English

In York’s literature-based English courses, students learn to read critically, think logically, write clearly, and speak confidently. Courses feature diverse authors and texts so that students can fortify their understanding of themselves, others, and the universal human experience. Courses balance a foundation in vocabulary, grammar, and composition with close reading and analysis. Through rich discussions, students engage with peers in scholarly discourse. Toward the goal of preparation for college-level writing, we teach writing as a reflective, metacognitive process as students explore a variety of modes--poetry, short stories, literary analysis essays, research papers, and the personal essay. Peer evaluation and individual writing conferences with the instructor aid the development of authentic voice and style. York provides additional opportunities for creative expression and authentic publishing via Ars Gratia Artis, York's Literary Magazine; Cafe Night open mic events; participation in regional Poetry Out Loud competitions; and hosting of visiting authors. 

Requirements. In Grade 8, students enroll in English I for the full year. In Grades 9-12, English is required each year in order to receive a York diploma.
  • English I

    The goal of English I is to meet students where they are while exploring the frontiers of their abilities and moving them towards the academic expectations of a challenging high school English curriculum. The class is upbeat and energetic, approaching literature as an opportunity for enjoyable collaboration and shared learning while building the skills of student-led discussion, literary analysis, and academic writing. Students will explore novels, plays, short stories, and poems with a focus on sharing new experiences and building empathy through classic and modern literature, with major texts that have included Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and Satrapi’s Persepolis, among others. Coursework reinforces students’ familiarity with basic elements of literary analysis and introduces them to more advanced analytical concepts, promoting strong critical thinking skills. Students expand their comfort with writing excellent paragraphs, advancing to the point of constructing coherent analytical and personal response essays. Study of vocabulary and grammar targets strong reading comprehension and effective communication.
  • English II

    This course introduces students to a wide range of short stories, plays, poems, essays and novels as a way of approaching essential human questions about life, its meaning and its limits. Along the way, students practice the reading, writing and discussion strategies that will serve as a foundation for their high school English scholarship. Students practice reading closely and annotating densely, then collaborate with classmates during Harkness discussions to build nuanced understandings of each text. Students also explore readings through analytical writing, whether informally - in journals and online discussion boards - or in formal essays. As students become familiar with a growing range of literary devices and styles, creative writing assignments enable them to practice telling their own stories with power and precision. Throughout the year, students progress through a curriculum of grammar and vocabulary, and give periodic oral presentations and speeches.
  • English III

    How can one person’s story impact us, inform us, change us, and stay with us? Students will explore the power of a story in English III, a literature-based course that invites students to think deeply and critically about literature while building their strengths of reading, writing, speaking, and analyzing. Students will read novels, essays, plays, short stories, and poetry, all with an eye towards how narrative is constructed and interpreted, and how stories build our understanding of the world and the human condition. Students also explore and develop their own story as they write and deliver their Sophomore Speech—a York tradition celebrated by our supportive community that bolsters confidence while offering a unique public-speaking experience. Within this framework of “the power of story,” students will continue to strengthen their skills as close readers, deep thinkers, perceptive writers, and articulate presenters. They will write frequently, formally and informally, through analytic and personal essays, journals, and response forums. They will also build their abilities to build arguments and think cooperatively through frequent student-led discussions and small-group collaborations.
  • English IV

    Over the course of English IV, students study a wide array of literary texts about “the American experience,” with the meaning of that phrase becoming clearer as the year progresses. The carefully selected texts not only provide great insights about life in America, they also provide a variety of examples of literary devices and rhetorical strategies. One of the reasons that we read great texts and great writers is that our reading fortifies our own writing. By critically analyzing how our writers write, we learn how to write better ourselves. As students practice writing through essays and shorter writing assignments, they will strive to use feedback on their earlier projects to make subsequent compositions stronger.
  • English IV - YAS

    Over the course of English IV, students study a wide array of literary texts about “the American experience,” with the meaning of that phrase becoming clearer as the year progresses. The carefully selected texts not only provide great insights about life in America, they also provide a variety of examples of literary devices and rhetorical strategies. One of the reasons that we read great texts and great writers is that our reading fortifies our own writing. By critically analyzing how our writers write, we learn how to write better ourselves. As students practice writing through essays and shorter writing assignments, they will strive to use feedback on their earlier projects to make subsequent compositions stronger.
     
    Assignments and assessments in English IV-YAS are longer and more challenging than those in regular English IV. For example, YAS students are given additional projects and supplementary readings, including scholarly literary criticism and documents that contextualize the main readings. Finally, YAS students are expected to participate vibrantly and regularly in class discussions.
     
  • English V: Archetypal Storytelling

    The second semester focuses on genre, fiction-centered analysis, fulfilling the literature requirement of the senior year in English. Stories connect people across culture, language, space, and time, and within our stories, patterns emerge—patterns that create familiarity and connection, that carry symbolic weight, patterns that can instantly relate significance. In this course, students explore the role and implications of these patterns through different times, genres, and storytelling traditions, from mythology to folk and fairy tales to more modern writing. Student not only read these stories, but discuss and write their interpretations, analysis, and critiques to better understand the power of archetypes and myth-building. Students also implement that learning through their own creative writing.
  • English V: Composition

    In the first semester, all seniors take a writing-focused course, fulfilling the composition requirement for English V. We are writing more than ever, from informal tweets, texts, and posts in our daily lives to the more formal writing that college, graduate school, and professions demand. Each scenario presents a different context and audience, different needs, and good writing that clarifies, informs, and persuades. This course will make you a more confident and skilled writer, a stronger rhetorical analyst, and a more proficient practitioner of the writing process. This is an opportunity for you to take risks, reflect and explore, and develop an authentic voice. Each section of English V: Composition will be taught using a critical literary lens to guide and ground our readings, discussions, and writing.
  • English V: Dystopian Literature

    The second semester focuses on genre, fiction-centered analysis, fulfilling the literature requirement of the senior year in English. The inverse of the “good world” of eutopia, dystopian literature explores how the social and political choices made by individuals and cultures create what is an ultimately nightmarish world; these narratives serve as criticism against real life injustice and tyranny. In this course, students engage with analyzing fiction as well as current events, civics, and the news to better understand the patterns and themes of dystopian storytelling that are so compelling to modern audiences. Students spend time reading, discussing, critiquing, and interpreting these events and narratives as well as engaging in creative writing of their own. 
  • English V: Literature of Horror

    ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The second semester focuses on genre, fiction-centered analysis, fulfilling the literature requirement of the senior year in English. The spooky, the creepy, the uncanny, and the unexplainable will be common threads through reading and writing in this course, as well as the inspiration for discussions, presentations, and creative projects. In some classes, students read short stories; in others, they write them. We use a variety of critical lenses to drive discussion of how authors develop fear and discomfort in their audience while simultaneously addressing social issues. 

Faculty

York School

9501 York Road
Monterey, CA 93940
Phone: 831-372-7338
We inspire and prepare a diverse community of creative, independent thinkers.
Since 1959, York School has created an exceptional college-prep experience for our youth: inspiring them to develop intellectual curiosity; challenging them to create and try new things; and preparing them to be passionate contributors in college and in life.