English Curriculum

Kindergarten
In kindergarten, students will learn the foundational reading and English language foundational reading arts skills that set them on the path to become lifelong readers, writers, and effective communicators. Reading is the most important skill that students will help them develop arts skills that set them during their early academic years, and kindergarten through grade three is the on the path to become optimal period of time for such learning. The CCSS integrate the strands of English language arts: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language. Standards will be implemented gradually over the next several years as curriculum frameworks, instructional materials, and assessments based on the CCSS.
Kindergarten students will begin to develop writing skills by using a combination of drawing, dictation, and writing to express opinions, relate an event, or provide information. With guidance and support from adults, they will learn to use digital tools to produce and publish writings. Kindergarten students will develop skills in speaking and listening through discussions with peers and adults. In both writing and speaking, students will learn the conventions of English. Students will also have to understand and use academic language to succeed in school. In kindergarten, students will learn academic language in context while reading, writing, listening, and engaging in discussions about books and grade-level topics.

Grade 1
Following the Common Core Standards for 1st grade English, this class builds on the reading, writing, speaking, and listing skills for students. Students will practice retelling stories, answering questions about stories, and describing the major events within a story. Students will develop skills to identify words that suggest feelings, explain the differences between books that tell stories and those that give information, and identify who is telling a story at different times in a book. The students will demonstrate an understanding of words that are spoke, syllables within a word, and sounds. Through the application of appropriate phonics and the analysis of words, students will be able to read grade-level material well enough to understand the meaning. By the end of the course students should be able to write opinion, informative, or narrative works. They should also feel comfortable conducting collaborative writing projects that involve some research.

Grade 2
This course follows the Common Core State Standards for 2nd grade English. Reading skills are developed and enhanced so that students are able to answer and ask questions such as who, what, where, why, and when about a story. Students will develop an understanding of how the rhythm, structure, and points of view add meaning to a story. Writing skills will also be improved, as students will be asked to state and support opinions, explain how to complete a task, and tell a story with written word. A student’s use of the English language will be improved upon by having the student practice using collective nouns, irregular plural nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. Students will be asked to remember conventions dealing with capitalization, comma usage, apostrophe usage, and spelling patterns when writing. By the end of the course students should have developed better speaking and listening skills, such as building on others’ comments in conversations, asking questions about what a speaker says, being able to tell a story in front of others, and providing complete sentences when asked to clarify a thought or idea.

Grade 3
This course follows the Common Core State Standards for 3rd grade English. For reading skills, the student will be able to tell the difference between literal and nonliteral language. Students will be able to talk about the chapters, scenes, and stanzas of written work and how these pieces fit together to produce a whole story. A student’s writing skills will be developed by teaching them to use linking words and phrases, words and phrases that show event order, and be able to conduct short research projects to build knowledge. Students will be able to follow social rules for discussions, such as staying on topic, being respectful of other’s turn to talk and point of view, and linking their comments to others. While reading informational texts, students will be able to describe the main idea, determine the meaning of academic words and phrases, and use maps and photographs to understand the text.

Grade 4
This class follows the Common Core State Standards for 4th grade English. Students will receive two vocabulary lessons, learn about grammar, practice reading different types of literature, and learn skills to be a good writer. To improve their reading skills students will learn how to link prior knowledge to what they are reading, how to determine if information is a first- or second-hand account, will practice reading nonfiction, and will learn how to make predictions about what will happen next in a story. Through writing practice students will improve their abilities to paraphrase, write essays, construct a story from idea to finished product, write a play, and write a persuasive essay. Students will be encouraged to visualize what they are reading and writing about, to make connections between stories, and to ask questions about what they read.
Grade 5
This class follows the Common Core State Standards for 5th grade English. Students will receive two vocabulary lessons, learn about grammar, practice reading different types of literature, and learn skills to be a good writer. Students will learn how to make inferences, read context clues, and read to learn information. To improve their writing skills students will learn how to express opinions, write letters, use literary devices, and use word relationships in poetry. Students will practice comparing and contrasting similar texts. The goal of this class it to make each student a better reader and a better writer.

Grade 6
This course follows the Common Core Standards for 6th grade English. The course has goals for the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language in an effort to make students able to read and write confidently in all subject areas. In the area of reading students will learn to see how text supports their analysis and how a story’s plot can proceed in small steps carried by the response of characters. They will learn how the meaning of words can change based off of how they are used and to analyze how specific sentences add to the development of the theme or plot. The students will be able to describe how the experience of reading a text differs from that of listening to the text or watching a live performance based on the text. Throughout the course students will develop proficiency in writing argumentative, informative, and narrative texts. They will learn to clearly show and develop their topic or theme with proper language and grammar. Students will also learn more about the editing and revising process for their essays. The students will learn how to conduct research in order to answer a question, gathering information from various but accurate sources. They will be able to support their writing using evidence found in other texts. To develop their speaking and listening skills students will practice presenting their own claims by giving their ideas in a logical order. They will also learn to use various multimedia components in their presentations and to give their presentations using strong speaking skills such as appropriate eye contact and clear pronunciation. The students will learn how to collaborate with others on grade level appropriate content by coming to discussions prepared and following rules for friendly discussions.

Grade 7
This course is aligned with the Common Core Standards for 7th grade English. The course has goals for the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language in an effort to make students able to read and write confidently in all subject areas. In the area of reading students will further develop their abilities to determine a text’s main ideas and to analyze them based off of textual evidence. They will learn to analyze how an author organizes their text and the purpose of the chosen point of view. The students will develop the skills to compare and contrast the written and multimedia versions of a text, and how different writers approach the same topic. In terms of writing, the students will continue to develop their skills in writing argumentative, informative, narrative, and research texts. They will be able to produce clear writing that has appropriate organization and style for the topic at hand. The students will learn to use technology to produce and publish their writing and to link and cite sources. The students will continue to develop their research skills by drawing evidence from different texts that support their own writing. To develop their speaking and listening skills students will learn to ask good questions that lead to group discussion and to modify their own views in accordance with new information and ideas expressed by those around them.

The students will also practice speaking in front of a group while using relevant descriptions, facts, and details to support an opinion. Throughout their writing and speaking students will continue to show their command of the English language, particularly in the uses of phrases and clauses and varied types of sentences. While writing students will continue to practice conventions, specifically the use of commas to separate coordinate adjectives.

Grade 8

This course adheres to the Common Core Standards for 8th grade English. The course has goals for the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language in an effort to make students able to read and write confidently in all subject areas. In the area of reading students will be able to determine the main idea of a text and analyze the text using specific lines from the text and/or dialogue add to the story and support their analysis. The students will continue to practice using context clues to determine the meanings of words, but will also learn to use these clues to deduce figurative or connotative meanings. They will also learn to compare two different types of texts and discuss how those differences impact the meaning of the texts. Point of view will be understood as a way to change the connotations of a text. After completing this course students should be able to read and understand various types of literature appropriate for their grade level. In the area of writing the students will become adept at writing argumentative, informative, narrative, and research essays. They will learn to use clear and easy to understand writing with style and function appropriate to their topic. The students will learn how to revise and improve their writing using guidance from peers. The students will learn to research topics using valid and varied sources to gather important information. The proper use of citations and paraphrasing will be emphasized. The students will learn to use texts they have read in order to support their opinions and arguments in a logical way. To improve their speaking and listening skills students will learn to effectively engage in collaborative discussions and analyze information presented in various media and formats. They will learn to evaluate the soundness of reasoning in a speaker’s argument and claims. Students will also learn to present their own claims and arguments in logical and coherent ways. They will be able to show a command of formal English language in order to support their claims. Throughout their writing and speaking students will demonstrate their command of English grammar and writing conventions.
Grade 9
This course adheres to the Common Core Standards for 9th grade English. The course has goals for the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language in an effort to make students able to read and write confidently in all subject areas. The students will be expose students to a variety of literary genres to further their appreciation of literature. To develop students’ vocabulary-building skills through the use of context clues and word origin/structure analysis. To help students recognize and understand the use of a variety of literary elements (terms and techniques). To enable students to respond to literature in a way that reflects intelligent and thoughtful analysis. To provide a wide range of learning opportunities, including daily and longer term projects, in order that students of all ability levels may be able to reach their respective potentials and be successful. To foster a classroom atmosphere that emphasizes the importance of respect for others’ opinions.
Grade 10
This course adheres to the Common Core Standards for 10th grade English. The course has goals for the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language in an effort to make students able to read and write confidently in all subject areas. The students will be expose students to a variety of literary genres to further their appreciation of literature. Develop students’ vocabulary-building skills through the use of context clues and word origin/structure analysis. Help students recognize and understand the use of a variety of literary elements (terms and techniques). Enable students to respond to literature in a way that reflects intelligent and thoughtful analysis. Provide a wide range of learning opportunities, including daily and longer-term projects, in order that students of all ability levels may be able to reach their respective potentials and be successful. To foster a classroom atmosphere that emphasizes the importance of respect for others’ opinions.

Grade 11
This course adheres to the Common Core Standards for 11th grade English. The course has goals for the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language in an effort to make students able to read and write confidently in all subject areas. Students will understand the importance of historic context in literary analysis. Be expose students to a variety of literary genres to further their appreciation of literature. Develop students’ vocabulary-building skills through the use of context clues and word origin/structure analysis. Help students recognize and understand the use of a variety of literary elements (terms and techniques). Enable students to respond to literature in a way that reflects intelligent and thoughtful analysis. Develop students’ reading, writing, speaking, listening and critical thinking skills so that they may function effectively in any course at university level. Help students create a body of written work (essay portfolio) that will facilitate the college application process. Provide a wide range of learning opportunities, including daily and longer-term projects, in order that students of all ability levels may be able to reach their respective potentials and be successful. To foster a classroom atmosphere that emphasizes the importance of respect for others’ opinions.

Grade 12
This course adheres to the Common Core Standards for 12th grade English. The course has goals for the areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language in an effort to make students able to read and write confidently in all subject areas. Our goal is to help students understand the importance of historic context in literary analysis. To expose students to a variety of literary genres to further their appreciation of literature. Develop students’ vocabulary-building skills through the use of context clues and word origin/structure analysis. Help students recognize and understand the use of a variety of literary elements (terms and techniques). Enable students to respond to literature in a way that reflects intelligent and thoughtful analysis. Develop students’ reading, writing, speaking, listening and critical thinking skills so that they may function effectively in any course at university level. Provide a wide range of learning opportunities, including daily and longer-term projects, in order that students of all ability levels may be able to reach their respective potentials and be successful. To foster a classroom atmosphere that emphasizes the importance of respect for others’ opinions.