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Academics
Curriculum

English

The English Department works to foster in every student the ability to read, understand, and critically evaluate literature from a variety of genres and periods. 
Students are encouraged to develop writing styles appropriate for various audiences and purposes that enhance clear and well-supported ideas, including organization, voice, sentence fluency, diction, and correct grammar. We aim to foster a love of reading while deepening our understanding of the world around us through various perspectives and time periods. In addition, students are taught to express themselves intelligently and confidently and to conduct sound and relevant research. Summer reading is required for all core courses.

Essential Outcomes

List of 4 items.

  • Oral Expression and Listening

    ​Students will ​understand that effective oral communication consists of intentional and purposeful speaking coupled with active and engaged listening.​ ​(Grad at Grad: Excellence in Education, Respect for all People, and Participation within Inclusive Community)
    Students will: 
    1. Collaborate effectively as group members or leaders who listen actively and respectfully pose thoughtful questions, acknowledge the ideas of others, and contribute ideas to further the group’s attainment of an objective
    2. Deliver organized and effective oral presentations for diverse audiences and varied purposes
    3. Use language appropriate for purpose and audience
    4. Demonstrate skill in inferential and evaluative listening

  • Reading for all Purposes

    Students will understand that the written word documents, reveals, and reflects the universal depth, breadth, and truths of the human experience in myriad ways, depending upon audience and purpose.​ ​(Grad at Grad: Faith in Presence of God, Concern for the Poor and Social Justice, Excellence in Education, Respect for all People, and Participation within Inclusive Community)
    Students will:
    1. Interpret how the structure of written English contributes to the pronunciation and meaning of complex vocabulary
    2. Demonstrate comprehension of a variety of informational, literary, and persuasive texts
    3. Evaluate how an author uses words to create mental imagery, suggest mood, and set tone
    4. Read a wide variety of literature (American and world literature) to understand important universal themes and the human experience
    5. Seek feedback, self­assess, and reflect on personal learning while engaging with increasingly more difficult texts
    6. Engage in a wide range of nonfiction and real­life reading experiences to solve problems, judge the quality of ideas, or complete daily tasks

  • Writing and Composition

    Students will understand that effective written communication consists of intentional and appropriate authorial choices, depending upon audience and purpose.​ (Grad at Grad: Excellence in Education, Respect for all People, and Participation within Inclusive Community)
    Students will:
    1. Write with a clear focus, coherent organization, sufficient elaboration, and detail
    2. Effectively use content­specific language, style, tone, and text structure to compose or adapt writing for different audiences or purposes
    3. Apply standard English conventions to effectively communicate with written language
    4. Implement the writing process successfully to plan, revise, and edit written work
    5. Master the techniques of effective informational, literary, and persuasive writing
    6. Discriminate and justify a position using traditional lines of rhetorical argument and reasoning
    7. Articulate the position of self and others using experiential and material logic

  • Research and Reasoning

    ​Students will understand that sound methods of inquiry consist of an ability to evaluate sources and critically analyze and synthesize data from a variety of sources, depending upon audience and purpose. ​(Grad at Grad: Excellence in Education, Respect for all People, and Participation within Inclusive Community)
    Students will:
    1. Gather information from a variety of sources; analyze and evaluate the quality and relevance of the source; and use it to answer complex questions
    2. Use primary, secondary, and tertiary written sources to generate and answer research questions
    3. Evaluate explicit and implicit viewpoints, values, attitudes, and assumptions concealed in speech, writing, and illustration
    4. Demonstrate the use of a range of strategies, research techniques, and persistence when engaging with difficult texts or examining complex problems or issues
    5. Exercise ethical conduct when writing, researching, and documenting sources

Departments

Faculty

List of 9 items.

  • Elizabeth Hamer '11

    Department Chair
    elizabeth.hamer@mullenhigh.com
    BA in English, Metropolitan State University
    Bio

  • Katie Abeyta '06

    katie.abeyta@mullenhigh.com
    BA in English, University of Colorado
    MA in Education, Regis University
    Bio

  • Mikaela Degitis

    mikaela.degitis@mullenhigh.com
    BA in English, University of Northern Colorado
    Bio

  • Christina Dickerson

    dickerson@mullenhigh.com
    BA in Classical Studies, DePauw University
    MA in Classical Art and Archaeology, University of Colorado
    Bio

  • Patricia Finney

    patricia.finney@mullenhigh.com
    BS in Business Administration, Marquette University
    MA in Education, University of St. Thomas

    Bio

  • Hank Hooper

    hank.hooper@mullenhigh.com

  • Jeffrey Howard

    jeff.howard@mullenhigh.com
    BA in English & Secondary Education, Catholic University of America
    MA in Creative Writing, Regis University
    Bio

  • David Milanaik

    david.milanaik@mullenhigh.com

  • Heather Witwer

Courses

List of 17 items.

  • English I

    Students will write expository and descriptive essays. They will review grammar, including diagramming sentences. Formal study in vocabulary will include etymology, context clues, and analogies. Writing instruction and practice center on creating well-organized and clear compositions through the processes of brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing. Students will study elements of fiction and non-fiction , will read novels, and will study genre. Emphasis will be placed on reading for meaning and fluency. Students will read for higher levels of comprehension and an understanding of denotation and connotation in both fiction and nonfiction. (NCAA Course)

  • English I CP

    Students will write expository and descriptive essays. They will review grammar, including diagramming sentences. Formal study in vocabulary will include etymology, context clues, and analogies. Students will explore elements of genre such as epics, allegories, and romances, and they will read fiction and non-fiction, including poetry. (NCAA Course)

  • English I Honors

    Students will write expository and descriptive essays. They will review grammar. Formal study in vocabulary will include etymology, context clues, and analogies. Students will study elements of fiction and non-fiction, will read novels, short stories, and poetry, and will study genre. This course is a concentrated, sophisticated approach to skills of literary analysis, reading, and writing. (NCAA Course)

  • English II

    Students will write expository and personal essays. Grammatical review will include the parts of speech, sentence construction and variety, punctuation, and diagramming. Students will study writing techniques and practice writing for various audiences and purposes. Writing instruction and practice focus on creating well-organized and clear compositions through the processes of brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing. Formal vocabulary instruction will emphasize improving both diction and skills for success on standardized tests. Literature of the United States will be read in chronological order beginning with the Colonial Period and ending with Contemporary Literature. Emphasis will be placed on reading for meaning and fluency. Students will read for higher levels of comprehension and an understanding of denotation and connotation in both fiction and nonfiction. (NCAA Course)

  • English II CP

    Students will study and practice writing expository essays. The expository essays will explore literary themes and techniques in the assigned American Literature. Review of grammar will include the basic parts of speech, complements, and sound sentences. Formal vocabulary is aimed at improving reading and writing skills and as one way to achieve success on standardized national tests. Literature of the United States will be explored through the thematic units built around the study of one's role in society and American literary innovations.

  • English II Honors

    Students will study and practice writing expository and personal essays. Grammar will be reviewed in the context of enhancing sentence structure and composition. Formal vocabulary instruction will emphasize improving diction and improving skills for success on standardized tests. Literature of the United States will be explored in a chronological sequence. This course is a concentrated study of significant authors, philosophical trends, and criticism in American literature. Greater depth in analysis, oral presentation, writing, and reading is required. (NCAA Course)

  • English III

    Students will review narrative and expository writing. They will learn and practice writing strategies for abstracts, cause and effect essays, and comparison and contrast essays. English literature from the Anglo-Saxon period through the Renaissance will be read. Vocabulary and grammar will also be studied. (NCAA Course)

  • English III CP

    Students will write in various genres, including abstracts, narrative, and expository essays. They will strive for clear, well-supported ideas, lucid organization, appropriate voice, effective diction, varied sentence structure, and correct grammar appropriate to targeted audience and rhetorical purpose. They will learn and practice organizational strategies such as cause-and-effect, problem-solution, and comparison-and-contrast and will practice giving and responding to peer feedback on their writing. Students will read British literature from the Anglo-Saxon period through the Renaissance, including at least one novel and Shakespeare's Macbeth. They will also study vocabulary, review grammar, and make oral presentations as they enhance their literacy and ability to communicate. (NCAA Course)

  • English III Honors

    Students will enhance their literacy and ability to communicate for various audiences and rhetorical purposes, one of the most prominent being essays for college applications. They will write in various genres, including persuasive writing as well as letters and essays for college applications. They will strive for clear, well-supported ideas, lucid organization, engaging voice, effective diction, varied sentence structure, and correct grammar. They will write a brief, well-researched paper using the MLA documentation style. Students will read British literature from the Restoration through the 20th century, including longer works. They will also study vocabulary, review grammar, and make oral presentations as they build their repertoire of reading, writing, and presentation skills. (NCAA Course)

  • English IV B H

    Trimester B of Senior Honors English builds on and expands the skills mastered in Trimester A. The focus of the trimester is on persuasive writing, and students will read and analyze a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts that make specific arguments. Students will study the classical elements of rhetoric and argument, in addition to other literary terms and advanced vocabulary. Trimester B synthesizes the students' many years of grammar study as they practice writing-and diagramming-sentences in the style of a variety of successful writers. Students will write several longer essays as they move from the restrictive formulas taught in Trimester A to a more distinctive expression of their ideas. Extensive outside-of-class reading and preparation are required for success in this course. Students will read several full-length pieces, as well as shorter works, by a variety of authors and in a variety of genres. (NCAA Course)

  • English IV Honors

    Senior Honors English is an advanced course--in pace, material, and expectations--designed for the serious student of reading and writing. Emphasis will be placed on developing students' analytic reading skills, in addition to expression in writing and speaking. Students will learn to recognize the role rhetoric - language and expression - plays in our lives. Students will be required to read several longer works of fiction spanning nearly five centuries. Non-fiction, in the form of editorials, autobiographies, and essays will also be reviewed. Extensive outside-of-class reading and preparation are required for success in this course. Students will write a number of different essays: personal, cause-effect, problem-solution, and extended literary analysis. (NCAA Course)

  • English IV: Literature & Film:

    This course explores a variety of authors, genres, books, and films that address the forces of change in our lives. Students in this class can expect to read four books per trimester while watching a number of films, analyzing not only the text on the page but the cinematic choices made and how they serve as their own “form” points that lead to a theme. Students will analyze literary and film devices, critically evaluate how an author or speaker creates meaning, and build on a grammar foundation to support stronger, college-level writing. Although this course includes books and films, there is also a heavy emphasis on writing, both analytical and creative, and students will have nightly reading homework.

  • English IV: Literature & Music:

     This course explores a variety of authors, genres, books, albums, and songs that address the forces of change in our lives. Students in this class can expect to read four books per trimester while listening to a variety of artists, analyzing not only the text on the page but the musical choices made and how they serve as their own “form” points that lead to a theme. Students will analyze literary devices in novels and in lyrics, critically evaluate how an author or speaker creates meaning, and build on a grammar foundation to support stronger, college-level writing. Although this course includes books and music, there is also a heavy emphasis on writing, both analytical and creative, and students will have nightly reading homework. 

  • English IV: Myths & Lore

    Monsters, magic, demigods, heroes, and more. Modern storytelling, customs, and culture originated from mythology and folklore. This course explores a variety of authors and genres, focusing on myths, legends, and lore, in order to address the forces of change in our lives. Students in this class can expect to read four books per trimester and a number of stories, both written and visual, that provide a foundation for the legends we know today. Students will analyze literary devices in novels, stories, and poems, critically evaluate how an author or speaker creates meaning, and build on a grammar foundation to support stronger, college-level writing. As a seminar-style course, there is an equal emphasis on reading, speaking, and writing, both analytical and creative, and students will have nightly reading homework. 

  • English IV: Silenced Voices

  • English IV: True Crime

    This course explores a variety of authors and genres, focusing on true crime in all its forms, in order to address the forces of change in our lives. Students in this class can expect to read four books per trimester and a number of stories, both written and visual, that examine crime and conflict throughout history, both fiction and nonfiction. Students will analyze literary devices in novels, stories, and poems, critically evaluate how an author or speaker creates meaning, and build on a grammar foundation to support stronger, college-level writing. As a seminar-style course, there is an equal emphasis on reading, speaking, and writing, both analytical and creative, and students will have nightly reading homework. 

  • English Lit/Comp AP®

    This 3 trimester course prepares students to excel on the Advanced Placement® Literature and Composition Examination and the Advanced Placement®  Language and Composition Examination, which all students take at the completion of the course. AP® English is a college-level course in its pace, material, and expectations; successful students are prepared for post-freshman university English classes. Students learn and practice, at a college level, the skills of literary analysis, analytic writing, formal discussion, and critical and logical thinking. Advanced work in grammar and word study is included. Students encounter ideas from college-level classical and biblical literature and English and American works from all post-Medieval historical periods. In order to understand the many disparate ideas from these works, students consider selected concepts from such fields as philosophy, history, mythology, psychology, political science, religion, literary criticism, and physics. (NCAA Course)
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