Students in this class learn to write sophisticated sentences, to integrate details into organized paragraphs, to write the classic five-section essay and the compare-and-contrast essay, and to apply grammar to the editing process. Four assignments require development from idea to draft to revised final product and complete the Literacy Portfolio: these are a description of a fundraiser, a "This I Believe" essay, a comparison of different kinds of colleges or careers, and a letter of application. Two of these essays are designed to support applications for college and career.

This year we read and explore four overarching themes:

1. dystopian literature,

2. human nature,

3. young adult literature, coming-of-age novels, and bildungsromans,

4. the facts about fiction.

Students in this class learn to write sophisticated sentences, to integrate details into organized paragraphs, to write the classic five-section essay and the compare-and-contrast essay, and to apply grammar to the editing process. Four assignments require development from idea to draft to revised final product and complete the Literacy Portfolio.

Hamden High School
Moira Birmingham