12 Oct 2015
Monday, October 12, 2015

Secondary will explore America

News

In the upper-level English classes, we are currently analyzing the following themes: “Coming to America” (English 11 & Pre-AP American Literature), “Taking Risks” (English 12-British Literature), “Exploring the Power of Relationships” (AP English Literature and Composition), and “In Search of Identity” (AP English Language and Composition).

Through diverse literature, the English 11 classes are exploring how America has always been a land shaped by immigrants through the accounts of the groups that were among the first to explore and migrate to the Americas. The English 12 class will learn that “It is only by risking our persons from one hour to another that we live at all” (Williams James). From mythical heroes during the Anglo-Saxon period to contemporary scientists, the individuals they study take a big risk and face choices. Ultimately, they will understand the importance of taking risks in life. While the English 11 and 12 classes are focusing on one culture, AP English Language is exploring nonfiction in diverse cultures. Their literary focus is geared toward authors who were either searching, developing, redefining, or questioning their personal identity and the experiences they encountered along the way. The cause of the quest for identity relates to culture, education, language, or injustice. With the diversity of their experiences and cultures, making the connection between the relationship of experience and the development of self, will be the student’s greatest rewards. Finally, the AP English Literature class is studying prose, poetry, and drama that relate to the subject of relationships. They are tracing the connections of the characters to determine the type of encounters present among the characters and the impact of these connections on the main characters.