This is a full-year class, satisfying the requirement for Junior English. This class is demanding, meant for students committed to doing college-level work and preparing to excel in college. As such, the class will provide the intellectual challenges and workload consistent with a typical first-year college comp class. Students in this class will learn about elements of argument and composition, and develop critical reading and writing skills. The readings in this class will be skewed toward non-fiction, including persuasive essays, descriptive essays, philosophical and religious meditations, autobiography, memoirs, personal essays, letters, diaries, editorials, and other journalistic pieces. A few classic works of American fiction are also part of the curriculum. Students will not only read and analyze works, but also, “write essays with different aims: for example, to explain an idea, argue a point, or persuade your reader.” Students will have reading or writing homework every night. They will be required to write major writing assignments in various non-fiction genres, including a research paper. All major writing assignments must be completed and turned in to pass the class. At the end of the school year, all students taking this class will be expected to take the AP test unless special arrangements have been made with the approval of the teacher, department chair, counselor, and principal.