English
Ms. Patricia Minogue, Assistant Principal
The guiding belief of Edison’s English Department is simple but powerful: proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening forms the foundation of achievement in all academic areas.
For this reason, the English Department strives to give students the literacy skills they need to succeed in school and the workplace. As they discuss universal themes in literature, students learn to listen critically and defend their views orally and in writing.
The English program is a four-year sequence offering Regents track courses in grades 9 through 12. Special programs include grade level honor classes; high school extension programs offering college credit courses; drama classes; and reading and writing acceleration classes. In addition to the study of literature and oral, written communication skills, each course offers specialized units that address such areas as media study, myth, and folklore, etc. A significant term project will be required in the spring term.
*Honor classes are offered to students based on teacher recommendation, high scholastic ability as evidenced generally in a minimum grade of 92, and commitment to the rigors of the curriculum.
College Now Courses
English Composition (EN-101-199) (QCC)
3 College Credits
Prerequisite: A score of 480 on the SAT, or a 75% on the New York State English Regents, or a passing score on the CUNY/ACT Writing and Reading tests. Note: Credit will not be given to students who have completed EN-103. Development of a process for producing brilliant essays that are clear and effectively written; library work; 6,000 words of writing, both in formal Themes written for evaluation and in informal writing such as the keeping of a journal. During the recitation hour, students review grammar and syntax, sentence structure, paragraph development and organization, and the formulation of thesis statements.
Advanced Placement Classes
AP English
The AP Program offers two courses in English studies, each designed to provide high school students the opportunity to engage with a typical introductory-level college English curriculum.
The AP English Language and Composition course focus on the development and revision of evidence-based analytic and argumentative writing and the rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts. The AP English Literature and Composition course concentrate on reading, analyzing, and writing about imaginative literature (fiction, poetry, drama) from various periods. There is no prescribed sequence of study, and a school may offer one or both courses.
AP Literature & Composition
The AP English Literature and Composition course align to an introductory college-level literary analysis course. The course engages students in the close reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature to deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure. As they read, students consider a work’s structure, style, and themes, as well as its use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. Writing assignments include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays that require students to analyze and interpret literary works.