Heights English teachers share a common love for the beauty of the written word and appreciation for the wisdom, moral vision, and truth that it can convey. Each class focuses on delving into the riches of the literary tradition of western civilization and helping students master the skills necessary to appreciate literature. Each grade has its standard literary works that do not change from year to year along with a few options for the teacher to introduce works he deems beneficial. The dynamic literary culture of The Heights School overflows on festival clan days and through several popular extracurricular opportunities, such as reading and discussion groups and other literary societies. 

 

Substantial work is also done on improving each student’s writing. New upper school students are issued copies of the text English Simplified. This text briefly presents grammatical and stylistic guidelines for writing that are followed for all upper school classes.

 

Course offerings:

•   English I (9th grade): Chivalry in Literature –Students study classic works, several from or related to the medieval period: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Shakespeare’s Henry V, Beowulf and The Aeneid. There is continuing work in grammar and vocabulary and a strong focus on improving writing skills.

•   English II (10th grade): Conscience and the Consciousness of Evil – The 10th grade English course continues to review grammar and helps students improve their writing skills and vocabularies. Texts include Lord of the Flies, Macbeth, Othello, A Man for All Seasons, Picture of Dorian Gray and The Odyssey.

•   English III: Mortality and Immortality – This junior course continues to foster the development of superior grammar and writing skills. Students delve into a rich selection of literature including Moby Dick, Njal’s Saga, The Inferno and King Lear.

•   English IV (AP English Literature – 12^th Grade): Coming of Age: Claiming Adulthood – This senior course caps an outstanding program with an in-depth treatment of a variety of literary forms: novels, short stories, plays and poetry. Students read Oedipus Rex and Antigones by Sophocles, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet by Shakespeare and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Students work on fine-tuning their writing skills on the collegiate level. Most students will take the AP Literature exam at the end of the course.

•   Writing – Although all English classes focus on improving writing, this elective course provides additional help for students to write effectively.