Curriculum Menu |
|---|
English Language Arts Menu |
|---|
English Language Arts (ELA) Course Curriculum
Writing and reading are recursive processes that benefit from development in stages and frequent practice. In each course, students will read and write to construct meaning and respond to texts, as well as revise writing to reshape and improve both writing and thinking. Students will also participate in group and class discussion with an eye to honing and refining thinking and speaking.
In the junior year, English is a year-long course that makes use of American literature and writings. In senior year, electives offer a variety of text combinations to appeal to the interests of students. The fundamentals of these courses extend those of the freshman and sophomore years. Students should choose one course for the junior year and two courses for the senior year.
The eight semesters of English credit are required for graduation and distributed as follows: Freshman English (two semesters); Sophomore English (two semesters in the sophomore year); Junior English (two semesters); and Senior English (two semesters).
A student transferring into the school after the completion of the first term of a course may not take the course for credit unless it can be seen as a logical continuation of a course taken at the previous school.
Honor/AP Courses: Honors and AP courses are accelerated courses that require a higher level of critical thinking, independent reading, organization, and analysis; and all at a faster pace with greater levels of independence. Students need to be individually motivated while also being able to collaborate productively with their peers. The core curriculum of texts and writing experiences in both regular and honors classes remains the same in 9th and 10th grade; however, honors courses have a higher level of rigor and pace. In AP courses, content standards must align with the College Board’s course overview.
Grade | Course Requirement | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
9 | (2 semesters) | Honors Freshman English (2 semesters) |
10 | (2 semesters) | Honors Sophomore English (2 Semesters) |
11 | (2 semesters) | Advanced Placement Language and Composition (2 Semesters) American Studies (2 Semesters) |
12 | (2 semesters) | Advanced Placement Literature and Composition (2 Semesters) Honors Senior English: Academic Writing and Film |
Honors/AP Recommendation: Students are recommended for an honors or advanced placement class the following year if they can consistently demonstrate independent mastery of course skills and depth of understanding of content for the first semester of a course. Students not initially recommended may request a review ofl this placement in the spring. It is expected that students who earn an honors recommendation will continue to achieve at a high level throughout the year.
Honors/AP Recommendations for out of district: Students transferring in from another school may need to take the placement exam to be considered for an accelerated course. The exam will be scored and considered with other information such as grades, standardized test scores, and previous English placements. Historically, students not excelling in multiple indicators have struggled in an accelerated class.
Open Enrollment Honors Classes: The English Department has several junior and senior electives that are offered as honors courses that do not require a traditional recommendation. Enrollment may be limited based upon section availability.
Maintaining Honors/AP Eligibility: For students currently enrolled in an Honors/AP course,it is expected they consistently meet all course expectations to earn a recommendation for the following year. Additionally, for students that earn an honors recommendation for the upcoming academic year, it is expected they will continue to achieve at a high level throughout the year.