ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

The English curriculum at McQuaid Jesuit is based on the skills of reading, writing, speaking and critical thinking. Literature is the basis for building these skills.

What we read, what we write, and what we speak is not as important as how we read, how we write, and how we speak. We must read critically, analytically; we must write clearly and concisely; we must speak clearly and confidently.

Critical thinking is the tool needed for each of these skills. We do not teach what to think, so much as how to think. Students' arguments must be based on facts, evidence and logic. They must search for the truth.

McQuaid Jesuit students read 18-20 books a year. Students are tested on each book, which then becomes a source for discussion, speaking and writing. The short story, poetry and drama are studied each year. Many exams and the December finals in each year are, in part, skill-based examinations; in particular, the student is expected to work with literature he is seeing for the first time.

McQuaid Jesuit students write 20-25 papers a year. Writing is both creative and expository. A focus of all years is writing thesis statements and developing papers from these statements. Research is expected after ninth grade. The final paper for each year is a thesis paper based on discoveries each student has made from his study of literature that year.

Speaking at McQuaid Jesuit includes class discussion, the public reading of stories, poems and the student's own written work, participation in plays and skits, and some formal speaking.

English I instruction in the first semester focuses on developing the student's reading and writing skills utilizing the short story. Grammar, usage and mechanics are taught based on the needs illustrated in the students' writing. The second semester begins with poetry and a Shakespearean drama and continues the work on grammar/usage needs. The major unit is the thesis paper. A number of short papers are written and discussed and a final paper based on several literary works replaces a June examination. The final unit of the year returns to drama. Vocabulary assignments and tests are given throughout the year as are the tests on assigned novels.

English II begins with a review of the grammar skills learned in English I. Creative writing pieces are assigned to practice these skills. A focus on the study of the short story follows. Concurrent writing assignments feature the expository paragraph and its components. The second semester is devoted to grammar, the thesis statement in exposition, poetry and connotative language, a Shakespearean play, writing essays and writing a term paper based on novels read at two- to three-week intervals during the year. Vocabulary assignments are also given regularly in both semesters.

English III includes a more analytical and thorough study of the short story. The writing focus is expository, using the thesis statement approach. The second semester involves poetry, drama (including Shakespeare) and a research paper. Throughout the year, novels are studied in depth and vocabulary assignments and tests are required. .

English IV critically examines the short story, poetry, the novel and Shakespeare from a thematic perspective. A senior term paper replaces the June examination. Public Speaking is an integral part of English IV, Trimester 2.

Advanced English II and III in grades 10 and 11 are intended as preparation for the senior year course and the Advanced Placement Examination in English (May of senior year). There are extensive assignments in composition and literature. Qualified students should indicate their interest on the COURSE REQUEST FORM. Past and current performance in English courses, standardized test scores and the judgment of the student's English teachers are used in forming these groups. (To determine eligibility, see the Policy Statement listed in this section.)

Advanced Placement English IV is an intensive college-level course in the study of literature and in the writing of critical expository essays. It prepares the student for the CEEB (College Entrance Examination Board) AP Examination in May, which students must take to receive credit for the course. College credit or advanced standing can be earned by a strong score on this examination. Candidates for this course should have already mastered basic skills of grammar and composition, be sensitive to nuance in prose and poetry, and be willing to commit time and effort to demanding reading and writing assignments. Students with 550 or more Verbal score on their PSAT should indicate their interest on the COURSE REQUEST FORM. They will be notified of the time and place of a 3-hour qualifying examination (objective and essay). English grades and English teachers' recommendations will also be considered. (To determine eligibility, see the Policy Statement listed in this section.)

The English Department's Policy for Advanced Placement

Listed below, by year, are the criteria used in determining acceptance into Advanced and AP English courses.

FOR ALL YEARS

Class Size: If the number of students recommended for an advanced or AP class exceeds the class-size limit, a qualifying examination may be administered.

Senior English Electives

SENIOR ENGLISH MARKING PERIOD ELECTIVES : All seniors take Public Speaking. The other electives listed below are scheduled for the 2006-2007 school year. Current juniors will select from an updated list in November of their senior year. Writing will be a component of each of these courses.

Public Speaking(REQUIRED) The ability to speak effectively in front of others is an invaluable asset, one often demanded of leaders. This course focuses on oral interpretation and the writing and presentation of informative and persuasive speeches. Students will also be responsible for the evaluation of speeches delivered by their peers.

American Film Noir This course will serve as an introduction to film studies and, in particular, to one of the most important and influential genres in American cinema in the past fifty years: film noir or “black film.” We will study two classic examples of the noir style, The Maltese Falcon and Double Indemnity, as well as two more modern responses, Roman Polanski’s Chinatown and the Coen brothers’ recent tribute to the genre, The Man Who Wasn’t There. We will also read two novels, Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep and James M. Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice, that have important ties to the film noir movement. Students should expect to watch film in a way they never have before: slowly and meticulously, paying attention to camera work, lighting, music, etc. Writing assignments will include mini-essays for homework, a smaller paper midway through the course and a larger, cumulative assignment at the end.

Baseball In Literature Baseball is a rich source of American literature. Its fiction, non-fiction, journalism and poetry reflect our own history in a uniquely American way. We see in the sport’s literature struggle, competition, elegance, grittiness, exclusion, diversity, dreams and disappointment. We will examine this relationship in short pieces as well as through a novel. We will also make extensive use of Ken Burns’s landmark documentary Baseball.

Great Poems This is a course for philosophers, writers and poets. Various authors from the Pre-Romantics through the modern age are represented. The selections will challenge thinking and inspire writing.

Journalism Students will analyze current print media and discuss the structure and responsibility of the article. Students will also receive assignments and be expected to complete actual news stories for the class. The stories will consist of news events in the local community (Rochester) and topics in the more immediate community (McQuaid). Students will also be involved in a discussion of ethics involving the current media in order to gain an understanding of the practical expectations and moral implications of the profession. Terms of the industry will be discussed, and emphasis will be placed on the Associated Press style and structure.

Modern American Poetry Poetry, “I too dislike it” (Marianne Moore). This is a course for skeptics. Mostly American modern poetry from Whitman through Frost, these selections offer a wide range of subjects designed to challenge and intrigue even the second-semester senior.

Myth and Fairy Tales Throughout the ages short stories have followed numerous varied paths in their creation, some more complex than others. One of the purposes of the story has been to explain through sometimes elaborate but always carefully selected details something in life that has presented a question about or a conflict raised by man’s attempt to live in his world. Two forms of storytelling that exemplify this are the myth and the fairy tale. This class offers the opportunity to study these genres by reading examples of both and then writing compositions.

The Odyssey isn’t the only myth ever written, and “Cinderella” isn‘t anything like the bedtime story children hear when they are growing up!

Popular Literature To the amazement of some, many people read often and widely because they enjoy reading. We will ask why this is so by examining the most popular categories of fiction (e.g., horror, mystery, fantasy, science fiction) through short stories, and we will read two novels, popular now or in the recent past. Students will be required to design and execute a survey of reading habits and interpret the data they gather. Writing will be required.

Shakespeare This course is designed to continue an appreciation for the work of William Shakespeare. Three plays will be examined in this elective. Discussion and analysis will center around historical significance, character development and overall literary value.

War and Literature The experience of war is said to be “unspeakable,” but this has not stopped artists from attempting to capture life or the battlefield and the homefront. This course will be a modest survey of poems, short stories and novels dealing with the wartime experience, with special emphasis placed on the Civil War, World War I and the Vietnam War. Students should expect to read two novels, to write two papers and to complete frequent homework assignments. One relevant film will also be screened.