English 1 Classical and Biblical Backgrounds; emphasis on comprehension and fundamental literary concepts to aid analysis; writing of five-paragraph essays with focus on parts, strong thesis statements, topic sentences, logical transitions, and effective concluding paragraphs; four-stage creative writing project. Major Texts: Elements of Writing, Vocabulary Workshop, Level D, Fifty Short Stories, Bullfinch’s Mythology, The Odyssey, The Bible As/In Literature, The Old Man and the Sea
English 2 - British Literature; stress on four characteristics of good writing, unity, coherence, completeness, and emphasis; ten writing rules; well-developed paragraphs; presenting of evidence; close reading of texts; emphasis on periods of British literature and their characteristic themes: Christian and pagan strains in medieval literature; conventions of the sonnet and carpe diem poems of the Renaissance; seven Romantic themes; post-colonial writers and the legacy of imperialism; critical terms required for explication of poetry. Major texts: English Workshop, 3rd Course, Vocabulary Energizers, Beowulf, Grendel, The Classic Hundred Poems, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Macbeth, Frankenstein, Master Harold…and the boys, Cal.
English 2 (Honors) - Requires departmental approval. See English 2 for core. Additional Texts: Pride and Prejudice, Gulliver’s Travels, The Importance of Being Earnest. XX: A Companion to The Classic Hundred Poems on Academy; Grammar Smart: A Guide to Perfect Usage.
English 3 - American Literature; emphasis on close reading, historical background, and literary movements in succession; use of the five-paragraph essay as a means for clarifying thought about literature; skill development, particularly refinement of the sentence, the paragraph, and the essay; examining students’ understanding of what it means to be American from the time of the Puritans to the present. Major Texts: The American Tradition in Literature; Puritan Primer; The Scarlet Letter; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; The Great Gatsby; Death of a Salesman.
American Studies: Requires departmental approval. This course is a year-long, interdisciplinary course that will incorporate both English 3 and United States History. Students will meet daily as one group with both instructors during two consecutive periods. The course will draw equally and concurrently from a seminal American literary and historical canon that facilitates within its students an understanding that the American Dream has deep roots and is subject to an enormous variety of interpretations. The evolution of American culture and society will be explored as one particular example of the wider human experience. This course meets for a total of ten (10) periods per week in five two-period blocks. It fulfills two graduation requirements: English 3 and U.S. History; it receives the weight of two courses in a student’s Grade Point Average.
English 3 (Honors) - Requires departmental approval. See English 3 for core. Students read extensively in The American Tradition in Literature and write frequent short critical essays to hone analytic skills.
English 3 (AP) - Requires departmental approval. See English 3 for core. Preparation for the “A.P. Test in Language and Composition”; emphasis on close reading, analysis, and thinking in writing. A variety of rhetorical approaches are examined and practiced, with an emphasis on writing arguments. All students in the course must take the A.P. test.
English 4 - This curriculum is a two term course formatted to approximate an introductory college level composition course. Using an array of short texts for discussion and inspiration, the English IV student composes in a variety of modes. Regular revision and peer editing is expected and required. The English IV student also is required to acquire and apply vocabulary, complete a unit of public speaking, and engage in two collaborative curricular challenges. In the spring, electives are offered to English IV students.
English 4 (Honors) - Reserved for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year Hill students. This course is divided into three unique term offerings. In the Fall, all students take a “core” course designed to meet the developing literary and compositional needs of sixth form Hill students: essay writing (to include the college essay), critical reading, vocabulary acquisition, and, through small group discussion, appreciation of modern world literature. In the Winter and Spring, students are given a menu of courses to choose from. These courses are designed to both challenge and invigorate the mature student who is curious about exploring new perspectives, from public speaking to creative writing and everything in between. English 4 Honors students will be given Winter and Spring elective offerings mid-way through the Fall Term.
English 4 (AP) - Requires departmental approval. Three Genres; novels in the Fall Term and drama and poetry in the Winter; regular practice in timed themes preparing for the “A.P. Test in Literature and Composition.” Major Texts: Razor’s Edge, A Doll’s House, Ghost, Waiting for the Barbarians, All the Pretty Horses, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, The Theban Plays, Hamlet, and Master Harold…and the boys (teaching text).
Introduction to College English - Prerequisite: Fourth year high school English. This curriculum is a two term course formatted to approximate an introductory college level composition course. Using an array of short texts for discussion and inspiration, the Introduction to College English student composes in a variety of modes. Regular revision and peer editing is expected and required. The Introduction to College English student also is required to acquire and apply vocabulary, complete a unit of public speaking, and engage in two collaborative curricular challenges. In the spring, electives are offered to Introduction to College English students.
Journalism - A term course with emphasis on clear, accessible writing; responsibility for various aspects of production of The Hill News; regular feedback from the instructor and editors; post mortem to discuss improvements after each issue; every student submits writing each week; the best of that work appears in next publication; initiative and teamwork, along with writing, determine grade. (Fall, Winter, Spring – Students may enroll in any one or all three terms.)