All GLK-UAIS students complete six credits of English Language Arts over the course of four years.  All students take Honors English 9, Honors English 10, and IB English 11 & 12 HL or SL.  Speech and Production Teams develop speaking skills and college-level research guidance as students prepare to write their Extended Essay in the junior and senior year.

HONORS ENGLISH 9 – 1.0 credit (Required)
Honors English 9 is designed to ensure that every Academy student becomes proficient in the study of English literature and analytical writing.  Students will enjoy classics of western literature, which include Speak (Anderson), Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck), and Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare).  Course work is designed to help students appreciate the complexities of language and prepare them for the unique series of International Baccalaureate oral and written examinations. A specific aim is to engender a lifelong interest in literature and a love for the elegance and richness of human expression.

HONORS ENGLISH 10 – 1.0 credit (Required)
Building on skills learned from literary concepts studied in Honors English 9, Honors English 10 will expand on the study of literature to include issues of global and cultural relevance throughout the world. This study, therefore, can be seen as a study of all the complex pursuits, anxieties, joys and fears that human beings are exposed to in the daily business of living.  It will promote a healthy respect for the imagination and a perceptive approach to the understanding and interpretation of literary works. Studied works include: The Kite Runner (Hosseini), The Prophet (Gibran), Brave New World (Huxley), and a study of poetry and short stories.

SPEECH/PRODUCTION TEAMS 9 – 1 credit (Required)
The purpose of this course is to develop effective communicators. Students will demonstrate appropriate speaking and listening skills in both formal and informal communication situations. The emphasis in the course is frequent speaking experiences that build student confidence using the Projects in Speech Communication textbook.  Given the value of oral communication skills on IB assessments in the 11th and 12th grade, students at UAIS are required to complete this course during their first year.  Production Teams will also serve as an introduction to research skills needed in the 11th/12th grades.

PRODUCTION TEAMS 10 -- 1 credit (Required)
This required elective course teaches all UAIS sophomores the college research process that mirrors the independent work of the Extended Essay, which is an IB diploma candidate requirement.  Students will work in class to identify a topic of study, formulate a research question, conduct research, learn about plagiarism and proper documentation of sources, outline, and draft an essay.

IB ENGLISH HL/SL (1 & 2) – 2.0 credit (Required)
Through the study of a wide range of literature, the language A: literature course encourages students to appreciate the artistry of literature and to develop an ability to reflect critically on their reading. Works are studied in their literary and cultural contexts, through close study of individual texts and passages, and by considering a range of critical approaches. In view of the international nature of the IB and its commitment to intercultural understanding, the language A: literature course does not limit the study of works to the products of one culture or the cultures covered by any one language. The study of works in translation is especially important in introducing students, through literature, to other cultural perspectives. The response to the study of literature is through oral and written communication, thus enabling students to develop and refine their command of language.

Language A: literature is a flexible course that allows teachers to choose works from prescribed lists of authors and to construct a course that suits the particular needs and interests of their students. It is divided into four parts, each with a particular focus.

•Part 1: Works in translation
•Part 2: Detailed study
•Part 3: Literary genres
•Part 4: Options (in which works are freely chosen)

 11th grade studied works include: King Lear (Shakespeare), The Princess Bride (Goldman), Antigone (Sophocles), A Doll's House (Ibsen), Persepolis (Satrapi), and To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee).

 12th grade studied works include: Hamlet (Shakespeare), the satirical works of Jonathon Swift, the poems of Robert Frost, Pride and Prejudice (Austen), Beloved (Morrison), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain), and 1984 (Orwell).

YEARBOOK –1.0 credit (11th/12th grade elective)
The main objective of the class is to produce the school yearbook. The course includes interviewing, copy writing, photographing school events, designing layouts and graphics, advertising, and fundraising. Students should be able to stay after school when needed to meet publication deadlines. In addition, students are required to sell advertisements for their publication. Students may take this class for credit more than once.  Students in this class are combined with the newspaper staff, whose goal is to produce the online school newspaper.