The Sunny Hills English department provides a meaningful curriculum emphasizing the necessary skills for college and career readiness. Following the California State Standards for High School English/Language Arts, SHHS English teachers emphasize active and close reading, student discussion of ideas, and argumentative, informational, and narrative writing.

Course Offerings

English 1, 2, 3, 4
English Honors 1, 2
English IB Honors 1, 2
AP - English Language and Composition (11th & 12th only)
AP - English Literature and Composition (12th only)
Expository Reading and Writing (12th only)
California Literature (12th only)
Novel (12th only)
Bible as Literature (12th only)

Yearlong Courses: 

CSU EXPOSITORY READING & WRITING COURSE (ERWC) - This course, designed by the CSU, takes a multi-genre, inquiry-based approach to reading and writing with the goal of preparing students for college level reading and writing courses. Students will read both classical literary texts such as 1984, Hamlet, or Brave New World and will tackle contemporary subjects with current articles and expository texts in units such as “Juvenile Justice.”

AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE & COMPOSITION - Senior students who wish to take an AP course are offered this course dedicated exclusively to seniors. Unlike our AP/IB course, this course focuses exclusively on the skills necessary for success in AP Language and Composition. 

AP ENGLISH LITERATURE & COMPOSITION/IB ENGLISH HL 2 - This course is the extension of the AP/IB course that students begin in 11th grade with a stronger emphasis on literary response and analysis in preparation for the AP Literature and the IB English tests. Many students will enjoy a second year with the teacher they had their junior year, as the AP/IB teaching teams follow their students over the course of two years. 

Elective Courses: (Choosing this option allows students to experience two different English classes with two different teachers during their senior year.  It also offers the opportunity to determine what type of literature they will be reading in their English class. Students choosing this option must pick TWO of the following semester-long courses, one for Fall semester and one for Spring.)

CALIFORNIA LITERATURE - California Literature is designed to cover the 12th grade English language arts standards through the study of literature written by authors living and/or writing about California from the period of Spanish settlement to the present. Genres studied will include non-fiction, novel, poetry, short fiction, and drama.

NOVEL - Novel is designed to give the student an understanding of the novel as a major literary genre focusing on the reading and interpretation of selected authors of the 19th and 20th centuries. Recurring themes, philosophies, and attitudes will be reviewed.

BIBLE AS LITERATURE - Bible as Literature is a literary-analysis course providing an in-depth study of selected writings from the Old and New Testaments. The writings include classic short stories, drama, poetry, history, and philosophy. The course gives the student an awareness of the literary richness of the Bible and its varied literary forms.

Senior English Course Offerings