This course serves as a basis for upper-level English courses and AP Language and AP Literature. It is designed to enhance close reading comprehension with increasing text complexity, hone synthesis writing along with documented research skills, build on interdisciplinary informational and literary texts, and prepare students for multimodal presentation skills.

Advanced Placement English is college-level coursework. Students will become skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes.

Advanced Placement Literature and Composition is a college- level course. Students will engage in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students will deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure to their readers. This course is for students who have attained the reading and writing skills generally expected in introductory college courses in composition and literature. Students will be eligible to take the Literature and Composition AP Exam at the end of the year. Course Offerings & Descriptions Students should carefully select courses to be taken. While UCPS will help support and guide students, it is the responsibility of students and parents to make sure they have the correct number and composition of units needed to graduate. If unsure, students should contact their school counselor for assistance. A worksheet to help keep track of courses taken is provided in Appendix II. Individual courses are listed under major content area headings. Some courses or programs require specialized facilities or personnel and are available only at certain locations. Though most subject areas do have courses that are to be taken in a progressive sequence (e.g. English l should be taken before English II), program area courses are listed alphabetically for ease of use. Courses are listed indicating the course title and the duration. For example, English I (S), indicates the English I course is taught at the college prep level, one semester long (S) and one unit of credit will be awarded upon successful completion. English I Honors (S), indicates the English I course is taught at the honors level, one semester long (S) and one unit of credit will be issued upon successful completion. Courses that are one year in duration are designated with a “Y”. Future Ready Course of Study

AP Research, the second course in the AP Capstone experience, allows students to deeply explore the academic topic, problem, issue, or idea of individual interest. Students design, plan and implement a yearlong investigation to address a research question. Through this inquiry, they further the skills they acquired in the AP Seminar course by learning research methodology, employing ethical research practices and accessing, analyzing, and synthesizing information. Students reflect on their skill development, document their processes, and curate the artifacts of their scholarly work through a process and reflection portfolio. The course culminates in an academic paper of approximately 4000-5000 words (accompanied by a performance, exhibit, or product where applicable) and a presentation with an oral defense.

AP Seminar is a foundational course that engages students in cross-curricular conversations that explore the complexities of academic and real-world topics and issues by analyzing divergent perspectives. Using an inquiry framework, students practice reading and analyzing articles, research studies, foundational, literary, and philosophical texts; listening to and viewing speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances. Students learn to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual presentations, both individually and as part of a team. Ultimately the course aims to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments.

The Bible will be studied as literature. Course content will include selections from both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Emphasis is placed on creative writing for those students with a desire to refine these skills and work with others to improve their creative writing. Students will expand on their powers of observation, imagination, and language and will be exposed to various forms of creative writing in the fields of prose, fiction and nonfiction (i.e. poems, fiction, drama, etc.).

This course is designed to assist students in meeting the

This course is designed to move beyond an introduction to the works of William Shakespeare, including his plays and sonnets. Shakespearean plays are timeless representations of the conflicts, aspirations and struggles of human beings. It is hoped that students’ appreciation of the plays both as texts to be read and performances to be enjoyed will increase.

Course topics include journalistic techniques, styles of reporting, printing methods, paper layouts, history of newspapers, and studies of outstanding journalists. Class is responsible for the publication of the school paper. UCPS PROGRAM OF STUDIES 2025 - 2026 www.ucps.k12.nc.us 32 3332

Approval The student will master advanced layout and design of desktop publishing, digital imagery, and photo placement. In addition, the student will take on a leadership role with the newspaper.

Application and Sponsor Approval Students will be required to publish one article outside the school newspaper and to participate in one writing contest. In addition, the student will take on a leadership role with the newspaper. This course may be taken only once for Honors credit.