English

Knox English classes give students the opportunity to read widely, think deeply, and communicate clearly. In every English classroom, you will find our students actively engaged in writing responses to a text, as well as vigorously discussing the nuances of what they read in terms of literary elements and personal connections. It is here that students learn how to listen respectfully to different opinions, as well as to express their own perspectives with clarity and logic. Throughout all Knox English courses, students are taught to support their written and spoken arguments with convincing evidence. The development of a strong and disciplined mind is the best way we can prepare our students for the rigors of college as well as the challenges they will face in higher education and beyond.

English Core Courses
English Electives

English I (9): World Literature
The English I curriculum exposes students to a survey of world literature and the historical backgrounds that frame each reading. Through the analysis of fiction and nonfiction texts, poetry and plays, as well as through grammar exercises and writing prompts, students develop a deeper understanding of how to convey their ideas both orally and through the written word. The course provides students with opportunities to improve their written communication skills, develop critical thinking skills through reading and writing, and learn the proper mechanics for research-based writing in preparation for college academics.

English II (10): American Literature
English II focuses on literature from American authors that focus on key events from American History. Poems, plays, essays, and novels directly correspond with lessons they learned in prior and future History classes. The course encourages students to draw connections between fiction and history. Through the analysis of these texts and through grammar exercises and writing prompts, students develop a deeper understanding of how to convey their ideas both orally and through the written word. The course provides students with opportunities to improve their written communication skills, develop critical thinking skills through reading and writing, and learn the proper mechanics for research-based writing in preparation for college academics.

English III (11): Advanced Analysis of Fiction and Non-Fiction Texts
The 11th grade English curriculum focuses on an in-depth analysis of a writer’s use of literary elements in both fiction and non-fiction texts. Through the examination of these texts, poetry and plays, as well as through grammar exercises and writing prompts, students develop a deeper understanding of how to convey their ideas both orally and through the written word. The course provides students with opportunities to improve their written communication skills, develop critical thinking skills through reading and writing, and learn the proper mechanics for research-based writing in preparation for college academics and standardized exams.

English IV (12): College Prep Literary Analysis
The English IV curriculum exposes students to a survey of literature to prepare them for their college experience. Through the analysis of fiction and nonfiction texts, poetry and plays, as well as through grammar exercises and writing prompts, students develop a deeper understanding of how to convey their ideas both orally and through the written word. The course provides students with opportunities to improve their written communication skills, develop critical thinking skills through reading and writing, and learn the proper mechanics for research-based writing in preparation for college academics.

Graduate Capstone Project (12)
This course is designed to develop college-level writing skills with a focus on research. Students will learn to be aware of and use the perspectives of others to examine their own insights on topics of interest. They will practice making intentional choices while learning to defend and justify their logic and connect ideas and concepts across disciplines. Students will choose and explore a topic, issue, or idea of individual interest while designing a year-long study to answer a research question in 5,000 words or more.

Honors Designation (9-12)
Our Academic Program is College Preparatory; as such, all classes are taught at an accelerated pace. Honors credit may be earned on an individual basis by students willing to pursue a more challenging syllabus and assessment process. These students will need to go through an approval process with the Dean of Academics.

Advanced Language and Literature (10-11)
This course will allow students to explore fiction and non-fiction texts that they may encounter in an Advanced Placement or freshman-level college curriculum in English or Literature. Emphasis will be placed on reading and interpreting the works and creating compelling, written arguments on a prominent theme in the selected literature for the course. The drafting and revising process will also be stressed to prepare students for the rigors of college writing.

*AP English Language and Composition (11-12)
AP English Language and Composition cultivates the reading and writing skills that students need for college success and for intellectually responsible civic engagement. The course guides students in becoming curious, critical, and responsive readers of diverse texts and becoming flexible, reflective writers of texts addressed to all audiences for various purposes. The reading and writing completed in this class will deepen and expand students’ understanding of how written language functions rhetorically: to communicate writers’ intentions and elicit readers’ responses in particular situations. (College Board, 2020) Students in AP English Language and Composition will also participate in group service projects stemming from the various topics covered in the class readings.

*AP courses are offered based on student interest, enrollment and instructor availability and are subject to change at the discretion of Administration.

*AP English Literature and Composition (12)
AP English Literature and Composition promotes students’ devotion to the study of literature written in, or translated into, English. This will involve careful reading and critical analysis of works in various genres including fiction, drama, and poetry to provide opportunities for students to develop an appreciation of the ways literature reflects and comments on a range of experiences, institutions, and social structures. Students will examine the choices writers make and the techniques they utilize to achieve purposes and generate meanings. (College Board, 2020) Students in AP English Literature and Composition will also participate in group service projects stemming from the various topics covered in the class readings.

*AP courses are offered based on student interest, enrollment and instructor availability and are subject to change at the discretion of Administration.

ENG101 Standard Freshman Composition (11-12)
This course explores principles of rhetoric and stresses effective expository writing. ENG 101 is primarily a course in the organization of ideas and development of these ideas through the use of specific information. The course also deals with matters of style, sentence structure, paragraph development, punctuation and vocabulary, and introduces students to close reading of appropriate materials. Available for college credit through the Suffolk Community College Beacon Program.

ENG102 Introduction to Literature (12)
This course is an introduction to imaginative works of literature: the short story, novel, poem, and drama. Close and analytical study of this literature introduces students to major literary themes and forms. This course continues training in effective prose writing and requires students to demonstrate maturity in thought and style. Available for college credit through the Suffolk Community College Beacon Program.

Academic Writing (9-10)
This course focuses on MLA skills including preparing a works-cited page and incorporating in-text citations. Students practice and master the necessary skills to write a proper academic paper on dynamic topics. Practice includes analytical essays, response papers and research papers. This course prepares students to start thinking outside of the five-paragraph model and begin writing more advanced essays that require higher level thinking and the examination of outside sources.

College Writing and Presentation (11-12)
This course is designed to prepare students for the rigors of college writing. Students continue to work with MLA format and learn to enhance their writing skills by focusing on format and development of details. A writing workshop-style of teaching is used, requiring students to complete multiple steps including peer and self-edits. This course prepares students for public speaking and presentations that will be expected of them in college, and encourages students to overcome public speaking anxiety and develop strong delivery skills.

Storytelling and Memoir (9-12)
This course focuses on the craft of telling powerful, engaging, and entertaining stories. Students learn about story structure, literary devices, and character building through a wide array of lessons and activities. Students inspect the works of master storytellers as models, and use them to inform their own writings. At the end of the year, students have a portfolio full of creative stories, poems, personal narratives, and more.

Survey of Shakespearean Literature (10-12)
This course focuses on the close analysis of Shakespearean literature including the tragedies, histories, and comedies. Students learn how to deconstruct his language by examining his use of imagery, repetition, poetic style, prose, structure, and more. Throughout the course, we also explore his texts in performance including monologues, and scenes. Our culminating projects will be a mixed collection of performances, written work, and even reviews of shows and adaptations of his plays.

English Faculty

Amy Denis

Ph.D., English – St. John’s University
M.A., English – St. John’s University
B.A., English – St. Joseph’s University

Amy Denis

English Teacher

Christina Harney

M.A., Teaching English – Stony Brook University
B.A., English – Manhattan College

Christina Harney

English Teacher

Donna Pergola

M.A., Creative Writing & Non-Fiction – Southern New Hampshire University

*Administrator

Donna Pergola

Dean of Academics
English Department Chair & Teacher
Administrator