English

At AMSA, we believe that students cannot understand where they are and where they are going without first understanding where they have been. Therefore, our curriculum includes representative historical works from the English literary canon as the basis for learning the rhetorical techniques which characterize great writing and for understanding the concepts necessary for sophisticated literary analysis. Supplemented with contemporary texts, these core works introduce students to universal themes about the human experience and encourage students to use literature and reading as a way to deepen their understanding of the world around them. 

Our 6th-8th grade curriculum offers a structured program that builds from year to year and introduces students to skills and concepts integral to higher level analysis and synthesis that will allow students to participate in society as culturally literate individuals. Literature study begins with classical Greek mythology and foundational stories from world literature. Students continue their study with examples of early epic literature and tragedy in order to understand key concepts. In each grade, the core canonical works are supplemented with contemporary works and connections are made to the contemporary world and universal human themes. Students are introduced to basic concepts of literary analysis, technique, and genre through these works and through the accompanying writing program which builds the necessary skills for more advanced work. Alignment with our history and art curriculum provides additional context and reinforcement.

The upper grades offer English courses at different levels depending on each student’s interests and skills. For grades 9-12, college prep and honors levels are offered, and in 11th and 12th grades, an additional AP level is offered. Expectations are high at all levels and similar reading and writing skills are developed across all levels of the curriculum. Students in the college-prep level study many of the same works of literature; however, the college prep level offers students smaller class sizes and additional support developing their critical writing and literary analysis skills. At the AP level, students are expected to complete college-level reading, to work independently on original interpretation and analysis, and to write with sophisticated technique and understanding.

Beyond the classroom, students are encouraged to develop and apply the skills they have learned through a variety of extracurricular activities and competitions related to English. These include drama club and performances, speech and debate competitions, writing contests, and recitation competitions. The AMSA English department is the proud sponsor of our arts magazine, The Quill, and our school newspaper, the AMSA Voice. All of these activities along with a powerful curriculum allow us to meet our goal of producing well-rounded, enthusiastic, and skillful readers and communicators, capable of engaging constructively in and contributing successfully to the world around them.