English

The English Department at Charlotte Catholic High School provides a variety of
project-based and inquiry-driven learning opportunities for students across grade levels.

• Sophomores engage deeply with literature through a range of analytical and creative activities.
  • They closely examine and eventually memorize Mark Antony’s funeral speech in Julius Caesar, building skills in rhetorical analysis and interpretation.
  • Students also participate in Socratic seminars that encourage thoughtful discussion, allowing them to articulate ideas, challenge perspectives, and collaborate with peers.
  • Additionally, they demonstrate their understanding of novels and short stories by creating modern adaptations in the form of one-act plays, blending literary analysis with creativity and performance.
• At the senior level, students continue this emphasis on critical thinking and creative expression by studying The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and composing original narrative poems that reflect their own pilgrimages through life.

Students integrate technology into their daily routines through multiple digital platforms.

• In each course, students read a variety of short stories and novels and demonstrate their thinking by digitally annotating texts and identifying figurative language.
• Sadlier, an online vocabulary program, supports students in memorizing and applying challenging words in their everyday language while preparing for weekly quizzes. Additionally, students are expected to demonstrate their vocabulary knowledge in their essay writing.
• Essays are composed digitally, with some teachers utilizing Canvas’s AI feature, which allows students to customize questions and receive immediate feedback. Students begin by writing structured eight-point paragraphs and gradually progress to producing detailed, well-documented essays that incorporate evidence from online databases.

Overall, the integration of digital tools across reading, vocabulary, and writing instruction enhances student engagement, supports skill development, and prepares students for increasingly complex academic tasks.

Within the English Department at Charlotte Catholic High School, cross-curricular
connections, particularly with history, are intentionally woven into the study of literature to
deepen students’ understanding of texts. Teachers consistently provide historical context and
background before students begin major literary works, allowing literature to be studied not in
isolation but as a reflection of its time. For example, students examine the causes, events, and
impact of World War I prior to reading All Quiet on the Western Front, which enhances their
comprehension of the novel’s themes and perspectives.

In American Literature courses, instruction is organized around key historical periods and primary documents, reinforcing the relationship between literature and social, political, and cultural developments. Similarly, before reading To Kill a Mockingbird, students study the historical context of the Great Depression and the Jim Crow Era, enabling them to better analyze issues of justice, race, and morality within the text. These cross-curricular connections strengthen critical thinking and help students recognize literature as both a product of and a commentary on history.

We intentionally embed Catholic identity and virtue-based formation into our coursework
by using literature as a lens through which students can examine moral choices and their
consequences. Through the stories of fictional characters, students witness the effects of moral
wrongs and the damage these choices cause to individuals and communities. Simultaneously,
literature highlights the enduring value of virtues such as integrity, justice, compassion, and
sacrifice. By engaging with these narratives, students are able to reflect on right and wrong, grow
in moral discernment, and recognize the importance of living virtuously without having to
experience personal failure themselves. In this way, literature becomes a powerful tool for both
intellectual and spiritual formation.