The Intellectually Gifted and Talented English I program is designed to provide high achieving students the opportunity to further develop skills in higher-level thinking, traditional and creative research, group discussion, public speaking, creativity, and independent study. Students are expected to grasp quickly the principles of grammar, composition, and vocabulary appropriate for this grade level, thereby providing time for an expanded course of study in which their creative and analytical thinking and writing skills are enhanced. Teaching strategies for the gifted are incorporated into the language arts curriculum and are implemented through the in-depth study of traditional and contemporary literature, current events, and selected mini-studies that are coordinated by the teaching staff.

English I is designed to help students continue the mastery of essential literacy skills. Emphasis is placed on developing strategies for effective speaking and listening, language and writing, and reading comprehension by listening to, reading, and analyzing a variety of complex texts. Essential to this is the deep analysis and unpacking of appropriately complex text. Instruction includes authentic performance tasks that lend themselves to meeting the expectations of the literacy instructional shifts: Regular practice with complex texts and their academic language; Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from the text (literary and informational); and Building knowledge through content rich nonfiction. Text sets are chosen to provide grade-level reading that builds student knowledge around important topics and essential questions. Students enrolled in English I (including Intellectually Gifted and Talented, English I) are required to take the English I TN Ready / End-of-Course test, which counts as the designated percent of the semester grade in the semester in which the test is administered.

English II is a course designed to continue the study and refinement of the essential literacy skills started in grade 9. The TN Academic Standards are the same for grades 9 and 10, thus leading to a deeper focus on the literacy instructional shifts and on the strategies for effective speaking and listening, language and writing, and reading comprehension by listening to, reading, and analyzing a variety of complex texts. Text sets are chosen to provide grade-level reading that builds student knowledge around important topics and essential questions. Students enrolled in English II are required to take the English II TN Ready/End- of-Course test, which counts as the designated percent of the semester grade in the semester in which the test is administered.

English III is designed to help students continue to refine and advance their knowledge and skills in literacy as expected by the TN Academic Standards for English Language Arts. The course focuses on strengthening skills needed to unpack and understand texts at higher complexities and demonstrate their understanding through increasingly complex tasks that meet the expectations of the literacy instructional shifts. Text sets are chosen to provide grade-level reading that builds student knowledge around important topics and essential questions.

The AP English Language and Composition course engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Both their writing and their reading should make students aware of the interactions among a writer s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects as well as the way generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing. Students choosing AP Language and Composition should be interested in studying and writing various kinds of analytical or persuasive essays on literary topics. The course allows students to write in a variety of forms (narrative, exploratory, expository, argumenta- tive) and on a variety of subjects from personal expe- riences to public policies, from imaginative literature to popular culture. But the overarching purpose in most first-year writing courses is to enable students to write effectively and confidently in their college courses across the curriculum and in their profession- al and personal lives. Therefore, most composition courses emphasize the expository, analytical, and argumentative writing that forms the basis of academic and professional communication as well as the personal and reflective writing that fosters the development of writing facility in any context. The AP English Language and Composition course follows this emphasis. As in the college course, its purpose is to enable students to read complex texts with under- standing and to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively with mature readers. \*This course may be taken in lieu of English III for graduation. All students enrolled in an AP course are required to take the course’s AP exam.

English IV is designed to prepare students to com- plete their formal secondary education with the skills needed to communicate effectively with others in the workplace or to gain admission to and succeed in college or professional school. The TN Academic Standards are the same for grades 11 and 12, thus providing the opportunity for students to continue to develop and refine the literacy skills needed for post-secondary education. Text sets are chosen to provide grade-level reading that builds student knowledge around important topics and essential questions.

The AP English Literature and Composition course engage students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected text, students deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to pro- vide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students consider a work s structure, style, and themes as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. Writing assignments focus on the critical analysis of literature and include expository, analytical and argumentative essays. Students choosing AP Literature and Composition should be interested in studying literature of various periods and genres and using this wide reading knowledge in discussions of literary topics. \*This course may be taken in lieu of English IV for graduation. All students enrolled in an AP course are required to take the course’s AP exam.

Dual Enrollment English Composition I is a one semester college-level course that offers students practice in expository writing with emphasis on content, organization, and style (levels of usage and sentence structure) for different purposes and audiences. Dual Enrollment English Composition I and English Composition II may be taken to satisfy English IV for graduation requirement or as English elective(s). Completion of both college courses is required for English IV substitution. \*Completion of both college courses is required for English IV substitution.

This course is designed to introduce students to the field of journalism and the organization of publications (i.e., newspapers, yearbooks, and literary magazines). Types of writing news stories, editorials and feature writing are covered, as well as production considerations, photography, and the business aspects of publications.

The purpose of this course is to enhance students’ English vocabulary, their understanding of the structure of the English language, and their understanding of the nature of languages in general, through the systematic analysis of words and word origins from Greek, Latin, and modern languages.

The course includes the study of basic mythologies of major civilizations. It provides a background in mythology to help students understand allusions in the writing of many great western writers; it demonstrates the influence of mythology on the origins of some words in the English language; it connects mythology with the study of scientific phenomena; and finally, it explores universal truths and connections among mythologies of diverse cultures.

Students are introduced to a variety of speaking and communication opportunities, using various methods in formal and informal settings. Students will focus on preparing, speaking, listening, and digital literacy. This course is not approved as a Fine Arts course for college entrance requirements.