English Language Arts

In this strand, students will examine the voices that are largely excluded from the American literary canon by more dominant voices in the country and throughout history. This course includes texts by and about people of diverse races, religions, socio-economic statuses, and LGBTQ+ identities. These texts include novels, poetry, plays, and graphic novels. Students will examine how and why hidden voices contribute a more rich American literary tradition. 

This course will expand beyond the on-level curriculum by incorporating more sophisticated texts and assignments.  Class presentations and discussions will be expected at the Honors level. 

In this strand, students will examine the voices that are largely excluded from the American literary canon by more dominant voices in the country and throughout history. This course includes texts by and about people of diverse races, religions, socio-economic statuses, and LGBTQ+ identities. These texts include novels, poetry, plays, and graphic novels. Students will examine how and why hidden voices contribute a more rich American literary tradition.

The grade for this honors course is weighted, and while enrollment is open to all students, it is ideally suited for self-motivated and intellectually curious learners. These students should be willing and able to embrace highly rigorous work. It is strongly recommended that 9th-grade students consult their Language Arts teachers about the suitability of this course. Similar to other courses at the sophomore level, this course will aim to strengthen students as readers and writers.

No story of a culture is complete without a study of its heroes.  Consequently, no story of America is complete without the study of sport.  Perhaps no culture in the world aligns its identity with its athletes as the culture of America. Children and adults alike wear their jerseys, sing their praises, and wait in lines for their signatures on a piece of paper.  Our idioms and colloquialisms drip with allusions to the sport of the season.  Some family gatherings adhere to unwritten rules designating forbidden dates, and others occur only because of a big game, match, or meet.  Our study of American literature tells the story of what has shaped our identity.  Sport in America challenges the traditional canon by examining America’s obsession with sports and analyzing its role in our ever evolving culture.  Students in this course will study literature with sports involved in the plot, as well as nonfiction compositions weighing the role of sports in modern issues (safety, racism, equality, amateurism, the US economy, Title IX/gender-equity concerns, etc.). 

This course will expand beyond the on-level curriculum by incorporating more sophisticated texts and assignments.

No story of a culture is complete without a study of its heroes.  Consequently, no story of America is complete without the study of sport.  Perhaps no culture in the world aligns its identity with its athletes as the culture of America.  Children and adults alike wear their jerseys, sing their praises, and wait in lines for their signatures on a piece of paper.  Our idioms and colloquialisms drip with allusions to the sport of the season.  Some family gatherings adhere to unwritten rules designating forbidden dates, and others occur only because of a big game, match, or meet.  Our study of American literature tells the story of what has shaped our identity.  Sport in America challenges the traditional canon by examining America’s obsession with sports and analyzing its role in our ever evolving culture.  Students in this course will study literature with sports involved in the plot, as well as nonfiction compositions weighing the role of sports in modern issues (safety, racism, equality, amateurism, the US economy, Title IX/gender-equity concerns, etc.). 

The grade for this honors course is weighted, and while enrollment is open to all students, it is ideally suited for self-motivated and intellectually curious learners. These students should be willing and able to embrace highly rigorous work. It is strongly recommended that 9th-grade students consult their Language Arts teachers about the suitability of this course.

This course will encompass a survey of American Literature beginning with pre-colonial literature and extending to contemporary American Literature. This will be a more traditionally structured course in that it will discuss how the texts we explore are situated in the history of America as well as the literary movements relevant to the works we read. This course, however, will also include authors who are traditionally omitted in traditional American Literature courses. This will allow students to discuss the various political, social, and moral currents that sweep through the American experience. This course will include fiction and non-fiction texts that are essential to understanding the history of America as well as our current path and predictions of our future.

This course will expand beyond the on-level curriculum by incorporating more sophisticated texts and assignments.

The grade for this honors course is weighted, and while enrollment is open to all students, it is ideally suited for self-motivated and intellectually curious learners. These students should be willing and able to embrace highly rigorous work. It is strongly recommended that 9th-grade students consult their Language Arts teachers about the suitability of this course.

This course will encompass a survey of American Literature beginning with pre-colonial literature and extending to contemporary American Literature. This will be a more traditionally structured course in that it will discuss how the texts we explore are situated in the history of America as well as the literary movements relevant to the works we read. This course, however, will also include authors who are traditionally omitted in traditional American Literature courses. This will allow students to discuss the various political, social, and moral currents that sweep through the American experience. This course will include fiction and non-fiction texts that are essential to understanding the history of America as well as our current path and predictions of our future.

In what is arguably the fastest-paced era of the American experience, no literary genre has its finger on the pulse of our ever-changing world like nonfiction.  Whether through articles, blogs, memes, photographs, books, or memoir, nonfiction affords the thinker the opportunity to consider, accept, or reject profound and diverse ideas circulating in our culture. This course will ask the tough questions, seek the difficult answers, and challenge the student’s thinking using analysis and synthesis of ideas presented by disparate thinkers in nonfiction texts regarding contemporary issues.  Students will learn strategies to discover an author’s purpose, to dissect the structure of nonfiction texts, to create engaging nonfiction texts, and to have measured conversations on contentious topics.  If you love politics and political discourse, this might be the option for you.

This course will expand beyond the on-level curriculum by incorporating more sophisticated texts and assignments.

In what is arguably the fastest-paced era of the American experience, no literary genre has its finger on the pulse of our ever-changing world like nonfiction.  Whether through articles, blogs, memes, photographs, books, or memoir, nonfiction affords the thinker the opportunity to consider, accept, or reject profound and diverse ideas circulating in our culture. This course will ask the tough questions, seek the difficult answers, and challenge the student’s thinking using analysis and synthesis of ideas presented by disparate thinkers in nonfiction texts regarding contemporary issues.  Students will learn strategies to discover an author’s purpose, to dissect the structure of nonfiction texts, to create engaging nonfiction texts, and to have measured conversations on contentious topics.  If you love politics and political discourse, this might be the option for you.

The grade for this honors course is weighted, and while enrollment is open to all students, it is ideally suited for self-motivated and intellectually curious learners. These students should be willing and able to embrace highly rigorous work. It is strongly recommended that 9th-grade students consult their Language Arts teachers about the suitability of this course.

This course will emphasize the skills students need to become effective writers and critical readers. To this end, classic works of literature will be paired with Young Adult works of literature. Students will be asked to make connections between the pairings, which will allow for the possibility of greater comprehension and understanding. Through informal discussions, Socratic seminars, and various genres of writing, students will tie together the pairing’s themes and topics.

This course will expand beyond the on-level curriculum by incorporating more sophisticated texts and assignments.

This course will emphasize the skills students need to become effective writers and critical readers. To this end, classic works of literature will be paired with Young Adult works of literature. Students will be asked to make connections between the pairings, which will allow for the possibility of greater comprehension and understanding. Through informal discussions, Socratic seminars, and various genres of writing, students will tie together the pairing’s themes and topics.

The grade for this honors course is weighted, and while enrollment is open to all students, it is ideally suited for self-motivated and intellectually curious learners. These students should be willing and able to embrace highly rigorous work. It is strongly recommended that 9th-grade students consult their Language Arts teachers about the suitability of this course.

AP English Language and Composition is designed to develop students' critical awareness of 1) the interplay of language, identity, and cultures, and 2) how we read, view and write texts in dynamic cultural spaces.  This course prepares students for college-level reading and writing and for the AP English Language and Composition exam offered in May.

As with the ELA Explorations courses, the recursive nature of the coursework in AP English Language and Composition reflects our belief that critical reading and composition skills cannot be internalized by students without practice involving a variety of text types and writing assignments. AP English Language and Composition incorporates more sophisticated texts and assignments than the ELA Explorations courses and moves at a faster pace with less scaffolding. 

To be awarded Advanced Placement (AP) credit for this course, students must complete the accompanying AP exam. Please consider this requirement when making your selections for course registration. Exam fees are paid for by the Upper Arlington School District.

This course serves to prepare AP students for the AP English Literature and Composition examination. The purpose of this study is to develop sophisticated oral and written communication skills, awareness of writer's purposes and techniques, and understanding and appreciation for both literature and the ideas of other cultures.

The grade for the AP English Literature and Composition course is weighted and, while enrollment is open to all students, is ideally suited for self-motivated and intellectually curious students. These students should be willing and able to embrace highly rigorous work. We recommend that eleventh-grade students consult their Language Arts teachers about the suitability of this course.

To be awarded Advanced Placement (AP) credit for this course, students must complete the accompanying AP exam. Please consider this requirement when making your selections for course registration. Exam fees are paid for by the Upper Arlington School District.

This two-year, higher-level course satisfies the Group 1 requirement for IB Diploma students. IB describes the course as follows: 

The Language A: Language and Literature course aims to develop skills of textual analysis and the understanding that texts, both literary and non-literary, can relate to culturally determined reading practices. The course also encourages students to question the meaning generated by language and texts. An understanding of the ways in which formal elements are used to create meaning in a text is combined with an exploration of how that meaning is affected by reading practices that are culturally defined and by the circumstances of production and reception. The study of literature in translation from other cultures is especially important to IB Diploma students because it contributes to a global perspective. Texts are chosen from a variety of sources, genres and media. 

To be awarded International Baccalaureate (IB) for this course, students must complete all Internal & External exams. Please consider this requirement when making your selections for course registration. Exam fees are paid for by the Upper Arlington School District.

Over 2 years, students will take 3 IB courses during 2 periods. Teachers will work together to create a dynamic curriculum that maximizes connections between courses, reduces workload and redundancies, balances the timing of assessments, offers opportunities to learn collaboratively, and utilizes student voice to frame learning. As a cohort, students will examine texts through a variety of lenses to better understand the impact of circumstances, cultural practices and laws on people living around the world. At times, topics might be sensitive or controversial; however, each will be carefully chosen to facilitate the development of IB Learner Profile Traits.

Courses included in Culture, Learning & Language are:
IB English Language & Literature HL  (1 credit each year)
IB Cultural Anthropology HL (1 credit each year)
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) (0.5 credit each year)

By the end of the program, students will earn 2 English credits, 1 World History credit, 1 elective social studies credit, and 1 elective credit of Theory of Knowledge.

By grouping these classes together, teachers will be able to:

• Use the same text for multiple classes
• Find a way for a single project to demonstrate learning in two or more subjects
• Use time in a flexible way (extended periods, or regular class periods, or labs or field trips)
• Make the bell bend to learning, rather than learning being forced to bend to the bell

This two-year, higher-level course satisfies the Group 1 requirement for IB Diploma students. IB describes the course as follows:
The Language A: Language and Literature course aims to develop skills of textual analysis and the understanding that texts, both literary and non-literary, can relate to culturally determined reading practices. The course also encourages students to question the meaning generated by language and texts. An understanding of the ways in which formal elements are used to create meaning in a text is combined with an exploration of how that meaning is affected by reading practices that are culturally defined and by the circumstances of production and reception. The study of literature in translation from other cultures is especially important to IB Diploma students because it contributes to a global perspective. Texts are chosen from a variety of sources, genres and media.

To be awarded International Baccalaureate (IB) for this course, students must complete all Internal & External exams. Please consider this requirement when making your selections for course registration. Exam fees are paid for by the Upper Arlington School District.

Theory of Knowledge is a course taken over the junior and senior years. Sometimes called “the jewel in the crown,” the purpose of Theory of Knowledge is to engage the learner in ways of knowing while also exploring areas of knowledge. By fostering the skills of inquiry, analysis, and critical thinking. TOK aims to lead the student to processes and activities that stimulate independent thinking. The objective of including several areas of knowledge (Natural Sciences, Human Sciences, History, the Arts, Ethics, Independent Knowledge Systems, Mathematics, Religious Knowledge Systems, Indigenous Knowledge), as well as ways of knowing (Emotion, Reason, Language, Imagination, Faith, Intuition, and Sense Perception), is to guide a student to a balanced understanding of his/her world. This blended course meets, on average, once a week beginning in the second semester of a student’s junior year and ending after the first semester of senior year. TOK leads to both a formal presentation and a formal paper.

English 1100 is a semester-long composition course which develops processes for critically reading, writing, and responding to a variety of texts in order to compose clear, concise, expository essays. With a focus on academic literacy the course facilitates an awareness of purpose, audience, content, structure and style, while also advancing research and documentation methods. Course reading and writing assignments may be thematically organized. 

Students who take this course earn one year of high school English credit and three semester hours of college credit. Students should keep in mind that grades earned for this course will also appear on their college transcripts.

As a foundational course, ENGL 1100 serves as a prerequisite for many other College Credit Plus electives.

ENGL 2367 is a semester-long intermediate composition course that extends and refines skills in expository and argumentative writing, critical reading, and critical thinking. This course also refines skills in researching a topic, documenting sources, and working collaboratively. Course reading and writing assignments are organized around diversity and those who comprise various cultural identities. 

Students who take this course earn one year of high school English credit and three semester hours of college credit. Students should keep in mind that grades earned for this course will also appear on their college transcripts.

Note:  Students who earn a passing score on AP exams can enter ENGL 2367 without taking ENGL 1100--Talk to Kathy Moore about the details of the AP option.

COMM 2245 offers a semester-long introduction to film by analyzing elements of film technique: literature, story, drama, editing, movement, acting, sound, photography, staging and theory. 

Students who take this course earn one year of high school English credit and three semester hours of college credit. Students should keep in mind that grades earned for this course will also appear on their college transcripts.

This course focuses on writing for publication in the following genres: poetry, fiction, drama, and creative nonfiction. The purpose of this class is to encourage students to cultivate the habits, attitudes, and flexibility of a professional writer in a professional writing community.

Students will practice writing like a reader and reading like a writer. Students will be expected to enter final products into professional and/or student contests, confer regularly with the instructor, participate in writer/reader-response workshop groups with classmates, read and interpret mentor texts written by classic and contemporary authors, keep and regularly write in a writer’s notebook, and experiment with and revise writing routinely.  In place of a traditional semester exam, students will be required to create and present a multi-faceted portfolio of original writing.

This course is designed to give students an opportunity to develop a stronger vocabulary and greater appreciation for words through an examination of the debt English owes to other languages. While the course will place primary emphasis on English words with Greek and Latin roots because of their prevalence in academic and professional lexicons, students will also learn common phrases from other languages that have found their way into English usage, as well as engage in independent study of words encountered in their own experience. Students who enroll in this elective should expect recurring weekly assignments, as well as  weekly and cumulative assessments. Students who intend to enroll, or are concurrently enrolled, in higher-level courses would benefit from the enrichment the course provides.

This elective is a film studies course designed to help students acquire the critical tools necessary to analyze films through written and oral expression. As students develop these skills of media literacy, their appreciation, understanding, and critical sensibilities in connection with the cinema will be heightened. The course will include reading assignments, periodic quizzes, class discussions, presentations, projects, and essays for students to demonstrate their depth of  understanding. Students will be required to submit parental permission to view “R” rated films that are included in the curriculum.

Building upon the foundation of film theory, textual analysis, and film history experienced in Film Analysis, students will extend their learning through the implementation of IB external and internal assessments. Areas emphasized will be the formulation of stories and ideas in film terms, the practical and technical skills and critical evaluation of film production, and a knowledge of international filmmaking traditions. The assessments will include but not be limited to: an independent study of a film-related topic and detailed documentation, an oral presentation of a textual analysis of a film sequence, and the production of a portfolio of several original, short films. Students will be required to submit parental permission to view “R” rated films that are included in the curriculum. 

To be awarded International Baccalaureate (IB) for this course, students must complete all Internal & External exams. Please consider this requirement when making your selections for course registration. Exam fees are paid for by the Upper Arlington School District.