English
English courses at Mercer Island High School are designed to develop and refine speaking, reading, writing,
and critical thinking skills over the course of four years.
In 9th and 10th grade courses, students are introduced to different forms of public speaking; analytical writing: expository, narrative, and persuasive; and literature: short stories, novels, plays, essays and articles, and poetry.
Later courses build upon this foundational understanding and continue to refine these skills and content knowledge. Correct MLA citation, grammar, and usage are emphasized in every English course.
Honors and Advanced Placement courses are enhanced courses taught at an accelerated pace and with greater
depth of understanding required of students. They are designed for the highly motivated, independent student
who is eager to complete the assigned readings, has strong writing skills, and is prepared to participate actively
in class sessions. Honors/AP students are expected to write analytical essays, lead and participate in group
research and presentation projects, participate in class discussions, and demonstrate an understanding of literary theory and methods of literary criticism. Full participation in an AP course includes an expectation the student will take the AP examination, for which the student will be prepared throughout the year.
Some English courses are integrated with a Social Studies course; review the Social Studies section of the
Digital Course Catalog for descriptions of those courses.