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The English Department at Ida Crown

The English Department strives to help every student attain maximum effectiveness as a communicator. This commitment is based on the premise that language is the key that unlocks a student’s potential. Through writing, reading, and discussion, the primary focus is to confront the moral foundations evident in classic and contemporary literature. Organizational skills and research techniques are developed through this program. Students are required to complete four years of an English sequence for graduation. Questions about appropriate leveling should be directed to the Department Chair.

Courses Offered

English I – Regular: 1 Credit

In this introductory genre based class, students will meet for six periods a week to study the basic structure and meaning of the short story, the novel, the Shakespearean play, and poetry. A strong composition and grammar program begins in this course focusing on the writing process, research techniques, and grammatical structure with emphasis on studying diction and syntax. The curriculum includes: Romeo and Juliet, Of Mice and Men, The Sunflower, The Odyssey, a science fiction novel, a unit on mythology, and various essays, short stories and poems.

Homework Requirement: 20 minutes per night

English I – Honors: 1 Credit


Homework Requirement: 20 minutes per night

English II – Regular: 1 Credit
English III – AP English Language and Composition: 1 Credit
Sophomore Seminar: .25 Credit
Junior and Senior Seminars: .25 Credit
English IV – AP Literature and Composition: 1 Credit
Public Speaking: .5 Credit

Option for 12th grade, second semester. This one semester course sharpens oral communication skills by building on specific public speaking abilities and heightening critical listening skills. Students learn the fundamentals of voice control, nonverbal delivery, and audience analysis. Each student prepares and delivers both extemporaneous and planned speeches. Required speeches include: informative, interpretive, demonstrative, and persuasive. For the final exam in May, each student prepares a speech and presents it at Oratory Fair.

Homework Requirement: 2 hours per week

Film/Drama: .5 Credit

This semester class will study The Tempest by Shakespeare, Pygmalion by Shaw, and Our Town by Wilder to examine dramatic techniques and styles. Then, as the semester final, students will perform scenes from these plays.

Homework Requirement: .5 hour per night

Creative Writing: .5 Credit

This semester class will study a variety of great writing and students will create a portfolio of their own poetry, short stories, and a children’s book.

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