English

At Lawrence Academy, English teachers want to know what you think. We want to help you develop, support, and explain your point of view and then use the same skill and care when considering the views of others.

We work hard to offer classes in which you "do the work" of good writers, good thinkers, and good readers every day. You will be called on to practice six skills-reading, writing, thinking, speaking, listening, and organizing-because of what we know you can accomplish, in or out of the classroom, by mastering them. From the Ninth Grade Program to Senior Seminar, AP English Literature, and Honors Writing, our curriculum offers you a lot of opportunities to discover in a rich variety of literature what means the most to you and how to begin acting on that self-knowledge.

In a seminar, when you eventually fall silent to rethink your assumptions, or when you present to your classmates or to the entire school community, you will learn to trust a process that teaches you how to think for yourself and equips you with the skills and disposition of a lifelong, self-directed learner. To reach that goal, we begin by believing that you, given the right tools, are perfectly capable of taking responsibility for your own learning­-learning that continues long after we shake your hand at graduation.

All students must take at least one English course during every term of every year. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors take yearlong, comprehensive courses (the Ninth Grade English Program, the Sophomore History and English Course  or Junior English Seminar) covering grammar, usage, syntax, literary genres, and the process of composition. Seniors take either the yearlong Senior Seminar, the yearlong Honors Writing class, or Advanced Placement English, with placement in these courses to be determined by the department. Any student may choose to take an elective in the fall and winter as a second English class.  
   
Juniors and seniors may request to take an independent study course in English only in addition to a regularly scheduled English course. They may not take an independent study course in English instead of a regularly scheduled English course. Department permission is required.

Courses