English

This is a required yearlong course for all 9th graders, which focuses on the study of diverse texts both modern and classic that allow for a wide variety of perspectives. We will put social justice into context by reading novels, short stories, poetry, and essays that inform our students of the relevance of other people’s experiences. The content of the class allows students to focus on varied points of view in order to better acknowledge differences and similarities between themselves and the characters. We also strive to establish the foundation necessary for upper-level skill progression in English. Skills are based in crafting interesting sentence structure, poetry, analysis, discussion, writing, and creative projects. An emphasis on effective ways to use language through 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person points of view pervades all that we do in 9th grade so that students are practicing skills that will aid them through the rest of their academic careers. The Harkness table provides students with opportunities to hone listening and speaking skills and allows them to cultivate their own voices and opinions in discussion. 

This is a required yearlong course for all sophomores. The 10th grade year in English studies texts both modern and classic that explore how and why characters do what they do, regardless of differences in time, culture, race, and language. Skills are based in creative expression, analysis, discussion, essays, and projects. Students learn and use grammar skills and a sophisticated vocabulary in order to speak and write articulately, as well as to prepare for standardized tests. Students leave this course with the ability to participate effectively in discussion, explore creative non-fiction, critically examine texts, write interesting and analytical papers, and use correct mechanics to communicate

This is an optional, yearlong course open to 10th grade students who have achieved a high level of success and sophistication in their English skills. Prerequisites must be met for admission into this course. Attendance in this class guarantees a student’s commitment to taking the AP English Language and Composition exam in May. This class will provide a typical VMS experience in English, with seminar discussions and in-depth conversations about nonfiction writing and the power of rhetoric, but will also focus on AP specific skills like multiple choice tests and essay responses. Students may potentially read similar texts as their 10th grade peers; however, the pacing and level of detail will be both accelerated and elevated. The AP English Language and Composition course demands a close attention to grammar, vocabulary, rhetoric, writing skills, and a focus on nonfiction texts. 

This course is one of two offered to juniors, and it will focus on texts that highlight the difficulties in being an outcast in one’s society. We expect our students to learn to independently evaluate texts for theme, characterization, craft, and context. To that end, we will investigate novels, poems, short stories, essays, and personal narratives, capped by our Junior Retreat, a place-based opportunity to connect literature to life. Student-led discussion constitutes the primary method of learning in order to carry on the Harkness tradition of strong speaking and listening skills. Students hone their skills in writing personal narratives, comparing and contrasting essays, and literary analyses with the goal of practicing different organizational structures to advance effective communication. Vocabulary and grammar are regular components of the daily work in this class.
 

This is an optional, yearlong course open to 11th grade students who have achieved a high level of success and sophistication in their English skills. Prerequisites must be met for admission into this course. Attendance in this class guarantees a student’s commitment to taking the AP English Literature exam in May. This class will provide a typical VMS experience in English, with seminar discussions and in-depth conversations about literature, but will also focus on AP specific skills like multiple choice tests and essay responses. Similar to their peers in 11th grade English, students will follow texts that are not only canonical but connected to our Junior Retreat, a place-based opportunity to see literature come to life. The AP English Literature course also demands a close attention to grammar, vocabulary, rhetoric, writing skills, and a focus on nonfiction texts, in addition to the typical study of literature found in VMS English classes.
 

This class will delve into the romanticism, mystique, and also, frankly, the prejudices and historical atrocities of the Old West. We are not so far removed from the windswept plains, wild horses, and tumbling tumbleweeds of our Western heritage. Our literature will focus on the breaking of stereotypes regarding women’s roles, buffalo soldiers, and "cowboys and Indians" by providing insight into a way of life that has not entirely disappeared today. This experiential course will provide opportunities for narrative and analytical writing assignments, as well as a heavy reliance on excursions to ranches, land libraries, college campuses, and our own backyard. Texts may include: All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy; Buffalo Soldier, Tanya Landman; “The Federation of Black Cowboys,” Eric Martz; True Grit, Charles Portis; Half-Broke Horses, Jeanette Walls; The Brave Cowboy, Ed Abbey; “Mustang”; and others. 

When given the chance, our minds often frequent alternate realities where our “could bes” become certainties: racial justice pervades, women run the world, animals avoid extinction, etc. While these new worlds appear idealistic, they often come with mishaps and horrors of their own. This class will examine how authors have used speculative and science fiction as tools to unpack and explore issues in modern society. While this class allows students to peer into unknown worlds, it also necessitates self-reflection in order to see humanity, and ourselves, in the truest light. Possible texts include: V for Vendetta; Alan Moore; The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood; The Lathe of Heaven, Ursula LeGuin; A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World, C. A. Fletcher. 

In the 12th grade Humanities Capstone Seminar, students will explore essential questions that are at the core of the human condition through an interdisciplinary lens. This course will help students explore core topics related to happiness, ethics, and purpose. Diverse and interdisciplinary sources will be used to explore questions including but not limited to: What is truth? Is there such a thing as right and wrong? What is our duty to others? Where do we derive purpose, meaning, happiness, and well-being? Students will explore these questions through literature, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. Students will learn through a combination of seminar style discussions, lectures, primary and secondary source readings, films, and literature. Students will be assessed through regular response papers, analytical essays, and facilitation of group discussions.