HNHS students study poetry, drama, short stories, the novel, and a Shakespeare play each year—opening their minds to appreciate the power and wonder of the written word. Holy Names High School graduates leave fully prepared for writing, analytical thinking and literary analysis at the college level.

See below for descriptions of the English courses offered:

 

 

This course teaches basic skills: grammar, vocabulary, mechanics such as punctuation and the development of a unified and coherent paragraph and introduces the form of the expository essay. In addition, students study an epic, short story, drama and the novel. 10 credits.

 

 

This course is open to 9th grade students who have shown outstanding performance in the reading and language arts sections of the high school placement test (HSPT) and in their junior high school language arts courses. Students will complete the regular 9th grade course (see description above) with more frequent and challenging assignments and a higher standard for the quality of work. 10 credits.

 

 

 

This course teaches the structure of an expository essay and clear and logical presentations of ideas as well as a review of mechanics and continued vocabulary development. In addition, students study the novel, drama, poetry and the short story, from a variety of cultures. 10 credits.  

 

 

 

Students will complete the regular 10th grade work described above, but the assignments are more difficult and the expectations are higher. Reading and composition assignments are more numerous and challenging than in English 10. This course is open to students who have demonstrated competence in writing and achieved excellence in English 9 and have been recommended by their 9th grade English teacher. Prerequisite: B or above in English 9 Honors of A- or above in English 9 and have demonstrated strong, consistent work habits. 10 credits.

 

 

 

Juniors read short stories, drama, poetry, essays and the novel. Emphasis is on writing correct and effective expository essays and developing a useful and scholarly vocabulary. Study of the literary history of the United States culminates in the preparation of a research paper about a major American author. 10 credits.

 

 

 

Students will complete the regular 11th grade work described above, but will read in greater quantity and depth and complete more extensive work in expository writing. This course is open to students who have achieved excellence in prior courses and have been recommended by their 10th grade English teacher. Prerequisite: B or above in English 10 Honors of A- or above in English 10 and have demonstrated strong, consistent work habits. 10 credits.

 

 

 

This course is a study of world literature from the Renaissance to modern times. Students are expected to develop sophisticated concepts about literature. They are also expected to have a firm grasp of expository essay forms and to develop and express ideas about literature using these forms. The course encourages correct, organized writing, vocabulary development and includes a research paper in the second semester. 10 credits.

 

 

 

Advanced Placement (AP) English is a course in world literature and advanced composition for highly skilled and motivated seniors who plan to take the AP exam in English Literature and Composition (for which they may earn college credit). The course focus is literary analysis; students write weekly essays on either prose or poetry. Prerequisite: B or above in English 11 Honors of A- or above in English 11 and have demonstrated strong work habits, college-level analytical, criticial thinking, and writing skills and department recommendation. 10 credits.

 

 

40 credits. All HNHS English courses are certified as meeting the requirements for admission to the University of California and California State University systems.