English
Overview
The goal of the English department is to help students become attentive readers and clear writers. The curriculum is founded on great works of world literature chosen to introduce students to important literary traditions, to help them learn to develop and defend their own ideas, and to foster a lifelong love of reading.
Recent Student Projects
Graduation Requirements and Suggested Courses for College Matriculation
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| Castilleja Graduation Requirements | | UC System Minimum Course Requirements | | Non-UC System Suggested Course Requirements |
4 years
| | 4 years | | 4 years |
Course of Study
English 6
English 6 sets out to spark a curiosity for language and stories. Students read and discuss novels, learn new vocabulary, and begin the study of grammar. They work on the development of critical reading and thinking skills and explore different kinds of writing—expository, creative, and personal. Through reading, writing, discussing, looking, listening, and reflecting, students gain a greater appreciation for language and literature as well as a fuller sense of themselves. Texts include fairy tales, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Little Prince, The Birchbark House, a selection of Greek myths, and poetry.
English 7
English 7 continues to build the critical reading and expository writing skills introduced in 6th grade while introducing students to important literary and storytelling traditions from around the world. Writing instruction includes both expository and creative assignments, with a focus on mastering the paragraph, multi-paragraph compositions, and a variety of sentence patterns. Grammar and vocabulary lessons are drawn from the literature, with a focus on developing clarity of expression and precision in the students' writing. Readings include tales from The Arabian Nights, Arthurian legends, a young adult version of The Canterbury Tales, Cyrano de Bergerac, and adolescent “coming of age” novels such as Shabanu, The Sword in the Stone, and The Ramsay Scallop.
English 8
English 8 continues to emphasize grammar and writing as well as the development of critical tools for literary analysis. Using the writing process, students learn to focus their ideas, formulate a thesis statement, and develop the thesis in a clear and logical manner. Among works typically studied are a selection of world poetry, Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jane Eyre, The House on Mango Street, Persepolis, and The Book Thief.
English I
English I serves as an introduction to high school English and offers students a strong foundation in the study of literature, writing, grammar, and vocabulary. Students write frequently in a variety of modes: the analytical, the expressive, the observational, and the informative. Students write essays of various lengths, poetry, a short story, and journal entries. This range of experience helps students to develop their own voices, to increase their self-awareness as writers and readers of their own and others’ prose, and to hone their skills of revision. The theme of the course is the journey of the hero or heroine and the process of self-discovery and recovery. Readings include The Odyssey, Antigone, Othello, Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Catcher in the Rye, poetry, and short stories.
English II
English II continues the work begun in the ninth grade in developing students' critical reading and analytical writing skills. Readings in English II introduce students to significant works of British and American literature, including Macbeth, Wuthering Heights, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Great Gatsby, and The Bluest Eye. These major texts are joined by in-depth studies of non-fiction essays, short stories, and poetry. Students also continue building vocabulary and refining their grammar and usage skills. Throughout the year, the course offers opportunities for students to expand their expressive abilities through creative writing assignments and performance-based presentations.
Eleventh and Twelfth Grade
Four semesters of English are required in the junior and senior years. Juniors take AP English Language and Composition in the first semester and choose from among AP Literature electives in the second semester. Seniors choose two AP English Literature electives.
AP English Language and Composition: People and Places
AP English Language heightens students' rhetorical awareness and continues to build their observational, analytical, and expressive skills through readings that include literary non-fiction, personal essays, new media (e.g. blogs), poetry, and fiction. Students write personal and observational essays, critical and analytical essays, and a profile of an individual based on extensive interviews and observation. Readings include selections from Walden, Iron and Silk (Salzman), Factory Girls (Chang), and The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup (Orlean); Travels With Charley (Steinbeck); selected personal essays; profiles from The New Yorker and Rolling Stone; and contemporary world poetry.
AP Literature Electives
• AP English Language and Composition: People and Places
• American Literature since 1900
• British Literature—the Nineteenth Century
• British Literature since 1900
• Coming of Age
• Contemporary World Literature
• The Family in Literature
• Friends and Lovers
• The Literature of Rebellion
• Modern European Literature
• Poetry
• Shakespeare
• Short Fiction
• Tragic Mode
• Creative Writing (non-AP)
Focus on Writing
GENERAL GOALS
Castilleja students will learn to express themselves confidently and clearly in all modes of writing. They will learn these fundamentals of good writing: a form appropriate for function; a plan; clear expression; accuracy; precise diction. They will have every opportunity to master the fundamentals through constant practice and feedback.
GRADE-SPECIFIC GOALS
Sixth Grade
Sixth graders will write clear, well-constructed, varied, and grammatically correct sentences. They will be introduced to various kinds of paragraphs (e.g. descriptive, narrative, expository, persuasive) and begin to move from the idea of topic sentences to the concept of a thesis statement.
Seventh Grade
Seventh graders will continue to master the sentence, paragraph, and thesis statement skills learned in 6th grade and will write two to three paragraph compositions, with emphasis on transitions and cohesiveness. In addition to descriptive, expository, narrative, and analytical/persuasive compositions, they will write summaries and paraphrases.
Eighth Grade
Eighth graders will continue to refine the sentence, paragraph, and thesis statement skills introduced in 6th and 7th grades and will begin to write four to five-paragraph analytical compositions, with an added emphasis on the use of evidence and accurate, graceful incorporation of quotations.
Ninth Grade
Ninth graders will develop a sense of style and the tools for thoughtful revision. They will revisit the sentence and paragraph with higher expectations for style and clarity. They will write 2-3 page compositions calling for strong thesis statements and the increasingly sophisticated selection, integration, and analysis of effective evidence.
Tenth Grade
Tenth graders will master the skills introduced in ninth grade and develop greater autonomy in composing original lines of inquiry. They will write 3-4 page compositions calling for increasingly complex analytical argumentation. They will polish their abilty to revise their own writing and to compose cohesive and well-crafted in-class essays.
Eleventh and Twelfth Grades
Eleventh and twelfth graders will continue to refine the skills of 9th and 10th grade. They will write 4-5 page analytical and synthetic essays in which they may be called on to respond to or incorporate secondary critical source material.
Faculty
Holly Thompson (Dept. Head) profile
Christina Gwin profile
Cissy Lewis profile
Valerie Ross profile
Rebecca Sherouse profile
Bill Smoot profile
Brydie Sullivan profile
Ann Wagenhals profile
Helpful links
Course Catalog
Overview of Curricular Requirements
Four-Year Course Planner (pdf)
