Spotlight: Our English Department

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Our English Department

Villa currently offers a selection of books with more “difficult” topics for our students to explore both together and on their own. When did this initiative begin, and why did your department think this was necessary?

At the national conference for English teachers in Baltimore, we came up with this idea after attending a presentation about student stress bringing a pandemic in and of itself, and not just related to academic issues, but to students’ personal/social concerns as well. We developed it and presented the program to Villa’s administration for the following year and it's continued to grow since then. 

Are there any staples within the standard English I, II, III, IV classes that have stood the test of time and are still relevant to our current students? Is there something to be said about teaching “the classics”? 

I believe that we need to see the connection between the past and present as much as our students need to see themselves perhaps reflected in current young adult literature. It is important not only to see where you are and where you’re going, but to see where the human race has been through literature. Amazingly enough, a lot of literature that is considered classic contains ideas that are remarkably modern. It’s always good to see that connection. I consider classic literature to be the history of the human spirit. Indeed, a famous critic, Harold Bloom, considered that Shakespeare, Chaucer, and Jane Austen defined just about every aspect of human nature. And so, these are writers we want the girls to read as well. 

Is there one book in particular or one project that the students continue to love to cover in your classes? 

Of course, most students love projects that contain visual aspects, projects that contain a component that requires them to act a scene or even showcase a musical talent. I’ve discovered many talented students over the years who have unrecognized artistic, musical, or acting talent in the course of doing these projects. To me that is one of the exciting things about doing projects of this nature: what I discover about the girls, and, of course, what they discover about themselves.

 

Students in Accelerated/Honors English 1 are assigned a specific character from the short stories that are read in class. They then analyze the character's personality and develop a 3D or 2D creative mask that showcases the qualities of that character.

 

Many of the novels in Honors 3/4 focus on outsiders or marginalized individuals. The Service Learning project challenges Honors 3/4 students to choose an “outsider” group that they are interested in serving, researching and reading first hand accounts of the outsider group, and implementing a service project that allows the outsider group to be seen. This project is done every other year, and students are asked to reflect on their faith and connection to Mission as they present their findings and experiences to the class. 

 

A staple in freshman English is Mythology by Edith Hamilton. This text gives a great overview of Greek mythology in a way that is engaging and accessible for students. I remember that I had so much fun when I did a group project on a selection from this book freshman year, and I am still best friends with the two girls who I worked with. (Clearly, English classes make life-long friendships!) Villa also includes at least one Shakespearian play in all of its English courses, which challenges the students to read timeless stories that are pertinent in their own lives in language that they may not initially be familiar with. Over the course of the four years, the students gain a knowledge of how to read and analyze Shakespeare's works and apply his ideas to their own lives.

Villa is proud to offer many elective classes for our students across all disciplines. Despite English already holding permanent spots on rosters each year, students continue to select additional English classes to add. That speaks strongly to the connection being made between the students and this department. Tell us about the popular English elective classes. 

Creative Expressions: This creative writing elective has blossomed this school year. The class explores writing the short story, poetry, a 10-minute play, and for the first time ever this year, the novel. In addition to analyzing model works of literature, students work closely in peer groups to critique each other’s writing, offering support and praise for every individual’s creativity. This class has allowed students to find space to edit and revise, explore the bounds of their own writing, and develop a deeper empathetic connection with one another by sharing their own unique authorial voice.

Honors Reality vs. Fantasy: This course pairs fantasy fiction and nonfiction texts for fruitful discussion about the ways that fantastical worlds often depict real world issues and themes. The course focuses heavily on reading, writing, and discussion, and is run more similar to a seminar-style college course where students come to class prepared to discuss a certain reading each day. 

SWORD: How did it start and how has it progressed?

SWORD, the Student Workshop for Organization, Revision, and Drafting, is a place where students are encouraged to take ownership over their own writing process, to work collaboratively with peers, and to participate in creating a strong academic culture around writing. The writing center is meant to reframe writing as a continual process rather than a finished end goal, and to highlight how writing is an important cross-curricular life skill.

What is the "Gamification" of learning and how has it shaped your English classes here at Villa?

In November 2021, I attended the Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English Language Arts Regional Conference. One of the keynote speakers, John Meehan from EMC2 Learning Network, presented on a new classroom pedagogy known as Gamification — I was totally inspired. How many times have teachers seen this scenario: their students can go on and on about Animal Crossing, Pokemon Go, and the intricate details of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, but seem bored and disengaged with the material in the classroom? Meehan explains it is because our students are craving to be a part of the story. The bustling worlds of Super Mario and The Legends of Zelda challenge students to try, fail, explore, and become champions of the story. English class is ripe with opportunities to apply these same concepts, where students can choose their own path, conquer obstacles along the way, and find new ways to develop and showcase their academic strengths. Some examples: 

• All of the Honors English classes are battling each other to see how many times within a three-week period they can use their vocabulary words. The winner will be the class that uses their words the most in class conversations.
• Honors English 1 students became toy designers and worked together in groups to create bobble head dolls that epitomized the traits of the Greek Gods and Goddesses. 
• Honors English 2 students entered the Champion’s Arena Text Quest where each team engaged in two battles a day to win a first, second, or third place standing in analyzing the novel A Room with a View. Each team had a flag and gained points throughout the quest culminating in the reward of the Golden Cup. 
• Honors 3/4 students took a “Road Trip” with the characters from The Canterbury Tales. Students had to decide who they were taking and who they left behind.

• In Academic English II, we have been studying The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I recently had my students complete a group project in which they had to create a board game that assesses its players about the play. My students made creative and fun games which included phenomenal illustrations and fascinating new takes on some classic board games, such as Clue and Apples to Apples. The girls also had a blast working on these in class and playing the various games for a whole class period as part of their "group project presentations," so Villa's English department prides itself on finding ways for students to demonstrate their knowledge of the curriculum in diverse ways.
   

As I continue my journey in exploring Gamification, it is my continued hope that students can engage with my content with joy, but also deeply intricate critical reflection on the content they have learned in my classroom. 

Share about the English Department now, as compared to when you were a student here.

As a student, I measured my time at Villa in English Projects. The best example I can share was Ms. McBrinn’s Moby Dick project. I worked on this group project senior year with my three best friends, and we were tasked with both analyzing the novel in writing, as well as creating a visual representation of “the whale.” We thought our “whale” (hint: it was not a whale) was SO creative, that I drove around with it in the trunk of my car for the next few months because I couldn’t bear to part with it. I would say that much of what we do today in the English Department is still best highlighted by the annual rhythm of our creative and analytical projects, which invite students to imagine the characters, symbols, and themes of our core readings in new and exciting ways! Needless to say, "teacher Ms. Chirico" still measures her time in Villa English Projects.

 

I loved my experience of being a Jem, so I am extremely fortunate that I get to spend everyday teaching current Jems (not to mention that I get to teach English, which is the best subject ever, in my biased opinion). It is interesting how I had three of the current English teachers when I was a student here, and I am now working alongside them. They are still just as compassionate, spirited, and intelligent as I remember, and they have provided me with phenomenal support so I can give my students the wonderful education that these teachers once gave to me.

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