english Course titles - options for English?

[Joan in GE]

Could people help me figure out what options there are that would count as an English credit for applying to a reputable college?

 

If dd does only 3 years of high school, one of those years will have to have two credits of English, to get the necessary 4 credits of English...

 

I know the obvious ones:

 

English I (or 9) - mixture of grammar, vocab, writing, speech, literature

English II (or 10)- same

English III (or 11) - same - maybe minus the grammar - focus would be more on writing and lit analyis

English IV (or 12) - idem....

 

AP English Language

AP English Literature

 

It seems like I've seen people give a credit for British Literature? or American Literature?

 

Then if you do a special course on composition - you could have a credit for, say, Creative Writing....

 

I did a search of 'English Course Titles' but didn't find anything concise.....

 

If dd is doing an AP English - that will already have the typical elements of vocab, speech, writing and lit....So what else could be done for English for another credit that year?

 

Anyone have ideas?

 

Thanks,

Joan

[Candid]

Because I use Tapestry of Grace and a four year rotation on lit, too, my course titles are going to be odd: Ancient Literature, Medieval and Early Modern Literature, 19th Century Literature and 20th Century Literature.

[Lori D.]

Joan, do you really NEED to add anything more to the course title? If possible, I think the more streamlined the transcript, the easier it is to read and understand for the admissions office. And then you go into the specifics of what was covered in the course descriptions.

 

One option for course titles to address doing 2 years of English in 1 school year might be something like:

 

English: Introduction Literature & Composition

English: Intermediate Literature & Composition

English: Advanced Literature*

English: Advanced Composition*

 

* = AP coursework

 

BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

[Nscribe]

I was just going to say...we tack on the word "composition" just to make sure it is clear that component was present.

[Mnemosyne]

When I went to high school, these were the titles my school used:

 

English 9/Honors

English 10/Honors

Poetry

Intermediate Composition

American Literature

World Literature

Journalism

[regentrude]

If dd is doing an AP English - that will already have the typical elements of vocab, speech, writing and lit....So what else could be done for English for another credit that year?

I would think it should have a specific focus, to separate it form the content of the AP course and avoid the appearance of double-dipping:

-literature of a certain period (medieval Lit, Renaissance Lit)

-literature of a certain region (Russian Literature)

-a certain author (Shakespeare)

- a genre (Poetry through the ages.Plays and staging. Children's literature.Science fiction and fantasy)

-a specific style of writing: (Creative Writing. Journalism. Research writing. Technical writing.)

or something very creative and interdisciplinary:

Thematic studies and Film.

Shakespearean plays and the Elizabethan theatre.

[In The Great White North]

From the local high school catalogue:

 

American Renaissance .......................................................................................................... 32

Classic English Novels ......................................................................................................... 32

Coming Of Age..................................................................................................................... 32

Contemporary American Culture.......................................................................................... 32

Contemporary American History.......................................................................................... 32

Early American Literature (EAL)......................................................................................... 32

Early English Literature (EEL)............................................................................................. 32

Fantasy Literature ................................................................................................................. 32

Greek Myths.......................................................................................................................... 32

Later American Literature (LAL)......................................................................................... 32

Later English Literature (LEL)............................................................................................. 33

Mystery & Adventure ........................................................................................................... 33

Myth & Ritual....................................................................................................................... 33

Philosophy ............................................................................................................................ 33

Poetry .................................................................................................................................... 33

Reading American Books..................................................................................................... 33

Russian Literature ................................................................................................................. 33

Science Fiction...................................................................................................................... 33

Shakespeare........................................................................................................................... 34

Short Fiction ......................................................................................................................... 34

Short Story Masterpieces (SSM) .......................................................................................... 34

The Rebel In Literature......................................................................................................... 34

Twentieth Century Literature................................................................................................ 34

World Classics...................................................................................................................... 34

Composition/Writing Courses .................................................................................................. 35

Advanced Prose Writing (APW) .......................................................................................... 35

Composition I ....................................................................................................................... 35

Composition II ...................................................................................................................... 35

Fiction Writing...................................................................................................................... 35

Journalism............................................................................................................................. 35

Senior Writing Seminar (SWS) ..............................................................

[Joan in GE]

I would think it should have a specific focus, to separate it form the content of the AP course and avoid the appearance of double-dipping:

-literature of a certain period (medieval Lit, Renaissance Lit)

-literature of a certain region (Russian Literature)

-a certain author (Shakespeare)

- a genre (Poetry through the ages.Plays and staging. Children's literature.Science fiction and fantasy)

-a specific style of writing: (Creative Writing. Journalism. Research writing. Technical writing.)

or something very creative and interdisciplinary:

Thematic studies and Film.

Shakespearean plays and the Elizabethan theatre.

 

 

I think it's good the way you have classified the possibilities...

 

Joan, do you really NEED to add anything more to the course title?

 

 

You made me laugh - who knows what I really need? You know how it is before they are finished, accepted, and well on their way. We can imagine all kinds of monsters in the closet. :-)

 

When I went to high school, these were the titles my school used:

 

English 9/Honors

English 10/Honors

Poetry

Intermediate Composition

American Literature

World Literature

Journalism

 

 

Hmmm, so it is general English 9th and 10th and then specialization....

 

From the local high school catalogue:

 

American Renaissance .......................................................................................................... 32

Classic English Novels ......................................................................................................... 32

Coming Of Age..................................................................................................................... 32

Contemporary American Culture.......................................................................................... 32

Contemporary American History.......................................................................................... 32

Early American Literature (EAL)......................................................................................... 32

Early English Literature (EEL)............................................................................................. 32

Fantasy Literature ................................................................................................................. 32

Greek Myths.......................................................................................................................... 32

Later American Literature (LAL)......................................................................................... 32

Later English Literature (LEL)............................................................................................. 33

Mystery & Adventure ........................................................................................................... 33

Myth & Ritual....................................................................................................................... 33

Philosophy ............................................................................................................................ 33

Poetry .................................................................................................................................... 33

Reading American Books..................................................................................................... 33

Russian Literature ................................................................................................................. 33

Science Fiction...................................................................................................................... 33

Shakespeare........................................................................................................................... 34

Short Fiction ......................................................................................................................... 34

Short Story Masterpieces (SSM) .......................................................................................... 34

The Rebel In Literature......................................................................................................... 34

Twentieth Century Literature................................................................................................ 34

World Classics...................................................................................................................... 34

Composition/Writing Courses .................................................................................................. 35

Advanced Prose Writing (APW) .......................................................................................... 35

Composition I ....................................................................................................................... 35

Composition II ...................................................................................................................... 35

Fiction Writing...................................................................................................................... 35

Journalism............................................................................................................................. 35

Senior Writing Seminar (SWS) ..............................................................

 

 

Ok, this is an amazing list! So much to choose from!

 

But do all of these get one whole credit?

 

Separately - this must be a huge high school to have all these options.

 

ITGWN - so they don't have AP English? do you know what students typically do then? I mean are they doing the equivalent of English 9, 10, 11 and then choosing one of these? Or what are the English goals for the 4 years of high school? - Just curious as it doesn't really affect what we're doing...

 

Thanks all!

Joan

[In The Great White North]

Most of those are 1/2 credit (ie. 1 semester) courses. When you read the course descriptions, they are all rated and kids are supposed to progress from easier to harder one throughout the 4 years.

 

No, they do not have AP English. The ONLY AP class they offer is AP Environmental Science. Kids frequently take the AP tests after taking the Honors science courses, 4th or 5th year language courses and calculus course. They will happily order any AP test a kid wants to take.

 

It isn't all that big - about 800 total - much smaller than my high school back in the day, but its parked right next to an Ivy league school and more than half the students are faculty kids.

[Joan in GE]

Most of those are 1/2 credit (ie. 1 semester) courses. When you read the course descriptions, they are all rated and kids are supposed to progress from easier to harder one throughout the 4 years.

 

No, they do not have AP English. The ONLY AP class they offer is AP Environmental Science. Kids frequently take the AP tests after taking the Honors science courses, 4th or 5th year language courses and calculus course. They will happily order any AP test a kid wants to take.

 

It isn't all that big - about 800 total - much smaller than my high school back in the day, but its parked right next to an Ivy league school and more than half the students are faculty kids.

 

 

Ok, good to know about the credits...But that gives even more options for courses then....1 semester of this and 1 semester of that...

 

Joan

[Ellie]

Four high schools (and three junior highs) in three states and on two coasts: it was always "English," and in every one, each year included grammar, composition, and literature. "Speech" was always an elective, not part of the English credit.

[Kareni]

These are the entries I have on my daughter's transcript:

 

World Literature from 1700 to 2000

Literature: Fantasy

Literature: Greek Plays

College Preparatory Essay Writing

Literature: Middle English

WR 121: Comp. - Intro. to Argument

WR 122: Comp. - Style and Argument

ENG 109: Survey of World Literature

ENG 215: Latino/a Literature

 

Some of these were done at home, others at a local resource center for homeschoolers, still more at the local community college. The majority were awarded 0.5 credits, but a couple were awarded only 0.25 credits.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

When I was in high school the college prep track was

 

English I/English 9

American Literature

British Literature

AP English Literature

 

The first year included extra emphasis on grammar and vocabulary and the last 3 on writing. Each was a full year course-1 credit each. The alternative was to have English II/English 10 and finish with British Literature as the non-AP track. I'm sure there were other options.

 

My tentative HS course titles for dd are:

 

English 9/Introduction to Literature

English 10/American Literature

English 11/British Literature

English 12/World Literature or European Literature

 

I might add composition to titles or just include reference to grammar, vocab, and writing in the course description.

 

That may not be of much help but I'm not sure that the titles need to be overly creative or original, just reflective of the bulk of the content.

 

I have chosen not to (at this time) use AP for any of the courses since you can't add that designation without College Board approval. So far I'm not planning on contracting out for those courses or seeking CB approval for what I am doing. That does not mean dd won't be taking one of the tests at some point-I'm just not planning on using their "AP" course titles.

[Joan in GE]

The majority were awarded 0.5 credits, but a couple were awarded only 0.25 credits.

 

Oh, I've never seen 0.25 credits - were those your idea or from outsourced classes?

 

 

 

When I was in high school the college prep track was

 

English I/English 9

American Literature

British Literature

AP English Literature

 

The first year included extra emphasis on grammar and vocabulary and the last 3 on writing. Each was a full year course-1 credit each. The alternative was to have English II/English 10 and finish with British Literature as the non-AP track. I'm sure there were other options.

 

My tentative HS course titles for dd are:

 

English 9/Introduction to Literature

English 10/American Literature

English 11/British Literature

English 12/World Literature or European Literature

 

I might add composition to titles or just include reference to grammar, vocab, and writing in the course description.

 

That may not be of much help but I'm not sure that the titles need to be overly creative or original, just reflective of the bulk of the content.

 

I have chosen not to (at this time) use AP for any of the courses since you can't add that designation without College Board approval. So far I'm not planning on contracting out for those courses or seeking CB approval for what I am doing. That does not mean dd won't be taking one of the tests at some point-I'm just not planning on using their "AP" course titles.

 

Thanks Jumped In!

 

I was using the title question as a way to figure out new content to teach. My brain had been limited by the titles that I knew - of what content could even be taught - if that makes sense :-).

 

Some of these answers are showing me that high school English can be more specialized these days, like college English, than when I was in school. It's quite amazing what can be taught.

 

I guess writing, analysis, and vocabulary development are just applied to a narrower subject.....

[Rhonda in TX]

DS will have the following:

 

English 9

English 10

English 11

either American Lit, British Lit, or Old World Lit

 

I'll have course descriptions that will explain what is included, but the first 3 years are pretty general.

 

DD will have:

 

English 9

American Lit

Old World Lit

British Lit

 

Again, with course descriptions.

[Kareni]

Oh, I've never seen 0.25 credits - were those your idea or from outsourced classes?

 

The 0.25 credit classes were taken at a resource center for homeschoolers. I based the credit count on the total hours that the class met.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Joan in GE]

Thanks Rhonda and Kareni...

[Lori D.]

Hey, Joan, one other thought in coming up with your course titles:

 

Who will the transcript be going to? If you know it will be seen by several specific colleges/universities, then consider looking at the online course listings of the *high schools* nearby or that feed into those schools, and name your English similarly, so it will be "what they are looking for" or are "used to seeing", which makes it easier for them to see that your student has the requisite credits for admission.

 

Because that's usually what it comes down to -- make it as easy as possible for the college admissions office to see that your student has the 1.) credits, 2.) GPA and 3.) profile (combo of AP, honors, extracurriculars, community service, etc.) to make the them both acceptable AND attractive to the college. Using standard course names as much as possible really helps with #1. ;)

 

BEST of luck, Lori D.

[Joan in GE]

Hey, Joan, one other thought in coming up with your course titles:

 

Who will the transcript be going to? If you know it will be seen by several specific colleges/universities, then consider looking at the online course listings of the *high schools* nearby or that feed into those schools, and name your English similarly, so it will be "what they are looking for" or are "used to seeing", which makes it easier for them to see that your student has the requisite credits for admission.

 

Because that's usually what it comes down to -- make it as easy as possible for the college admissions office to see that your student has the 1.) credits, 2.) GPA and 3.) profile (combo of AP, honors, extracurriculars, community service, etc.) to make the them both acceptable AND attractive to the college. Using standard course names as much as possible really helps with #1. ;)

 

BEST of luck, Lori D.

 

Very good points!!! Thank you for keeping on thinking about me/us :-) I've been playing around with her credit goals and it might actually be for this coming school year - so I better get on the ball about potential schools....Content can only shift so far.....

 

Many thanks Lori!

Joan