Language Arts
Unity High School’s language arts program is designed to:
Spring semester of 9th grade is devoted to composition. After spending the fall semester reading great writing, the students will attempt to hone their own writing skills. A variety of writing techniques will be considered so students gain confidence writing everything from a 250-word letter to the editor to a 3,500-word research paper.
Fall semester of 10th grade offers a survey of theatre. We will look at many of the great scripts, including Shakespeare. The final weeks of the course will feature an opportunity for students to write their own one-act play.
Spring semester of 10th grade is focused on speech communication. We will study great speeches made throughout history, come to understand what makes them great, and practice the techniques for effective verbal communication. All students will write and deliver at least two speeches in front of groups.
Fall semester of 11th grade is devoted to production of a theatrical presentation. The students work with a teacher to direct, produce, and publicize a play, involving all students in on-stage and back-stage roles.
Spring semester of 11th grade, the students get back behind their desks and settle in to tackle some of the Great Books – serious, classical works by Plato, Virgil, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle, and Saint Augustine.
Both fall and spring semesters of 12th grade are devoted to the study of American 20th-century literature, such as The Old Man and the Sea, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, Lord of the Flies, 1984, Staggerford and others. We will also take time to study a uniquely American literary convention – the short story. The course features reading, writing papers to compare ideas presented in the different books, and lively discussion.
- Expose students to some of the greatest works of English-language literature
- Develop an appreciation for reading
- Gain a command of the written language in order to communicate effectively through essays and longer papers
- Develop basic verbal communication skills so students learn to communicate effectively in front of groups, large and small
Spring semester of 9th grade is devoted to composition. After spending the fall semester reading great writing, the students will attempt to hone their own writing skills. A variety of writing techniques will be considered so students gain confidence writing everything from a 250-word letter to the editor to a 3,500-word research paper.
Fall semester of 10th grade offers a survey of theatre. We will look at many of the great scripts, including Shakespeare. The final weeks of the course will feature an opportunity for students to write their own one-act play.
Spring semester of 10th grade is focused on speech communication. We will study great speeches made throughout history, come to understand what makes them great, and practice the techniques for effective verbal communication. All students will write and deliver at least two speeches in front of groups.
Fall semester of 11th grade is devoted to production of a theatrical presentation. The students work with a teacher to direct, produce, and publicize a play, involving all students in on-stage and back-stage roles.
Spring semester of 11th grade, the students get back behind their desks and settle in to tackle some of the Great Books – serious, classical works by Plato, Virgil, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle, and Saint Augustine.
Both fall and spring semesters of 12th grade are devoted to the study of American 20th-century literature, such as The Old Man and the Sea, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, Lord of the Flies, 1984, Staggerford and others. We will also take time to study a uniquely American literary convention – the short story. The course features reading, writing papers to compare ideas presented in the different books, and lively discussion.