2022-23 English
Middle School Spelling and Grammar
Instructor: David Petershack
Course fee: $400 (8 payments of $50)
Copy fee: $30
Grade Level: 7th - 8th
Minimum enrollment: 5 students
Texts: Mr. Petershack will provide class materials.
Course description: This course is designed for students who have had little spelling or grammar instruction. While some students excel in writing and language skills without formal instruction, most benefit from a solid grounding in spelling and grammar. This class will help prepare students for high school level writing and for learning a foreign language.
Course makeup policy: In-class work may be made up at home. Students are responsible for getting any notes that they missed.
Course grading policy: Students will receive a grade based upon their work including class work, homework, tests, quizzes, projects and participation.
Middle School English with Writing
Instructor: Stacy Barnwell
Course fee: $400 (8 payments of $50)
Printing fee: $20
Grade Level: 7th - 8th
Minimum enrollment: 5 students
Texts with ISBNs:
The Oracle Code, Marieke Nijkamp (writer) and Manuel Preitano (artist), 978-1401290665
Hidden Figures (Young Readers Edition), Margot Lee Shetterly, 978-0062662378
The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman, 978-0060530945
Locomotion, Jacqueline Woodson, 978-0142415528
Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson, 978-0689848919
The Boy on the Wooden Box, Leon Leyson, 978-1442497825
Hour of the Bees, Lindsay Edgar, 978-0763691202
Airborn, Kenneth Oppel, 978-0060531829
Course description: This class is designed to prepare students for high school level courses. We’ll study composition, creative writing, and literature, including short stories, poetry, novels, and non-fiction. Students should have a basic knowledge of grammar. Students must participate in an online class forum and will be taught how to find and use evidence to support their ideas. Students should be prepared for weekly homework assignments. Assessment will be based on quizzes, essays, tests, and participation. At this age, students may need parent assistance as they learn to keep track of assignments and spread the week’s work across a number of days. Students should expect to spend 3-4 hours per week outside of our class day.
Lower-Level High School English (9-10)
Instructor: Stacy Barnwell
Course fee: $440 (8 payments of $55)
Printing fee: $20
Grade level: 9th - 10th
Minimum/maximum enrollment: 4 - 10 students
Texts with ISBNs:
Grammar for High School, Don and Jenny Killgallon; ISBN 978-0325010465
American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang, 978-0312384487
The Iliad, Homer, Ed. Robert Fagles, 978-0140275360
The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak, 978-0375842207
Long Way Down, Jason Reynolds, 978-1481438254
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare, 978-0743482745
12 Angry Men (Penguin), Reginald Rose, 978-0143104407
Animal Farm, George Orwell, 9780451526342
Life of Pi, Yann Martel, 978-0156027328
one or two more TBD
Course description: In this course, students will read and think about various types of literature, both fiction and non-fiction; many of our readings will be organized thematically, with novels, poetry, and essays sharing a common “big idea.” We will work on crafting sentences and paragraphs to communicate ideas effectively. Students must participate in class discussions and an online class forum; they will have 4-5 hours of weekly homework assignments, two exams, short essays, and two longer essays completed in stages. This course can be repeated; readings will vary.
Upper-Level High School English (11-12)
Instructor: Stacy Barnwell
Course fee: $480 (8 payments of $60)
Printing fee: $20
Grade level: 11th - 12th
Minimum/maximum enrollment: 4 - 10 students
Texts with ISBNs:
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi, 978-0375714573
Beowulf: A New Verse Translation, (Bilingual Edition), Ed. Seamus Heaney, 978-0393320978
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, 978-0486282114
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson, 978-0486266886
Nimona, Noelle Stevenson, 978-0062278227
Hamlet, Folger edition, William Shakespeare, 978-0743477123
Walden (selections online), Henry David Thoreau
The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro, 978-0679731726
two or three others TBD
Course description: This course will teach students to practice close reading of literature and evidence-based critical analysis. Although we will primarily be reading short stories, novels, and plays, we’ll also study some poetry and non-fiction. Students must participate in class discussions and an online class forum. They should be prepared for a heavy reading schedule and will have at least 4-6 hours of weekly homework assignments, including short essays, two exams, and two longer essays with multiple drafts and peer review. This course can be repeated; readings will vary.
Rhetoric and Composition (11-12)
Instructor: Stacy Barnwell
Course fee: $480 (8 payments of $60)
Printing fee: $20
Grade Level: 11th - 12th
Minimum/maximum enrollment: 4 - 8 students
Texts with ISBNs:
Farnsworth's Classical English Rhetoric, Ward Farnsworth, 978-1567925524
Hamlet, Folger edition, William Shakespeare, 978-0743477123
The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro, 978-0679731726
Course description: This course is designed to teach students to write tightly structured, well-defended arguments. Students will study written rhetoric and learn to craft a persuasive argument appropriate to an audience. Throughout the course, we’ll use evidence-based analysis to discuss and write about nonfiction, from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to editorial cartoons to recent magazine articles. We will also read some novels and a Shakespearean tragedy. Students will have weekly writing and homework assignments, including short essays, and two major exams. They will also write two longer essays through multiple drafts and peer review. This course is designed to improve each student's readiness and ability to tackle college-level assignments. Students should expect to spend 4-6 hours per week outside of our class day.