English I
1 credit, 1 semester
Prerequisite: None

The goal of English I is to provide students with a solid foundation in the Language Arts, which will serve them in other courses across the curriculum and beyond. Students will acquire the basic tools of literacy analysis and writing while becoming familiar with the different forms and genres of literature and their structures. Poetry, the short story, the novel, drama, the essay, and autobiography will all be studied, using a variety of traditional and contemporary texts. Students will be encouraged to examine all works in the context of traditional Dine Values and Philosophy. There will be emphasis on brainstorming and revision on final product. Learn and master a variety of expository and creative writing skills and development of writing portfolios throughout the students’ high school careers. Journals will be kept on a regular basis with learning the basics of research and applications to projects. Students are required to use resources beyond the traditional print media, including community resource persons, multimedia, and electronic databases.

English II
1 credit, 1 semester
Prerequisite: English I

The primary goal of English II is to assist the students in formulating a unified vision of World Literature and Mythology while they develop their own writing and storytelling skills. This course builds on the skills and knowledge acquired in English I. Students will apply knowledge in the comparison of works from different cultures, regions, periods, and genres. All works will be examined in the context of traditional Dine Values and Philosophy. The students will analyze texts and make oral and written narrative works. Visiting storytellers will be an important resource for this course. Grammar and syntax will be studied through a whole language approach, with students strengthening their skills in writing and revision of narrative compositions on a weekly basis. Students will learn how to write essays for examinations. Research projects will be designed to consider resources far beyond traditional print media.

Pre-AP English II
1 credit, 1 semester
Prerequisite: English I; teacher recommendation

Students will review writing skills and extend their study of vocabulary, the short story, novel, poetry, and drama. Strong attention will be given to the development of composition and critical reading skills. Composition will support all literature study. Outside reading assignments is a requirement.  New areas of emphasis will be the development of research skills.

English III
1 credit, 1 semester
Prerequisite: English II

The course will focus on advanced language arts skills, particularly in the literature component. The students will survey the literature of one continent (North America) with a solid foundation in the history of literature and its different forms. They will examine the interrelations between that continent’s different cultures and their experiences as manifested within and between major literary works. Individual text will be examined in depth, and learn to identify and analyze different forms of symbolism and figurative language. Popular song form a variety of American cultures will be included in the discussion of poetry. Texts will be presented in historical context, and their social and historical implications examined. Part of the course’s research component will be conducted “graduate style,” with projects emphasizing research skills equally with writing using information on specific literary and historical allusions within texts through outside libraries and electronic databases. Creative writing will be stressed to enhance knowledge of literature’s more subtle aspects to their own compositions in prose and poetry.

Honors English III
1 credit, 1 semester
Prerequisites: English II; teacher recommendation

Someone once described literature as the “collected experience of mankind.”  In this course, juniors will meet New Mexico State Standards and benchmarks through a range of activities including, but not limited to, extended writing, familiarity with American writes, speech and debate, and essential grammar.  This course will be divided roughly into two-week blocks with a particular focus.

English IV
1 credit, 1 semester
Prerequisite: English III

The English IV course is designed to serve the needs of students preparing to enter the world on their own, with an emphasis on “real world” language arts projects. These will be outcome-based projects that require the students to work together in groups and committees and to generate publications such as brochures, contracts, proposals, and letters. Speech presentations requiring the use of additional media will be a component of each project as well. Essay writing will be a major component of this course, just as it will be in the college courses in which the students will soon be enrolled. Video scripts and possibly longer screenplays will be an important aspect of this course, and film will be analyzed as a literacy form in and of itself, not merely as an extension of books read in class or a nonliterary form of entertainment. The literature component of this course will focus on works that recognize literature as an important agent of social change. Literary criticism will also be introduced and used as a tool to strengthen the students’ papers. Many of the projects in this course will provide the students with opportunities to study the lives of individuals from other cultures and interact with them, a vital aspect of their preparation for college.

Communication
1 credit, 1 semester
Prerequisite: English I

The purpose of the Communications course is to ensure that all students develop the communications skills, which they will need to succeed in their traditional communities, in a college setting, and in the world at large. The course will have indirect goal to enhance the student’s self-esteem. The importance of good speaking skills in the Native American Tradition, and the types of skills that tradition emphasizes, will be considered as a foundation to this course. The students will understand that they are constantly sending messages to others whether they choose to or not, and will learn how to send messages appropriate to different circumstances. Listening will also be stressed as a skill, so that students will recognize that communicating is a process of exchange.

English IV Honors
1 credit, 1 semester
Prerequisite: English III

Honors English IV deals with cultures in conflict and cultural reconciliation, but takes on several more sophisticated and advanced works. There is greater emphasis and expectation during the writing process; not only preparing for college expository and research writing, but define distinct voices as writers. The class will frequently work in cooperative writing groups, with students providing each other with feedback and help as they work through the writing process. Honor English IV students may serve as writing tutors and will available at times to help underclassmen with their writing.

Transition Reading
1 credit, 1 semester
Prerequisite: None

The course serves as an introduction to secondary school reading with emphasis on development of vocabulary, understanding main ideas, supporting details, points of view, facts and opinions, inferences, purpose and tone, and skill development in summarizing, critical thinking, and secondary school-level reading proficiency. 

Creative Writing
1 credit, 1 semester
Satisfies Communication Skills Requirement
Prerequisite: English I

This class is intended to explore and expand our writing skills in a safe, supportive environment. Creative writing is more than just poetry and short fiction; it incorporates creative non-fiction and narrative as well. We will examine not only different forms of writing, but will look at the stylistic forms of other writers. In addition to keeping a regular writer’s journal, students will be responsible for producing examples of different writing styles and developing a writing portfolio of preferred pieces that demonstrates growth and reflection.

Journalism I
Satisfies Communication Skills Requirement
Prerequisite: English I

The Journalism I course will develop the students’ skills in writing, analysis, organization, and interpersonal communications by providing them with the real world experience of working on a publishing newspaper. Students in the course will publish an actual newspaper. Local newspaper and their staff members will serve as resources. The first nine weeks, Journalism I will focus on developing their reporting skills then in Journalism II the responsibilities of editorial will be assess. Students will take on editorial and layout responsibilities. Evaluation in this course will be almost entirely outcome-based, with students receiving credit for the work they produce and publish and their ability to meet deadlines. Additional part of credit will be based on ability to analyze actual newspaper articles using the knowledge they acquire through the course.

Video Production
Satisfies Communication Skills Requirement
Prerequisite: English I

Video is a global language and one of the most advanced forms of communication in the twentieth century. The course attempts to develop the students’ written, verbal, and visual skills through this powerful art form and means of communication. Language arts, problem solving, analysis, and group cooperation are all crucial aspects of video production. Students in this course will produce a variety of cooperative video projects, mastering the skills involved in producing video. Evaluation of this course will be outcome-based with students receiving credit for the work they produce. Students are expected to master terms and techniques associated with video production. Additional part of evaluation will be based on ability to analyze video productions in television and film using the knowledge acquired through the course.

Drama
Satisfies Communication Skills or Fine Arts Requirement
Prerequisite: English I

The purpose of this course will be to study the roots of drama in ritual and ceremony. Because anthropology and the study of myth tell us that protagonists of the earliest dramas were sacrificial substitutes or “scapegoats,” most of the dramas we will read and attempt to enact will be classic tragedies—Greek and Shakespearean. However, we may also study a modern tragedy, such as one by Federico Garcia Lorca, Tennessee Williams or Eugene O’Neill, to see the parallels. Because this theory regarding the development of drama seems more complex than it actually is, the instructor intends to conduct one or two field trips, in order that dance ceremonies conducted by Pueblo, Navajo or Zuni performers may convey to students how classic drama originated from the myths and experiences of aboriginal peoples.

Native American Literature
1 credit, 1 semester
Prerequisite: English I and II

Native American Literature will divide the semester by focusing on the composition of culturally connected Native American creations during the first nine weeks and then building a bridge between these composition components and other culturally connected creations from artists outside the boundaries of Native studies.  During the first nine weeks the class will focus on the composition of films by Native artists past and present. Then, during the final nine weeks of class, the focus of study will turn to culturally connected selections of literature that reinforce the composition components of the first nine weeks of film study.  Throughout the semester, the class will attend local culturally specific events to reinforce and supplement the lessons from class.  The class assessments will come in the form of class presentations, papers, and a final exam, both performance and product-based.