English
	This curriculum is built upon the learning of skills necessary for becoming a successful student.  The study of literature then becomes the focus for the application of these skills.  Students develop a literary vocabulary as it applies to the broad range of literary genre in this curriculum.  Essential works of American, British, and World Literatures are read, reread, discussed, and written about.  In addition, good contemporary writing reflecting the diversity of the times we live in is incorporated into the syllabi.  The writing process, beginning at the freshmen level by focusing on sentence and paragraph structure and continuing to the senior level by writing and revising analytical and persuasive essays, is an essential component of the course work.  Research skills are taught and practiced by requiring students to write research papers in accordance with MLA style sheet and by making extensive use of the Boston Public Library.  In addition, every effort is made to integrate the arts and technology skills into the curriculum.  Overall, the approach taken toward the course material is not only critical and analytical but also appreciative--that students may become not only better readers and writers but that this process may bring them greater enjoyment throughout life.   IB HL English This is primarily a pre-university course in literature. Literature is concerned with our conceptions, interpretations and experiences of the world. It enables an exploration of one of the more enduring fields of human creativity and artistic ingenuity, and provides opportunities for encouraging independent, original, critical and clear thinking. The discussion of literature is itself an art which requires the clear expression of ideas both orally and in writing. In view of the international nature of the IBO, Language A1 does not limit the study of literature to the achievements of one culture or the cultures covered by any one language.Students will be expected to demonstrate: • an ability to engage in independent literary criticism in a manner which reveals a personal response to literature • an ability to express ideas with clarity, coherence, conciseness, precision and fluency in both written and oral communication • a command of the language appropriate for the study of literature and a discriminating appreciation of the need for an effective choice of register and style in both written and oral communication • a sound approach to literature through consideration of the works studied • a thorough knowledge both of the individual works studied and of the relationships between groups of works studied • an appreciation of the similarities and differences between literary works from different ages and/or cultures • an ability to engage in independent textual commentary on both familiar and unfamiliar pieces of writing • a wide-ranging appreciation of structure, technique and style as employed by authors, and of their effects on the reader • an ability to structure ideas and arguments, both orally and in writing, in a logical, sustained and persuasive way, and to support them with precise and relevant examples.  Please click for more information.   Language A Subject Guide    English 9 English 9 is a year-long course designed to provide all incoming freshmen with the skills necessary for success at the high school level and in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. The course introduces the Shared Inquiry method of class discussion and promotes the development of analytic writing and thinking skills, especially through comparative studies. Students learn to present a debatable claim and to defend it by basing arguments and discussion in textual evidence. The second semester of English 9 presents an added emphasis on research skills. Students begin the quarter-long Heart of the City project, for which they gather information from a variety of sources, integrate information in a properly formatted research paper, and present their findings in a formal setting. More about the Heart of the City Project will be announced later in the semester.Please click for Course Syllabus.  English 10  Designed in part to be a co-requisite of Newman’s American History course, English 10 is a year-long survey of mostly American literature and nonfiction. Students develop their analytic writing and thinking skills through class discussion, oral presentations, and writing assignments, all of which familiarize them with the practice of basing their arguments and discussion in textual evidence. Written work emphasizes close reading, personal response, and comparison studies. Students who meet the challenges of this course will gain a solid foundation for International Baccalaureate English courses in their junior and senior years. A final Independent Essay in the fourth quarter allows students to study more closely approved works of their choice, gaining familiarity with the format of the Extended Essay assignment.