What do stories tell us about ourselves and our world? How can we interact with the words of others in a meaningful way? This course offers students opportunity to deepen their understanding of and appreciation for a wide survey of literature, stories, plays, poems, films and lyrics spanning the timeless works of the last several centuries to contemporary song lyrics, film, and even documentaries. While reading, watching, listening, and discussing, students will also learn the foundational terminology and key concepts that are used to understand, appreciate and critique “literature” in all its media forms. Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, lyrics from U2 and Mumford & Sons, films La La Land and The Truman Show — this is just a short list of the engaging works in this course. The year will conclude with a study of Neil Postman’s cautionary Amusing Ourselves to Death and a sampling of current non-fiction in documentary and podcast form. The writing in this class focuses on building literary analysis into insightful well-crafted essays.
English 4/5/6 Lit Survey and Composition (Honors)
Course Catalog ID:
3906
Subject Categories:
English Language Arts, Honors, Literature and Media, Writing and Composition
Description
Prerequisites
Grade Levels*:
10, 11, 12
* Enrollment restricted based on Date of Birth and Grad Year (whichever is more limiting). Enrollment outside these levels requires written concurrence from TPS Support.
Readiness
• Successful completion (80% or higher) of TPS English 4 (or higher)
━ OR ━
• Successful completion (80% or higher) of TPS American History, Lit and Comp
━ OR ━
• Successful completion (80% or higher) of TPS English 3 Lit and Comp (Honors)
━ OR ━
• Successful completion (85% or higher) of TPS English 3 Lit and Comp
━ OR ━
• Successful completion of Readiness Test
Notes and Conditions
Transcript Planning: Students typically take two or more English 4/5/6 courses. They may generally be taken in any order, though some sequences may be better for some purposes (e.g., preparation for a particular AP course).