ENGLISH

Each of our English courses helps prepare students for college. We've created the curriculum keeping in mind that our students will sit in for the AP English Language and Composition exam at the end of their senior year. Each of our courses also helps prepare our students for the SAT exam. Also, throughout their study of English, there is a great emphasis put on the theory of argument. Students explore all texts as claims or arguments. In 9^th and 10^th grade, students study the theory of argument. In 11^th and 12^th grade, students study arguments in relation to the outside world and in their writing.

English 9

English 9, an integrated English course, is a study of language, literature, composition, and oral communication. This course introduces students to the genres of literature, including poetry, drama, the short story, and the novel, and emphasizes the development of critical thinking and writing skills. Students examine literature through an Islamic literary lens. Students utilize critical reading and thinking skills to improve their understanding and writing in response to literature. Throughout the year, students study grammar and usage in relation to their writing. Titles covered in class include but are not limited to: Macbeth, Our Town, and To Kill a Mockingbird.

English 10

English 10, an integrated English course, is a study of language, literature, composition, and oral
communication with a focus on exploring universal themes across a wide variety of genres and historical periods. Students are exposed to both fiction and non-fiction during their sophomore year. Students study non-fiction, especially essays using the Norton Sampler, a college level survey textbook. During this survey unit, students explore different modes of essays in preparation for an in-depth essay unit in their junior year. Students also read novels and plays that allow them to explore satire, tragedy, and historically based fiction. As with their 9^th grade year, students examine literature through an Islamic literary lens. Students also utilize critical reading and thinking skills to improve their understanding and writing in response to literature. Throughout the year, students study grammar and usage in relation to their writing. Titles covered in class include but are not limited to: Animal Farm, The Crucible, Hamlet, and Everything's an Argument.

English 11 (Pre-AP)

English 11, an integrated English course, is a study of language, literature, composition, and oral communication with a focus on preparing students for their senior year of AP English. In this course, the students are exposed to a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres. The course starts with a look at argument from a rhetorical writing perspective. We examine not only textual arguments, but also visual arguments. Students examine rhetorical and oratorical devices used in famous speeches. The unit culminates in students researching and writing their own persuasive speech. Students also explore the role of women in literature and in history. They examine non-fiction texts that analyze the lives of women before Islam and after Islam. Students also examine the role of British and American women through such novels and plays as Jane Eyre and The Crucible. Our third unit explores literature that analyzes the effects of language on society. Texts used in this unit include, but are not limited to, Pygmalion and Taming of the Shrew. Finally, students end the year with an in-depth examination of modern and classical essays using such textbooks as The Norton Sampler and A World of Ideas.