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English

About Us

The MCHS English Department is committed to challenging and preparing all students for success during and after high school.

Department Highlights:

9th grade integrated English/Social Science Program (Global Perspectives Core)

Senior Selective English classes (thematically-structured course options)

Jack London Award Winner for the Senior Poetry Unit

Books Typically Taught in MCHS English Courses

Freshman Texts May Include: 
Bless Me Ultima, Rudolfo Anaya 
In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez
Purple Hibiscus, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Born a Crime, Trevor Noah
Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe (honors)
The Samurai’s Garden, Gail Tsukiyama
The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
Paradise of the Blind, Duong Thu Huong (honors)
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
I am Malala, Malala Yousafzai  
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, Marjane Satrapi (honors)
Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

Sophomore Texts May Include: 
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley 
Othello, William Shakespeare 
Macbeth, William Shakespeare
Night, Elie Wiesel
All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury 
Antigone, Sophocles
Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson
Mythology
Contemporary and Classic Poetry
Contemporary and Classic Short Stories
Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates (Honors Ethnic Studies)
The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisnaros (Honors Ethnic Studies)
Fences, August Wilson (Honors Ethnic Studies)
Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (Honors Ethnic Studies)

Ethnic Studies Junior Texts May Include:
The Book of Unknown Americans, Cristina Henríquez
There, There, Tommy Orange
The Best We Could Do, Thi Bui
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, Bryan Stevenson
The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie 
Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi
Always Running, Luis Rodriguez

AP Language Texts May Include:
The Crucible, Arthur Miller
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger 
Beloved, Toni Morrison
The Bedford Reader
Senior Selective Themes May Include: 
“Murder, Madness, and Mayhem”
“Identity and Pop Culture”
“Music and Art Through the Decades” 
“Strangers, Outcasts, and Prisoners”
AP Literature Texts May Include: 
Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison
A Visit From the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan
Catch-22, Joseph Heller
Hamlet, William Shakespeare
The Road, Cormac McCarthy
The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde
The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde
Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut

Department Members

Natasha Deakins, B.A., UC Los Angeles

Madelyn Doyle, B.A., CSU Sonoma

Laura Hall-Grodrian, B.A., CSU Chico

Jordan Henry, M.A.T., University of San Francisco

Jenna Madsen, B.A. CSU Sonoma

Trish Terrell, M.A., Stanford

Michael Weldon, B.A., CSU Sonoma

Sophie Weissenborn, M.Ed., UC San Diego

Emily Wolper, M.S., Dominican University

 
Shakespeare

Courses Offered

Academic English 1,2,3,4
English 3,4
Honors English 1 and 2
AP Language and Composition (11th)
AP Literature and Composition (12th)
Journalism 1 and 2
Senior Selectives

Resources

Poetry Links

Writing Links

Testimonials MCHS Graduates Reflect on Their English Experience

Writing Requirements by Grade Level

Why Assign Summer Homework

 

Project Wayfinder

In addition to diverse literature, Wayfinder is research backed, socio-emotional curriculum that guides students to purposeful leadership through various lessons based on essential life skills. These lessons focus on alignment with core values, build upon personal strengths and provide tools for students to to traverse their own personal journeys. Our Wayfinder curriculum fosters a unique connection with peers and teachers alike, to be able to discover deeper personal fulfillment and purposeful direction.