Length/Credit: 2 semester/1 unit

Grade: 12 

Prerequisite: English 9, 10, 11, summer school, night school, or concurrent enrollment.

Description: College Preparatory English is a course that develops skills in reading, critical thinking, research and writing to support student success across all college majors and career pathways.   Throughout this course, students will engage in the exploration of self, community, and advocacy.  Students will evaluate social issues and how they are created, reinforced, silenced or supported. Students will select a topic of interest to research and present as a capstone project.  In addition to the development of valuable insight, skills, and competencies, successful completion of the course with an overall grade of C or better guarantees student placement into college credit-bearing courses with a reading or writing prerequisite at any Illinois community college and select universities in Illinois.

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 12 

Prerequisite: English 9, 10, 11, summer school, night school, OR concurrent enrollment.

Description: Students in Comedy and Tragedy will explore how the terms comedy and tragedy apply to almost all dramas. Offering insight into our ongoing fascination with the extremes of human emotion. Students will learn what moves an audience to laughter or tears. Students will explore how films, plays, and television shape our sense of self. Students will identify, analyze, and discuss how character psychology and narrative structure are emphasized to explore racial, ethnic, and gender identities while creating humorous and/or tragic stories. Writing will analyze themes such as socioeconomics, gender, religion, and politics.

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 12 

Prerequisite: English 9, 10, 11, summer school, night school, OR concurrent enrollment.

Description: Students in Contemporary Literature will be offered a global approach to literature. Students will focus on literature written across all spectrum's within the last 50 years, encountering texts through a variety of lenses including, but not limited to, Latin literature, black literature, LGBTQ literature, and women’s literature. Contemporary issues and mature language may be encountered in the reading. This will be a class based in independent reading with class discussion, oral presentations, and written essays. Writing assignments will include analytical writing, interpretation, and basic critical approaches.

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 12 

Prerequisite: English 9, 10, 11, summer school, night school, OR concurrent enrollment.

Description: Students in Contemporary Literature will be offered a global approach to literature. Students will focus on literature written across all spectrums within the last 50 years, encountering texts through a variety of lenses including, but not limited to, Latin literature, black literature, LGBTQ literature, and women’s literature. Contemporary issues and mature language may be encountered in the reading. This will be a class based in independent reading with class discussion, oral presentations, and written essays. Writing assignments will include analytical writing, interpretation, and basic critical approaches.

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 12 

Prerequisite: English 9, 10, 11, summer school, night school, OR concurrent enrollment.

Description: Students in Courageous Conversations will explore literature that helps us see be offered the opportunity to explore race and identity. The readings will focus on race. Ultimately, students will understand how these categories uphold long-standing power structures and impact our citizens and society. Students will learn thoughtful ways to bring about positive change in the world by exploring ways to question and challenge these power structures. In addition, this class will help students to better understand themselves in order to interact and collaborate effectively with the word beyond. 

Length/Credit: 2 semesters/1 unit 

Grade: 10 

Prerequisite: English 9, summer school, night school, OR concurrent enrollment. 

Description: Tenth grade students will continue to explore necessary skills in reading and writing, while reinforcing skills in English 9. Students will study a variety of text type to analyze themes and characters to make connections between the two. In this writing intensive course, students will continue to expand on writing and vocabulary acquisition.

Length/Credit: 2 semesters/1 unit 

Grade: 10 

Prerequisite: English 9, summer school, night school, OR concurrent enrollment. 

Description: Students will continue to explore complex skills in reading and writing, while reinforcing skills in English 9. Students will study a variety of texts. They will analyze and evaluate themes and characters to make connections between their development. In this writing intensive course, students will be challenged to write in-depth essays and arguments, utilizing vocabulary knowledge. Reading and writing instruction and assignments will be designed to prepare students for the challenges of AP courses in the junior and senior years. Students will demonstrate independent thinking skills and will adhere to the demanding structure of this course.

Length/Credit: 2 semesters/1 unit 

Grade: 11 

Prerequisite: English 9 and 10, summer school, night school, OR concurrent enrollment. 

Description: This course is devoted to a thematic study of American literature. Students will continue to build on skills for reading and writing. In this writing intensive course, students will write and analyze a variety of literary and rhetorical devices. In addition, students will study grammar, usage, and vocabulary as a means of improving writing skills for college and career readiness. 

Length/Credit: 2 semesters/1 unit 

Grade: 11 

Prerequisite: English 9 and 10, summer school, night school, OR concurrent enrollment. 

Description: This course is devoted to a thematic study of American literature. Students will continue to refine skills for reading and writing. In this writing intensive course, students will write and analyze a variety of literary and rhetorical devices. Students will demonstrate understanding through extensive writing in and out of class. In addition, students will study grammar, usage, and vocabulary as a means of improving writing skills for college and career readiness. Students will demonstrate independent thinking skills and will adhere to the demanding structure of this course. 

Length/Credit: 2 semesters/1 unit 

Grade: 9 

Description: Students will practice and apply skills necessary to reading high school materials and communicating complex ideas effectively in a variety of situations. They will apply analytic and critical reading skills to make and justify inferences about meaning in literature and informational texts. In this writing intensive course, students will write focused multi-paragraph composition to persuade and explain, and compose and deliver effective speeches for a variety of purposes and audiences.

Length/Credit: 2 semesters/1 unit 

Grade: 9 

Description: Students will practice and apply skills necessary to reading challenging high school materials and communicating complex ideas effectively in a variety of situations. They will apply analytic and critical reading skills to make and justify inferences about meaning in literature and informational texts. In this writing intensive course, students will write focused multi-paragraph composition to persuade and explain, and compose and deliver effective speeches for a variety of purposes and audiences. Students will demonstrate independent thinking skills and will adhere to the demanding structure of this course. This course is designed to prepare students for the challenges of AP courses in the sophomore, junior, or senior year.

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 12 

Prerequisite: English 9, 10, 11, summer school, night school, OR concurrent enrollment. 

Description: Students in Immigrant Voices will explore a variety of texts written by and/or about immigrants, including poetry, memoirs, media, novels, and historical documents. Students will consider the message and impact of immigrant voices to society as a whole. Each distinct American identity has its own unique history. The dialogue of these voices defines our past, present, and future as a nation of many nations. Student writing will focus on sharing and analyzing immigrant voices to broaden students’ horizons, find commonality with those who seem different, and build empathy and compassion.

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 12

Prerequisite: English 9, 10, 11, summer school, night school, OR concurrent enrollment.

Description: Students in Media and Culture will explore multiple media platforms and its related genres to examine the foundations of our society’s mass media and consider the elements that shape social, political, and consumer thought. Students will also consider how media and literature influences culture. Students will analyze, write about, and discuss media messages. 

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 12 

Prerequisite: English 9, 10, 11, summer school, night school, OR concurrent enrollment. 

Description: Students in Monsters and Madness will explore a variety of texts that aim to induce horror in the reader, from nineteenth century Gothic literature to 21st century horror. Students will read from many different time periods, as we evaluate how the very earliest gothic works are still influencing horror writers today. Rather than taking a straightforward chronological approach to horror literature, students will analyze central subgenres and topics across the history of the genre, including the uncanny, the Gothic, ghost stories, detective fiction, and dystopian fiction. Throughout, students will consider how different theoretical perspectives can illuminate horror writing – and, not least, how the horror genre can be a way into some of the most central questions in literary studies."

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 12

Description: Students in Senior Expository Experience will practice and apply analysis and evaluation skills, while reading a variety of texts that influence the world and examining the credibility of the source. Students will understand that writing can be used to make meaning of one’s own experience, as well as to offer information and ideas. As writers, students will make intentional choices in their writing to produce the desired effect for their readers. In order to prepare students to be successful, students will practice writing daily to gain confidence in communicating well-researched information, through both speaking and writing, for a variety of audiences and situations.

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 12

Description: Students in Honors Senior Expository Experience Honors will practice and apply analysis and evaluation skills, while reading a variety of texts that influence the world and examining the credibility of the source. Students will understand that writing can be used to make meaning of one’s own experience, as well as to offer information and ideas. As writers, students will make intentional choices in their writing to produce the desired effect for their readers. Students will practice writing daily to gain confidence in communicating well-researched information, through both speaking and writing, for a variety of audiences and situations. In this writing-intensive course, topics will revolve around argumentation, modes of rhetoric, rhetorical analysis, and research methodology. Students will demonstrate independent thinking skills and will need to adhere to the demanding structure of this course.

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 12 

Prerequisite: English 9, 10, 11, summer school, night school, OR concurrent enrollment.

Description: Students in Voices Stand Up will explore the voices of leadership through examining biographies, news, documentaries, and stories shared and silenced throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Students will read and analyze texts, articles, and speeches from internationally known and unknown leaders who have made a significant cultural impact. Students will also examine how social issues impact a society from a leadership perspective. Students will make connections between the individual, the event, and modern times to then share their own voices. Assignments will include rhetorical analysis and speeches.

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12 

Prerequisite: Theatre Workshop 

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement. 

Description: Students will learn the basic skills and techniques of the actor including: concentration, imagination, observation, and ensemble. Through the means of theatre games, improvisation, creative writing, and written analyses, students learn the fundamentals of creating character, writing monologues, performing monologues, and preparing a scene for performance. 

Length/Credit: 2 semesters/1 unit 

Grade: 11, 12

Prerequisite: English 10 or 11 and AP Capstone: Seminar

Description: AP Research is the second year of the two-year AP Capstone program and is an interdisciplinary study that encourages students to demonstrate critical thinking and academic research skills on a topic of the student's choosing. Students will build on what they learned in AP Seminar to deeply explore an academic topic, problem, or issue of individual interest. Through this exploration, students will design, plan, and conduct a year-long research based investigation to address a research question of their creation. Students who earn scores of 3 or higher on their AP Exam in AP Seminar and AP Research will receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate. Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar, AP Research, and four additional AP Exams, of their choosing, will receive the AP Capstone Diploma signifying their attainment of college-level academic and research skills. The AP Capstone Diploma and AP Seminar and Research Certificate are reported to colleges and universities as AP Scholar Awards and appear in Scholar Roster reports, as well as on the Common App application portal. To accommodate the wide range of student topics, typical college course equivalents include introductory research or general elective courses. 

Length/Credit: 2 semesters/1 unit 

Grade: 10, 11 

Prerequisite: English 9 

Description: The AP Capstone Program is a 2 year sequence of courses that is designed to equip students “with the skills to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence based arguments.” AP Seminar is the first year course and AP Research is the second year course. Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research will receive the AP Seminar and Research Certificate signifying their attainment of college-level academic and research skills. Students who earn scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research and on four additional AP Exams of their choosing will receive the AP Capstone Diploma. This signifies their outstanding academic achievement and attainment of college-level academic and research skills. Using an inquiry framework, students practice reading and analyzing articles, research studies, and foundational, literary, and philosophical texts; listening to and viewing speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances. Students learn to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in research-based written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual presentations, both individually and as part of a team. Ultimately, the course aims to equip students with the power to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision in order to craft and communicate evidence-based arguments.

Length/Credit: 2 semesters/1 unit 

Grade: 11, 12 

Prerequisite: English 10 & Teacher OR Divisional Recommendation 

Other info: This course may be taken instead of English 11 or English 12, and counts toward the English graduation requirement. 

Description: The AP English Language and Composition course asks students to engage in analysis of the world around them. Everything from advertisements to literary works to the spaces in which we live becomes a text in our exploration of argument, rhetoric, and style. Through close reading of these texts, students can improve their analytical and critical thinking skills. Students will also engage in the creation of several well-developed writing assignments that will both introduce them to the rigors of college level writing and aid them in honing their own style, voice, and ability to communicate with the written word. 

Length/Credit: 2 semesters/1 unit 

Grade: 11 (with Division Head approval), 12 

Prerequisite: English 11 OR AP English Language & Teacher OR Divisional Recommendation. 

Other info: This course may be taken instead of English 12, and counts toward the English graduation requirement. 

Description: The AP English Literature and Composition course is designed to engage students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students can deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students should consider a work’s structure, style, and themes, as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. 

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 11 

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement.

Description: Students planning to attend college and reading at grade level develop criteria on which to base a realistic college search while learning tactics to help them navigate the maze of college brochures, catalogs, and websites and the steps of the application process. Students explore career paths and research admission requirements and academic offerings at various colleges. Students also focus on the study techniques and thinking skills necessary for college-level learning, including reading, note­ taking, using graphic organizers, writing, and test-taking techniques. Time and stress management techniques are also addressed. 

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 12 

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement.

Description: Students planning to attend college and reading at grade level develop criteria on which to base a realistic college search while learning tactics to help them navigate the maze of college brochures, catalogs, and websites and the steps of the application process. Students explore career paths and research admission requirements and academic offerings at various colleges. Students also focus on the study techniques and thinking skills necessary for college-level learning, including reading, note ­taking, using graphic organizers, writing, and test-taking techniques. Time and stress management techniques are also addressed. 

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12 

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement. 

Description: Students learn to write effectively using various writing strategies. Class assignments and exercises include but are not limited to poetry, fiction, narratives and non-fiction. Students share their works for classroom critiquing and peer editing.

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12 

Prerequisite: Creative Writing I 

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement. 

Description: This is an intensive writing course in which students will continue to write effectively using various writing strategies. Class assignments and exercises include but are not limited to poetry, fiction, narratives and non-fiction. Students share their works for classroom critiquing and peer editing. 

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12 

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement. 

Description: This class correlates the basic strands of language arts involving reading, writing, critical thinking, and speaking. The emphasis is on preparing and familiarizing students with debating techniques. Students will learn the Lincoln-Douglas style, policy style and the Congressional formats. Students will not be required to take this knowledge further and participate in extra-curricular competition. Students will research, write, and practice different debate formats with the emphasis on persuasion and the art of being able to think on their feet. 

Length/Credit: 1 semester/1 unit
3 credit hours. 

Grade level: 11 with Division Head approval, 12 

Prerequisite: Students must meet ECC placement criteria for enrollment. 

Other info: Offered at each high school and ECC

Description: The goal of ENG 101 is for students to become better readers, writers, and thinkers. Students will read a variety of essays that will serve as models for the expressive, expository, and persuasive essays of their own. Students will not only improve their grammar skills, but will also learn how to read closely, write clearly, and think critically.

Length/Credit: 1 semester/1 unit
3 credit hours. 

Grade level: 11 with Division Head approval, 12

Prerequisite: Grade C or better in ECCOENG101, placement through AP, OR CLEP exam. 

Other info: Offered at each high school and ECC. 

Description: Second semester of one-year course normally required by all universities and colleges. Emphasis on achieving logic and precision in handling such extensive compositions as the research paper and persuasive and critical themes based on literature or other academic disciplines. 

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 10, 11, 12 

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement. 

Description: Challenge critics with the knowledge you will gain in this film study course. Film Criticism enables you to enjoy the movies and recognize innovative techniques that have made some of the good movies into classics.

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 10, 11, 12 

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement. 

Description: Film Criticism II offers students a more in-depth look into the unique ways stories are told through film while gaining an appreciation of the medium itself. Students will continue to learn how to “read” films while gaining practice in film analysis and refine their awareness of how each element - where the story is set, how the action is ordered, how characters are introduced and developed, sound or lack thereof, cinematography, acting/casting, technological advancements, etc. - contributes to the sense of reality created by film. 

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12 

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement. 

Description: Journalism is a one-semester elective for students interested in learning the journalistic styles of writing, including news, features, sports, entertainment, opinions and editorials. Classroom instruction focuses on developing the basic journalism skills of interviewing, reporting and writing. Students apply the techniques learned in this class to the production of the high school newspaper. 

Length/Credit: 2 semesters/1 unit 

Grade: 10, 11, 12 

Prerequisite: Journalism I 

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement. 

Description: Students in this class apply the techniques in Journalism 1 to stories they write for the school’s student newspaper. Students also have opportunities to serve in various editorial positions and are involved in newspaper production, layout, page design and photography. 

Length/Credit: Based on teacher recommendation, this course can be taken as 1 semester/0.5 units or 2 semesters/1 unit. 

Grade: 9 or other grades with approval

Prerequisite: Teacher OR divisional recommendation 

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement. 

Description: Freshmen that are enrolled in this course will defer enrollment in Biology until sophomore year. Literacy Lab provides support for students to strengthen literacy skills and strategies. 

Length/Credit: 2 semesters/1 unit 

Grade: 11, 12 

Prerequisite: Teacher Recommendation

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement. 

Description: Students in Literacy Ready for Career and College will be provided with support to strengthen their literacy skills. The emphasis is on intermediate reading skills required for success in careers and content courses. Skills cover enhancing vocabulary, including identifying context clues; comprehending paragraphs and essays through identifying and inferring main ideas, locating supporting details, and identifying organizational patterns; using reading strategies and study skills such as test taking and listening skills, and introducing critical thinking skills. 

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12 

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement. 

Description: In this performance-based class, students prepare, rehearse, present, and participate in a variety of speaking and listening activities. This elective supports the Common Core Standards of speaking/listening: the communication process, informal speaking, formal speaking, group communication, and special communication situations. Activities may include, but are not limited to, an informative, demonstrative, and/or persuasive speech; an interpretation of prose or verse; impromptu speeches; interviewing skills, commercials; active listening; research and outlining; interpersonal communication; group discussion; and problem solving. Interested students may further develop knowledge by participating in extra-curricular competition. 

Length/Credit: 1 semester/0.5 units 

Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12 

Other info: This course explores the elements of drama through improvisation, theatre games, and scenes from contemporary plays. 

Description: Students will develop skills in acting, play making and scene analysis, as well as understanding the full process of creating theatre. Theatre workshop is the first of a two ­semester introduction to theatre; students should plan to take Acting after completing Theatre Workshop. 

Length/Credit: 2 semesters/1 unit 

Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12 

Other info: This course will count toward the Strand 2 graduation requirement.

Description: Students learn how to use current publishing technology such as InDesign, Photoshop, the Internet, and Microsoft Word. Students learn the terminology and skills specific to yearbook publication, including arranging and taking photographs, advertising, cropping, writing and editing copy, and designing layouts. Each student is responsible for completing several individual projects in which he or she showcases all skills learned in the class. Interested students my further develop knowledge and participate on the yearbook staff.