The English Survey courses cover a variety of literary genres, including short story, poetry, novel, drama and non-fiction. Grammar and vocabulary refreshers are also featured in each week’s assignments. In the first semester, students read short stories by Ray Bradbury, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and a graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis). Students review writing techniques to produce both an expository essay and a formal research essay. The second (B) semester’s theme is the changing perceptions of society. Students read samples of literature and non-fiction articles from several historic periods and continue to practice and refine writing skills, including a literary analysis essay. The novel for this semester is Stanley Gordon West’s Until They Bring the Streetcars Back.
Course materials: Most required works are available online or provided within the course. The two required novels, Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, and Stanley Gordon West’s Until They Bring the Streetcars Back, may be borrowed from a library, purchased, or provided by the school.
Standards met: All strands of the Minnesota Language Arts standards are addressed.
Credit: 1.0 (Semester A = .5 credit, Semester B = .5 credit.)
Honors Opportunity: No
Prerequisites: None