Composition I is an instructional workshop designed to help students become confident and capable writers. During Writing Workshop, students have time to work independently and with their peers. They engage in the writing process by selecting topics, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing their original work. They receive explicit instruction in the craft of writing from exploring genre, to organizing their pieces, to word choice, style, and mechanics. The workshop structure encourages students to think of themselves as writers and take their writing seriously. It gives students the skills to express their important thoughts and celebrates the fact that their stories and ideas matter and are worth expressing.

The course begins with an introduction to the idea of identity and then follows this topic by presenting units focused on short stories, poetry, drama, film, non-fiction, and a novel, all of which present incidents that are significant milestones in the lives of young people. Specific elements of genre study and writing skills are emphasized, as well as critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed for school and throughout life. Students are expected to learn and apply reading, writing, oral, and collaborative strategies to their own learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses.

The course begins with an introduction to the idea of identity and then follows this topic by presenting units focused on short stories, poetry, drama, film, non-fiction, and a novel, all of which present incidents that are significant milestones in the lives of young people. Specific elements of genre study and writing skills are emphasized, as well as critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed for school and throughout life. Students are expected to learn and apply reading, writing, oral, and collaborative strategies to their own learning styles, strengths, and weaknesses. Acceptance into Honors is dependent on 8th grade NWEA scores.

In this class, students will read texts from a variety of genres, time periods, and cultures. Students will complete at least one service learning project tied to our course skills and ideas. Students will study literary criticism and apply it, analyzing texts. Students will write often and for many different purposes; they will participate in the writing process, taking some pieces from pre-writing through the revision process. The editing portion of the writing process will be informed by our study of Standard English conventions. Finally, students will grow their vocabularies through direct vocabulary study and determining the meaning of words in context.

In this class, students will read texts from a variety of genres, time periods, and cultures. Students will complete at least one service learning project tied to our course skills and ideas. Students will study literary criticism and apply it, analyzing texts. Students will write often and for many different purposes; they will participate in the writing process, taking some pieces from pre-writing through the revision process. The editing portion of the writing process will be informed by our study of Standard English conventions. Finally, students will grow their vocabularies through direct vocabulary study and determining the meaning of words in context.

The units of instruction center on an investigation of the idea of the American Dream and the American Nightmare. Students read and think about important questions presented in American literature - questions about freedom, justice, and the pursuit of happiness. Students read works of fiction and non-fiction, as well as short stories and poems, honing their skills of analysis and synthesis. During the first three quarters, students will also prepare for their college entrance exams and other standardized tests and finish the year with an independent research project.

This college level course focuses on discovering how words are used to

The units of instruction focus on world texts in order to broaden the literary landscape of high school individuals. The units begin with a look into the self and into culture, working toward a definitions and understanding commonalities and differences among human cultures as represented in literature, media, and non-fiction from various time periods and locations around the world. Students read widely and deeply to build higher-level critical thinking skills necessary for college. They are asked to write analytically, creatively, persuasively, and to compose a research paper. In writing, students engage in the entire writing process from brainstorming to revising to publishing. Student learning is assessed largely through performance tasks and the creation of writing portfolios that adhere to the Common Core State Standards for English.

This course uses a critical social justice lens to build skills in reading and writing through community action and current events. It, therefore, requires some commitment outside of the regular school day on a quarterly basis. Students will build critical thinking by analyzing a variety of current events media including news radio, video media, and news articles with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the impact of world affairs on their local lives. Students will explore local social issues by conducting direct and indirect research. Students will conduct argument evaluations to become critical consumers of media and more effective writers. Students will subsequently write arguments with the aim of persuading and mediating in real-world situations. Student learning is assessed through performance tasks which may include community event planning (marketing, press releases, design, set-up, take-down, etc.), neighborhood canvassing (identify local needs, plan for and implement solutions), local presentations, and school-wide events. Note: This course will only run if enough students register to make a full section. Students will be placed in the traditional equivalent English IV course in the event that the course does not fill up.

In this year long course, students will learn to make arguments and improve their public speaking. Students will develop, analyze, and respond to arguments using research. This class will draw on the way argumentation shapes current events. The best way to understand argumentation is to engage in it. As such, class time will be used both to teach debate theory and as a lab to prepare for competition. Participation in a minimum of TWO (2) weekend tournaments outside of class is required for credit.

Building on the work of Argumentative Literacy I, students will delve deeper into the theory of argumentation and the practice of research. Work will center on the national high school policy debate topic. In addition to instruction, class time will be used as a laboratory to prepare for tournaments by conducting research, writing briefs, analyzing arguments, and practicing speeches. This class is reserved for JV and Varsity debaters on Solorio’s Debate Team. Participation in a minimum of two weekend tournaments each semester is required for credit.

Building on the work of Argumentative Literacy II, students will delve deeper into advanced theories of argumentation and will perform research using scholarly journal articles and books. Work will center on the national high school policy debate topic. In addition to instruction, class time will be used as a laboratory to prepare for tournaments by conducting collegiate-level research, constructing cases, analyzing arguments, participating in practice debates, and re-doing rebuttals in front of the instructor. Third and fourth year debaters enrolled in this class will be expected to adjudicate debates between first-year students and teach Solorio’s less experienced debaters. This class is reserved for Varsity debaters on Solorio’s Debate Team.