLISH IV - BRIT LIT                                        Level: College Prep/Honors, 1 credit
Length: Full Year                                                                   Open to Grade: 12
Prerequisites: None
Course Description: The British Literature course is a survey of major British Literature writers. Semester one surveys the Anglo-Saxon period to the age of Johnson.  Semester two surveys the age of Johnson to the twentieth century.  Expository themes are written on a variety of contemporary issues.  Supplementary vocabulary units are correlated with literature and composition work.  A research paper will be required for the course.

 
Course: SENIOR COMMUNICATION                       Level: Honors, ½ credit
Length: Semester                                                         Open to Grade: 12
Prerequisites:  None
Course Description: This course is linked with Quinebaug Valley Community College (QVCC) course, Introduction to Communication. Students successfully completing this course with a B average or better will receive a community college credit. The course involves a study of oral communication in person-to-person, small group, and public situations. The students will be given the opportunity to study theories, do exercises and activities, and prepare oral presentations in order to improve their skills as senders and receivers of messages. Senior Communication will help the student to understand better how human beings communicate in a variety of contexts; to become more aware of themselves as a sender and receiver of messages; to send more effective messages, both verbally and non-verbally; to listen more effectively and think more critically about the messages others are sending; and to learn from their own experiences as a communicator. The student will study communication in several general contexts, interpersonal,
or person-to-person, focuses on communication between the student and one other person, such as he/she might encounter in conversations or interviews.  Small group communication looks at the skills involved in group dynamics, group membership, and leadership.

Course:  COMPOSITION                                              Level:  Honors,  1/2 credit

 Length:  Semester                                                            Open to Grade: 12

Prerequisites:  None

Course Description:  Composition is a class designed for those students who would like to reinforce and develop their skills in writing to better prepare themselves for the kind of writing that our world demands.  Students will use the writing process to develop their ability to generate ideas for writing, organize information, develop fluency and voice, revise and edit their writing to publish written pieces for real audiences.  As students progress through the course, they will keep a portfolio of their writing.  This class is designed to complement senior communication.

Course: CONTEMPORARY NOVEL                         Level:  College Prep/Honors, ½ credit
Length:  Full Year                                                       Open to Grade:  11, 12
Prerequisites:  None
Course Description: The Contemporary Novel course is designed to offer students access to modern voices in literature and to increase the level of enjoyment students receive from reading.  They will be practicing and refining critical thinking skills while creating positive reading experiences along the way.  Novels will be chosen by quality and theme.
 
Course: CREATIVE WRITING                                  Level: College Prep/Honors, ½ credit
Length: Semester                                                         Open to Grades: 11, 12
Prerequisites: None                                                         
Course Description: Creative writing seeks to provide students with an outlet for self-expression through imaginative writing in poetry and fiction, while teaching the importance of daily writing and revision, ensuring the proper use of technique and form, and helping each student develop an individual writing style. Further, the program provides a critical audience of peers and imposes the discipline of meeting assignment deadlines like those encountered by professionals. Creative Writing offers an authentic, disciplined study of poetry and prose. Classroom work includes individual conferences with instructor following close reading and analyses of student’s work; instruction from the most up-to-date texts and resources on creative writing, and student discussion groups that encourage and support the creative process.  At least bi-weekly, students submit original work for peer discussion and critique. They also submit polished work to literary magazines and contests.


Course: JOURNALISM 1                                             Level: College Prep, 1 credit
Length: Full Year                                                            Open to Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisites: None
Course Description: Students will study a wide range of written and broadcast materials as well as write various types of journalistic articles for the production of the school newspaper (The Clipper Banner). The student will explore the historical background of American journalism. This course will cover journalistic ethics and responsibilities; basic news writing, feature, editorial, column writing, sports, headline, and caption writing; political cartooning; as well as the process of style and editing. The student will learn to utilize the software Microsoft publisher for the design and production of the newspaper.

Course: JOURNALISM 2                                             Level: Honors, 1 credit
Length: Full Year                                                            Open to Grades: 10, 11, 12
Prerequisites: None
Course Description: This course is a review of Journalism 1 with requirements that are more demanding. Additionally, students taking this course will be the student advisers/editors and designers of The Clipper Banner. Also, they will act as team leaders when special projects are assigned.

Course: LRC ENGLISH                                               Level: Skills, 1 credit
Length: Full Year                                                            Open to Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisites: None
Course Description: Students determined to have special education needs will be recommended for this course as a result of a Planning and Placement Team meeting and based on individual needs and goals as indicated on the students’ Individual Education Plan. In order to be eligible for this class, it must be determined by the PPT that the student’s handicapping condition precludes success in the regular education setting for English and/or reading. Students will improve decoding skills, vocabulary and comprehension while reading short stories, poetry and novels. They will also strengthen grammar, usage and sentence structure while focusing on writing and spelling.

Course:  THEATRE ARTS

Length:  Semester                                                             Level:  College Prep/Honors, 1/2 credit

Prerequisites:  None                                                          Open to Grades:  11, 12

Course Description:  Theatre Arts is a course for students interested in the art of frama.  Rather than just reading plays, students will act, direct, stage, and write dialogue.  Students must be able to memorize.  Only counts as English credit if taken during grade 12.

Course:  WRITING & COMPREHENSION I                    Level:  Skills, 1 credit

Length:  Full Year                                                              Open to Grade:  9

Prerequisites:  Teacher Recommendation or CMT Results

Course Description:  Writing and Comprehension I is a clas for freshmen who require support with their reading and writing skills.  The class emphasizes reading skills such as developing a purpose for reading, understanding the central idea of a text, and monitoring reading or comprehension.  Another focus is the improvement of the students writing skills through a variety of techniques.  The course is not a tutorial program, but instead focuses on the concurrent transfer of skills from Writing and Comprehension I to English I.  This course does not count for English credit towards graduation.

Course:  WRITING & COMPREHENSION II                       Level:  Skills, 1 credit

Length:  Full Year                                                                   Open to Grade:  10

Prerequisites:  Teacher Recommendation or CMT Results

Course Description:  Writing and Comprehension II is a class for sophomore students who require support with their reading and writing skills.  The class emphasizes reading skills such as developing a purpose for reading, understanding the central idea of a text, and monitoring reading for comprehension.  Another focus is on working with the students' writing skills through a variety of techniques.  The course is not a tutorial program but instead focuses on the concurrent transfer of skills from Writing and Comprehension II to English 2.  This course does not count for English credit toward graduation.

 
Course:  INTEGRATED ENGLISH                               Level:  Skills
Length:  Full Year                                                          Open to Grade 9
 Prerequisites:  Teacher Recommendation or CMT Results
Course Description:  This course is a basic introduction to English Language Arts. Students in The class will receive instruction at their own level and pace.  Topics covered are:  vocabulary, grammar, poetry, novel, short story, nonfiction, drama and composition.  Additional exercises will help to develop the skills necessary to prepare them for CAPT.