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English Department
Mr. Thomas Porcelli, Department Head |
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Courses |
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Main Office: (203) 797-4800
Attendance Office: (203) 790-2893 or (203) 790-2864
The freshman English class is a preliminary survey of general English terms and skills. Students in this course will further develop the foundational skills in reading and writing as a continuation of those introduced in the previous grade. Writing opportunities will address the constructs of process writing, and students will be guided through peer-conferencing and peer-editing on a regular basis to enhance their writing and foster the necessary relationships found in a writing community. Throughout the year, thematic units ask students to look at literature and how it relates to them and the world around them. Academic growth within these units will be measured through various performance-based and writing assessments. Students will also have a guaranteed portfolio experience, providing them the opportunity to look back at these assessments and reflect on how their writing has improved throughout the year.
In addition, summer reading and a graded assignment related to that reading are a course requirement. Summer reading work is due when students come to school in the fall. Assignments will be given out in current eighth grade classes, as well as being posted on the DHS website.
The Honors program offers a challenging reading and writing program that encompasses the core curriculum and offers enrichment beyond the foundational skills. As such, the course demands extensive time and labor commitments outside of the classroom. The honors freshman English student will demonstrate analytical skills through sophisticated and substantive verbal and written responses to literature. Students will learn to form, support, and articulate critical responses to a variety of text and media genres.
Like the core curriculum program, the Honors program has a guaranteed portfolio experience that offers students an opportunity to reflect on their learning through the year, but also requires the students to revisit and revise one piece of showcase writing.
In addition, two summer readings and two graded assignments related to those pieces are required and due when students come to school in the fall. Assignments will be given out in current eighth grade classes, as well as being posted on the DHS website.
TRANSITIONAL ENGLISH/READING (COLLEGE PREP) 9-12
This double period English team-taught course incorporates the skills included in the English II curriculum with those reading skills necessary for comprehension and interpretation of the required course material and subject matter. This double period class is open to students who have successfully completed the ELL program to assure a smooth transition in their second language acquisition progression. In cases in which the student successfully completes the Transitional course earlier than Grade 12, subsequent English courses must be taken.
The sophomore English class is a second step in a four-year program that builds upon the foundational skills laid in the freshman year. Students will continue to develop the fundamental skills of communication with a focus on literary analysis, vocabulary development and presentation skills. The specific aims of the course are to help the student gain a greater facility in written and oral expression, as well as the continued development of reading comprehension.
Throughout the year, students will participate in thematic units that ask the students to look at literature, and how it relates to themselves and the world around them. Students will have opportunities to express their understanding of material through a variety of different writing assignments.
In addition, students will have a guaranteed portfolio experience, providing opportunities to look back and reflect on how their writing has improved throughout the year.
Summer reading and a graded assignment related to that reading, are a course requirement. Students are expected to have this completed to turn in at the start of the school year. Assignments will be given out in current English I courses, as well as being posted on the DHS website.
PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of English I or concurrent enrollment
The honors sophomore English student will be expected to look at texts with a more astute eye and to write with much more elaboration. More importantly, the honors student must be self-motivated and willing to complete both reading and writing tasks outside of class. Honors selected texts will be more challenging on a variety of levels and will require additional writing assignments, and deeper analysis of literary elements and meaning. Students are expected to meet challenges with little support in the foundational skill areas. This will require more effort to meet the expectations of the course throughout the year.
The students will write more in the honors setting and this writing will demonstrate a stronger and more esoteric understanding of the power of words and language. Students in an honors class are expected to go above and beyond what is expected from the college prep curriculum.
Like the core curriculum program, the Honors program has a guaranteed portfolio experience that offers students an opportunity to reflect on their learning through the year, but also requires the students to revisit and revise one piece of showcase writing.
Summer reading and a graded assignment related to that reading, are a course requirement. Students are expected to have this completed to turn in at the start of the school year. Assignments will be given out in current English I courses, as well as being posted on the DHS website.
PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of English I or concurrent enrollment
Junior English is the third step of a four-year program in the development of communication skills that focus on literary analysis, vocabulary development and oral presentation. Specific aims are facilitation of written and oral expression, continued development of reading comprehension and cultivation of deeper levels of understanding.
Students will participate in thematic units that explore literature and question its relationship to their world. English III develops the American character through examination and analysis of the American Dream. It examines Americans’ search for meaning across time periods and distinguishes among voices in American society. In also, it explores the art of persuasion through the use of rhetorical devices and persuasive appeals to develop reading, writing and critical thinking abilities. A guaranteed portfolio experience will provide opportunity for reflection and writing improvement.
In addition, students will have a guaranteed portfolio experience, providing opportunities to look back and reflect on how their writing has improved throughout the year.
Summer reading and a graded assignment related to that reading, are a course requirement. Students are expected to have this completed to turn in at the start of the school year. Assignments will be given out in current English II courses, as well as being posted on the DHS website.
PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of English II or concurrent enrollment
Junior Honors English students examine texts critically and write elaborately. Tasks in reading and writing are independent and demand self-motivation and adherence to task completion in a timely manner. Students are expected to meet challenges with little support in the foundational skill areas and to analyze literature from multiple perspectives.
A rigorous writing schedule in the honors setting will demonstrate an understanding of the power of language. In addition to the writing portfolio, honors students will revise their weakest writing sample based on what they have learned throughout the school year.
Like the core curriculum program, the Honors program has a guaranteed portfolio experience that offers students an opportunity to reflect on their learning through the year, but also requires the students to revisit and revise one piece of showcase writing.
Summer reading and a graded assignment related to that reading, are a course requirement. Students are expected to have this completed to turn in at the start of the school year. Assignments will be given out in current English II courses, as well as being posted on the DHS website.
PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of English II or concurrent enrollment
AMERICAN STUDIES (COLLEGE PREP) 11
AMERICAN STUDIES (HONORS) 11
American Studies is a course that integrates American literature and history to examine the development of the American character. Students will study the beliefs, words and deeds of the American people to analyze the patterns that underlie and shape this nation.
Meets 10 periods a week. Student must enroll in American Studies and American Studies Social Studies (SS301A/SS302C or SS301H/SS302H)
Summer reading and a graded assignment related to that reading, are a course requirement. Students are expected to have this completed to turn in at the start of the school year. Assignments will be given out in current English I, II and III courses, as well as being posted on the DHS website.
PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of English II and Modern World
The senior English course develops students as more sophisticated readers and writers in preparation for a post-high school experience. Students will compile real-world documents that set them up for success in their professional and academic futures. Through the exploration of literature, students will examine the various literary techniques authors use to make their writing more interesting and effective to the reader. What is more, students will find direct connections between the author's writing and their own life experiences. Students will examine how different types of writing affect our lives, what makes a text timeless, how authors use satire, and how different perspectives inform people in various ways. Much of the discussion that takes place in class comes from the student’s ability to analyze the literature and make meaningful connections to it. Students will work to elevate their own written pieces through the development of personal voice and through the understanding of the connection writers make between audience and purpose.
In addition, students will have a guaranteed portfolio experience, providing opportunities to look back and reflect on how their writing has improved throughout the year.
Summer reading and a graded assignment related to that reading, are a course requirement. Students are expected to have this completed to turn in at the start of the school year. Assignments will be given out in current English III courses, as well as being posted on the DHS website.
PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of English III or concurrent enrollment
In addition to the core curriculum, honors students will be challenged to think, write, and read at a more complex level. Each quarter, honors students will complete independent reading choices, multi-media presentations, and more in-depth analyses of the texts we read. In addition, students will work to master their understanding of literary devices through application, development of high-level vocabulary, and foster creativity through mirroring the organizational structures and language techniques made by writers we study in class. The expectation for honors students is to take a genuine interest in honing their thinking, writing, and reading skills in order to maximize their potential for the future.
Like the core curriculum program, the Honors program has a guaranteed portfolio experience that offers students an opportunity to reflect on their learning through the year, but also requires the students to revisit and revise one piece of showcase writing.
Summer reading and a graded assignment related to that reading, are a course requirement. Students are expected to have this completed to turn in at the start of the school year. Assignments will be given out in current English III courses, as well as being posted on the DHS website.
PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of English III or concurrent enrollment
The AP English Language and Composition/WCSU course is intended to provide students at Danbury High School with one comprehensive college English experience. The students will develop an understanding of themselves as readers, writers, and thinkers through exploring a variety of texts. This course will engage students in the work of academic inquiry through the interpretation of difficult texts, participation in the issues and arguments that animate the texts, and reflection on the significance for academic and general culture and for themselves of the critical work of reading and writing. Students will be asked to generate their own ideas and interpretations of the materials at issue, and to develop logical, cogent and creative arguments defending their positions. Students are required to take the AP English Language test. Additionally, students seeking college credit from Western Connecticut State University must register with the University and pay a $100 registration fee, which is payable directly to the University. This course will complete the freshman English requirement at Western Connecticut State, and students should check other colleges or universities regarding the awarding of credit for this course. This course is intended only for grade 12 students. There is an opportunity for an additional 3 college credits in writing if the student passes the AP exam. Students should contact the university directly to apply for that credit.
Summer assignments will be issued before the conclusion of the school year. Assignments will be posted on the DHS website.
PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of English III or AP English Literature
The AP English Literature and Composition course is designed to engage students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students can deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students should 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. Students are required to take the A.P. test.
Summer assignments will be issued before the conclusion of the school year. Assignments will be posted on the DHS website.
PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of English II
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY - COLLEGE PREP (11-12)
In this course the student will be introduced to Greek and Roman mythology and will become acquainted with the commonplace facts and fables that serve as the basis of much of the great literature of Western civilization. The first part will deal solely with an intense investigation of the pantheon of gods; the second part will include reading from major works of classical authors in translation.
CREATIVE WRITING I (COLLEGE PREP) 11-12
This course attempts to develop the basic writing ability of the student in all areas rather than primarily in exposition. The approaches used emphasize effectiveness of communication through extensive writing.
CREATIVE WRITING II (COLLEGE PREP) 11-12
Students intent on continuing to develop skills in creative writing will be given the opportunity to explore, with teacher guidance and group criticism, forms of poetry, short stories and plays. The course will stress manuscript submission to appropriate writing markets and will emphasize polishing of creative drafts.
PREREQUISITE: Creative Writing I and/or a portfolio of writing acceptable to the instructor.
Journalism includes instruction and practice in reporting and writing (news, sports, features and opinion), advertising sales, photography, layout and design. The course will also examine concepts such as freedom of the press, ethics, and the role of media in a free society. Class members will contribute to the writing and production of the award-winning student newspaper, The Hatters Herald. As a honors level course, strong writing skills are required. Some after school commitment is involved in this course.
ADVANCED JOURNALISM (HONORS) 10-12
Through Advanced Journalism, students serve as leaders of the award-winning student newspaper, The Hatters’ Herald. They will learn to research and write in-depth stories while serving as mentors to beginning Journalism students. Advanced students may also apply to work at The News-Times as interns. After school commitment is involved in this course.
PREREQUISITE: Journalism
VISUAL LITERATURE (COLLEGE PREP) 11-12
Visual Literature is a one semester course and may be taken only once. Students will study the importance of film as a form of literature and its role in society. The course uses film of different genres/eras as a major teaching tool to discuss literacy devices, to analyze and form opinions, and to develop critical viewing skills. Emphasis of student assessment will be based on student papers and class discussions. Additionally, visual text will be supplemented with written text for comparison and contrast purposes when available and appropriate.
MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE (COLLEGE PREP) 11-12
The genres of mystery and suspense will be taught through classic and modern examples of short stories, plays, films, and short novels. We will begin studying the genres with the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie, and move towards studying specific types within the genre such as The English Cozy, The Hardboiled Detective, The Gumshoe, The Police Detective, The Locked Room Puzzle, Capers/Heists and Bickering Teams. The films of Alfred Hitchcock will be used to exemplify the genre of suspense. Students will be performing dramatic readings of plays, writing critical response papers, character analysis papers, and descriptive pieces.
HARLEM RENAISSANCE (COLLEGE PREP) 11-12
This course involves an exploration of the literary, musical and artistic genre of The Great Migration to our major Northern cities. The course celebrates achievements of African Americans who reclaimed their past and enjoyed a resurgence of their creative exploits in all walks of American life. Students will choose projects that will take them into varied disciplines to share with one another their discoveries from the Renaissance legacy and the connections they make to their current world. Opportunities will include theater, visits to relevant historical sites, guest speakers, art, and music lessons. Activities include reading/writing from models, viewing, enacting, interviewing/reporting, publishing/recording, research, and crafting for charity causes connected to the history.
This course will include a study of poetry’s history, poetic traditions, its development over time, and cultural, ethnic, national, and minority-specific contributions. As part of the course, students will imitate specific traditions and forms, generate original poetry, and attempt to publish original works. Students will be involved in the reading, analysis, writing, and critiquing of published and student-generated poetry.
SHAKESPEARE – HIS LIFE AND WORKS (HONORS) 12
This course will explore the writings, life, and times of William Shakespeare. Students will study selected plays and sonnets of the bard and the role he played in the development of thought on the world stage. Writing, thinking, and vocabulary skills will be emphasized within the context of his works.
READING APPRENTICESHIP (COLLEGE PREP) 9
This is a course that is required for 9th grade students who have been identified as in need of reading intervention based upon middle school performance. This elective course will provide students with small group instruction in reading that will provide students with the foundational skills required to be successful in subsequent English courses.
Note: This course does not count for English credit.