United States · Common Core State Standards
12th Grade English Language Arts
This course prepares graduating seniors for university level inquiry by analyzing how literature and rhetoric shape cultural identity. Students engage with complex classical and contemporary texts to evaluate the relationship between individual agency and societal structures.
The Hero and the Anti-Hero
Students examine the evolution of the protagonist from epic poetry to modern tragedy to understand how values change across eras.
Analyzing Beowulf and early Anglo-Saxon literature to identify the core traits of the traditional epic hero.
Evaluating Hamlet or Macbeth to determine how internal psychological conflict replaces external monsters in Renaissance drama.
Exploring 20th century works where the protagonist lacks traditional heroic virtues or actively subverts them.
The Art of Argumentation
A deep dive into non-fiction and seminal US documents to master the mechanics of persuasion and logical reasoning.
Deconstructing historical speeches to identify the use of ethos, pathos, and logos in high stakes communication.
Analyzing the Declaration of Independence and subsequent responses to evaluate how rhetoric shapes national identity.
Examining how modern media uses rhetorical techniques to influence public opinion and political behavior.
Satire and Social Critique
Students investigate how humor and irony are used as tools for social change and political commentary.
Studying Juvenalian and Horatian satire to understand the spectrum of social mockery.
Analyzing works like Brave New World or 1984 as cautionary tales that use satire to critique totalitarianism.
Students apply satirical techniques to a contemporary issue through creative writing.
Post-Colonial Voices
An exploration of literature from previously colonized nations to understand the impact of empire on culture and language.
Examining how Western narratives have historically shaped the perception of non-Western cultures.
Analyzing how post-colonial authors blend indigenous languages and English to create a new literary voice.
Evaluating the themes of resistance and the search for autonomy in post-colonial novels and poetry.
The Research Inquiry
Students conduct an independent, evidence based research project on a literary or social topic of their choice.
Learning to move from a broad interest to a narrow, debatable, and researchable thesis statement.
Navigating academic databases and evaluating the reliability of print and digital sources.
Integrating multiple perspectives into a cohesive argument that demonstrates mastery of the subject matter.
The Power of the Spoken Word
A final unit focused on oral communication, performance, and the impact of verbal delivery on meaning.
Examining slam poetry and oral storytelling as modern extensions of ancient literary traditions.
Developing active listening and questioning skills through professional and ethnographic interviewing.
Students present their research findings to an audience using sophisticated digital media and oral delivery.