How do we make meaning out of a text? How do we use writing to express ourselves clearly? How might we use our voices to affect others and perhaps even impact the world? The 10th-grade program explores these questions through the study of literature and composition. We read poetry, plays, fiction, and nonfiction closely for point of view, setting, characterization, theme, plot, denotation and connotation, imagery, literal and figurative language, irony, and tone. You will write in a variety of genres, including analytical and personal essays, short stories, poetry, and journals. As a means of encouraging more graceful writing, we focus on a number of style points, such as vivid diction, correct punctuation, parallelism, and the active voice, and we develop skills in self-assessment, revision, and peer editing.