Courses Offered
ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT (ELD)
9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Grades - Elective Year Course
ELD is a two-level program designed for English language learners who are learning English as a second language for academic language proficiency. This course provides individualized, specialized instruction to students, at their current level of ability, emphasizing fluency, vocabulary, study skills, reading comprehension, writing, listening, and speaking. Level One students focus on language acquisition and learning grammar, pronunciation, and syntax. Level two students focus on strengthening academic language skills, grammar, and syntax and get help with other coursework. This course develops and improves skills for success across content-area high school classes and within the larger community. This course may be repeated for credit.
*ENGLISH 1 CP
9th Grade Year Course
English 1 CP is a college preparatory class for all incoming freshmen. This course explores short stories, literature, and informational texts emphasizing academic skills in analytical, guided, and independent reading, organizational and informational research writing, comparative listening, and communication delivery. The course is designed to prepare all students for academic success in upper-level high school courses and post-high school career and college pathways.
*ENGLISH 2CP
10th Grade Year Course
English 2 CP is a college preparatory class that explores short stories, literature, and informational texts emphasizing academic skills in analytical reading, persuasive research writing, academic listening, and building on communication delivery for all sophomores. The course is designed to prepare all students for academic success in upper-level high school courses and post-high school career and college pathways.
*ENGLISH 2 HONORS
10th Grade Year Course Strongly Recommended: Earn a grade of A- or better in English 1CP and/or receive an English 1CP teacher recommendation.
English 2 Honors can benefit all students who are looking for a rigorous college preparatory course that builds on the skills learned in 1CP. There is an extra grade point for this class as it meets the Honors designation for the UC System. Therefore, students can expect to work at an accelerated pace while studying language, literature, and non-fiction works. Students should expect several essays a semester and many opportunities to speak in front of both small groups and the whole class. This challenging workload will help students prepare for any class they choose as upperclassmen, and will be especially beneficial for those moving into Advanced Placement classes. Students will need to successfully complete the assigned summer work which is due the first week of class.
*ENGLISH 3 CP
11th Grade Year Course
English 3 CP is a college preparatory course in American Literature that explores the ways in which writers work to expose the triumphs and failings of the American democratic experiment. Students in this course read diverse voices and a variety of genres--novels, short stories, articles, nonfiction pieces, documentaries, films, poetry, art, and comics. Students will hone their communication, writing, and research skills, tackling different genres of writing including personal essays, literary and popular culture analysis, and argumentative/persuasive essays. The course is designed to prepare all students for academic success across upper-level high school courses and post-high school career and college pathways.
*ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION, ADVANCED PLACEMENT 3 AP
11th Grade Year Course
Strongly Recommended: Grade of B or better in English 2 Honors, OR Earn a grade of A- or better in English 2 CP and/ or receive English 2 CP teacher recommendation
The AP English Language & Composition course provides students with the opportunity to engage in the study of American Literature and Rhetoric while honing key reading and writing skills. Students will engage in rigorous reading from American writers, thinkers, and scholars spanning from the early 1600s to the present. Students will also expand their communication and writing skills by tackling different genres and analyzing the big ideas of rhetorical situations, claims/evidence, reasoning/organization, and style. Focusing primarily on nonfiction texts, students will learn to read critically exploring the nuances of authors’ perspectives as well as the choices writers make to impact their audience. The course is structured both chronologically and guided by essential questions that draw upon recurring themes and tensions in American literature and thought in preparation for the AP Exam. Students are expected to successfully complete all the assigned summer work which is due the first week of class.
*ENGLISH 4 CP
12th Grade Year Course
English 4 CP is a college preparatory class that explores the themes and traditions of British, world literature, and philosophical texts emphasizing literary and creative responses, analysis, various genres, and their characteristics. Students learn the basic elements of discourse, a variety of research strategies, and deeper writing and revision applications. The course is designed to prepare all students for academic success across upper-level high school courses and post-high school career and college pathways.
*ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION, ADVANCED PLACEMENT 4 AP
12th Grade Year Course
Strongly Recommended: Grade of B or better in English Language and Composition AP, or grade of A- or better in English 3CP and/or receive English 3CP teacher recommendation
This rigorous collegiate-level course requires extensive in-depth reading and trains students to become skilled analytical readers of prose and poetry in preparation for the AP Literature and Composition exam. With a focus on British and world literature, students will intensively study several works from various genres and periods while continuing to hone their critical analysis abilities. Students will develop and expand upon expository standards for literary style, scope, and theory. Students are expected to successfully complete all the assigned summer work which is due the first week of class.
*MYTHOLOGY 4 CP
12th Grade Year Course
Note: This course may be used to meet the 40-Unit CP English graduation requirement
Mythology is a senior college preparatory course designed to appeal to students interested in how myths shape modern and ancient culture. This study focuses on classical Greek mythology and world mythological forms as the foundation of a literature-intensive, activity-based class. Students explore the ancient art of oral storytelling, creation, explanation, hero myths, the Trojan War, and The Odyssey. Students participate in research, discussions, presentations, and dramas, write formal essays, and memorize terminology and characters who form historical literary allusions.
*CREATIVE WRITING
10th, 11th and 12th Grade - Elective Year Course
Note: Only the 12th-grade course may be used to meet the 40-Unit CP English graduation requirement
This writing-based course focuses on experimenting with some major types of creative writing: journaling, creative non-fiction & flash fiction, short stories, traditional poetry, and performance poetry. Students practice and learn techniques to inspire their writing and have opportunities to study an area of creative writing of their own interest, submit work to be published, and share and discuss their creative pieces in an inclusive writing community on a daily basis.
*JOURNALISM
9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Grades - Elective Year Course
Note: Only the 12th-grade course may be used to meet the 40-Unit English CP graduation requirement
Journalism is a project-based course where students learn the major elements of professional journalism and study the art and craft of narrative nonfiction. Students study critical issues surrounding 21st journalism such as free speech and laws pertaining to journalism as well as ethical considerations. The course will cover the mechanics of news writing, opinions and reviews, sports journalism, photojournalism, podcasting, and design. Students who enroll in journalism contribute high-quality material to this award-winning monthly publication. The Pepperbox publishes school and local news, commentary, and reviews for the Arcata High School community. Largely directed by student editors, The Pepperbox teaches students to meet deadlines, be responsible team members, improve their writing/photography/design skills, and take initiative. Pepperbox writers, photographers, and illustrators receive training and constant feedback from editors and have the opportunity to pursue leadership positions.
ADVANCED JOURNALISM
11th and 12th Grades - Elective Year Course
Strongly Recommended: Completion of Journalism with a grade of B or better
Note: Only the 12th-grade course may be used to meet the 40-Unit English
graduation requirement
This is a course that develops advanced skills in newspaper publication. The class will focus on the mastery of journalistic writing, understanding, and application of complex layout and design, development of advanced computer skills and photojournalistic techniques, and the communication and business skills needed to manage a newspaper. The advanced journalism class will manage the school newspaper, mentor beginning journalism students, write for community publications, examine the potential opportunities of a career in journalism, and assist in the design and production of school publications. This class may be repeated for credit.