English II Course Overview

English II continues to build on the sequential development and integration of communication skills in four major
areas—reading, writing, speaking, and listening. It focuses on deepening and furthering students' understanding in the
following ways:

• Reading–reinforces reading comprehension skills by teaching students how to comprehend and appreciate
poetry, drama, nonfiction, and fiction; shows students how to analyze, evaluate, and interpret a text;
reinforces awareness of the elements and structure of narrative prose; guides students through readings of
the allegory Everyman and Sheldon’s In His Steps, as well as selections of and excerpts from well-known
poetry and short stories.
• Writing–develops students’ understanding of complex sentence and paragraph structures, providing hands-
on experience with connectives, transitions, phrases, and clauses; teaches language history and etymology to
help students build on knowledge of grammar and word structures; expands on students’ vocabulary skills;
gives students the opportunity to develop their abilities in writing a set of instructions, a literary critique, a
poem, a short story, and a speech.
• Speaking–offers students experience in delivering a speech; teaches skills that enable students to become
effective speakers and communicators, weaving the skills throughout the course.
• Listening–teaches effective listening comprehension skills, integrating these throughout the lessons.
• Special Topics–incorporates research skills, including internet, library, and reference material use, throughout
the curriculum