English Department

Grade 12 English focuses on the literature of the Western tradition, from Sumeria and the ancient Greeks to Shakespeare, Milton, and modern English and European writers. Students learn to modify their narrative writing into other forms, including a college application essay. In the spring they produce a portfolio of memoir and reflective writing.

Eleventh-grade English focuses on the literature of the United States and of other countries in North and South America. Typical texts for this class include, but are not limited to: Literature of the Americas, Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Catcher in the Rye. The other basic elements of the Laboratory School English Program are stressed as well: daily journal freewriting; dictation sentences for grammar and mechanics; vocabulary and linguistics; reading along; and both informal and formal writing assignments. Students in this grade will be working on writing personal narratives, essays, and free-verse poems.

English 10 focuses on Asian and Pacific literature, beginning with the Local literature of Hawai‘i.  Students continue with the components of Performance English, including personal narratives, persuasive essays, and free-verse poems.

In English 9, students read and write fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Work is often read aloud. The aspects of writing stressed are imaginative use of language, economy of expression, and appreciation for the spoken word. The course also stresses development of speaking skills that require students to speak both formally and informally in front of their peers.

In English 8, students are involved more deeply in the components of Performance English. The literature we read comprises a wide range of styles and voices in order to help students begin to find their own writing voice. Writing assignments focus on autobiographical narratives: the persons, places and events that have mattered most to them.

English 7 focuses on the basic elements of emotion in writing. We look at the power emotion has on us as readers and how authors use humor as a tool for characters and storytelling.

English 6 introduces students to the components of Performance English. We read primarily dramatic literature and participate in the Nene Award reading contest. Students learn to write personal narratives and engage in several online writing projects to increase their writing confidence.