100 10029 120 English I (ACP/SCP/GEN) 111, 112, 113 130 An Overview 140 One Semester 150 9 160 170 4 180 210 23.1 Language Arts - Reading and Responding 211 212 213 214 215 216 220 23.2 Language Arts - Explore and Respond to Liter 221 222 223 224 225 226 230 23.3 Language Arts - Communicating with Others 231 232 233 234 235 236 240 23.4 Language Arts - English Lang Conventions 241 242 243 244 245 246 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 400 Freshman English is concerned with the fundamental understanding and appreciation of literature, the improvement of oral and written expression, and the development of effective reading, research, vocabulary, critical viewing skills, listening skills, and study skills. 400 400 Writing instruction focuses upon the process of writing as a function of purpose, genre, and audience. Writing experiences may include directed journal entries, paragraph-length (or longer) responses to questions based upon assigned readings, personal narratives, descriptions of personas and places, arguments, book reports, creative writing, and letters. Class instruction in sentence and paragraph construction, mechanics and usage, and vocabulary and spelling is given as students' needs become apparent. Reading instruction and class-directed discussion assist student comprehension of high-interest novels, short stories, plays, poetry, and assorted nonfiction. Speaking experiences may include speeches, presentations, and/or debates. Emphasis is placed on cultivating appropriate classroom behaviors, organizational and study skills, and generally making the transition from middle school to high school. 400 400 Course topics include works by selected American and world authors, current affairs as reported in newspapers and news magazines, and language arts skills on an as-needed basis. 500 500 READING 500 Students in Freshman English will develop the ability to: 500 -- Use word attack skills and context clues to decode unfamiliar words while reading, 500 -- Use strategic reading skills and context clues to decode unfamiliar words while reading, 500 -- Understand and use the text structure and organization, 500 -- Use the process of reading, including prereading, questioning, and prediction, to enhance comprehension, 500 -- Recall details of plot, characters, and setting from text, 500 -- Draw conclusions based on text, 500 -- Support stated theme with details drawn from text, 500 -- Support analysis with details drawn from text, 500 -- Make connections to life outside the text, 500 -- Think critically about the text through application of themes to life today and identification with characters, 500 -- Recognize various literary devices used in literature and understand their function in literature, 500 -- Demonstrate an understanding of appropriate literary terminology through discourse and writing, 500 -- Recognize and articulate the author's purpose and intended audience, 500 -- Identify the author's perspective and bias and relate them to one's own interpretation, 500 -- Recognize the historical and cultural context in which a piece of literature is written, understanding the relationship between context and content. 500 500 STUDY SKILLS 500 Students in Freshman English will develop the ability to: 500 -- Use test-taking strategies to improve performance, especially in preparation for the Connecticut Academic Performance Test, 500 -- Take notes from literature, informational reading, class lecture, and oral discourse, 500 -- Use a notebook and other organizational tools to enhance performance, 500 -- Exercise good time management to accomplish assigned tasks. 500 500 RESEARCH 500 Students in Freshman English will develop the ability to: 500 -- Evaluate sources for credibility and validity, 500 -- Record appropriate information from texts in note form, 500 -- Gather appropriate information for a works cited page, 500 -- Generate a works cited page that complies with the MLA format, 500 -- Paraphrase and summarize from text, 500 -- Discern fact from opinion, 500 -- Understand the concept of plagiarism and its consequences, 500 -- Organize information to structure the final product, 500 -- Use appropriate format for citations, 500 -- Recognize and use appropriate types of resources for the task, 500 -- Demonstrate facility with a variety of source materials including print, non-print, internet, and computer resources. 500 -- Sort and classify information, 500 -- Distinguish valid and invalid sources, 500 -- Judge the quality of sources, 500 -- Demonstrate appropriate use of technology to accomplish tasks including appropriate use of the Internet, 500 -- Use a variety of evaluation and assessment strategies, 500 -- Choose appropriate format for presentation of the final product. 500 500 WRITING 500 Students in Freshman English will develop the ability to: 500 -- Choose and employ an appropriate structure for written responses to test questions, 500 -- Develop a written response that is appropriate for the purpose, 500 -- Demonstrate appropriate use of the conventions and mechanics of the English language including grammatical constructions and spelling, 500 -- Use an appropriate level of language and choose words appropriately for the purpose of the writing, 500 -- Write in a variety of genres, 500 -- Adjust voice to audience and purpose, 500 -- Demonstrate appropriate use of the writing process, 500 -- Use an appropriate structure for genre and purpose, 500 -- Complete the steps of the writing process -- prewriting, drafting, conferencing, and editing, 500 -- Write papers in MLA format. 500 500 SPEECH AND COMMUNICATION 500 Students in Freshman English will develop the ability to: 500 -- Demonstrate elements of effective delivery during oral communications such as use of appropriate vocal qualities, nonverbal communication, and effective rate and pacing, 500 -- Adjust speech qualities to the audience, topic, and purpose, 500 -- Choose appropriate dramatic interpretation of literary text, 500 -- Participate effectively in a variety of roles during large and small group discussion, 500 -- Deliver appropriate dramatic interpretation of literary texts, 500 -- Adjust speech behavior in response to perceived audience reaction, 500 -- Demonstrate appropriate poise and presence during oral communications, 500 -- Communicate effectively in a variety of modes. 500 500 CRITICAL VIEWING AND LISTENING 500 Students in Freshman English will develop the ability to: 500 -- Evaluate live performances of a variety of visual experiences (i.e. plays, films, field trips, concerts, galleries), 500 -- Demonstrate appropriate decorum and response as a member of an audience, 500 -- Analyze and judge the aesthetic value of a film, 500 -- Compare and evaluate print and visual interpretations of a text, 500 -- Recognize bias in the media, 500 -- Identify the relevance of visual texts to the students' life experiences. 600 600 All students in Freshman English will: 600 -- Read the materials listed in the Core Selections, 600 -- Be instructed in active reading strategies and skills 600 -- Be instructed in the literary terms, devices, and structures necessary for reading comprehension of various materials, 600 -- Be given the opportunity to respond to literature both orally and in written formats, 600 -- Be instructed on CAPT-taking strategies for reading and writing, 600 -- Be taught study skills, 600 -- Be taught the numerous skills required for successful research and research writing, 600 -- Write a researched paper in MLA format, 600 -- Write a minimum of total papers (General 2, SCP 3, ACP 4) following the complete writing process, 600 -- Complete a minimum of total pages of written material (General 9, SCP 12, ACP 15), excluding tests and journals, by the end of the semester, 600 -- Deliver a speech/presentation/debate/dramatic reading in front of the class, 600 -- Be instructed in effective techniques and skills for public speaking, 600 -- Be given the opportunity to view and respond to a live performance/visual experience (i.e. play, film, field trip, concert, gallery), 600 -- Be instructed on the skills and strategies necessary for interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating a visual communication, 600 -- Be instructed on audience decorum and appropriate responses. 700 700 Assessment of student writing will include such activities as journals, criterion-referenced essays and examinations, compositions, creative writing, and book reports. 700 700 Assessment of reading skills will include such activities as oral and interpretative readings, literature circles, discussion circles, Socratic seminars, oral and written responses to assigned readings, and student- and teacher-generated questioning and discussion. 700 700 Assessment of speaking skills will include such experiences as criterion-referenced speeches and dramatic recitations, and class presentations. 700 820 820 Core Selections: 820 Various short stories from the Characters in Conflict anthology 820 To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) 820 Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth or A Midsummer Night's Dream (William Shakespeare) 820 Night (Elie Wiesel) 820 Selected poetry and lyrics 820 Selected essays and articles 820 820 Supplemental Selections Include: 820 Various short stories from the Multicultural Perspectives anthology 820 West Side Story (Irving Shulman) 820 Eight Plus One (Robert Cormier) 820 15 American One-Act Plays 820 Light in the Forest (Conrad Richter) 820 A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) 820 A Night to Remember (Walter Lord and Nathaniel Philbrick) 820 Our Town (Thorton Wilder) 820 O Pioneers (Willa Cather) 820 A Child Called It (Dave Peltzer) 820 The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis) 820 Blackwater (Eve Bunting) 820 Big Mouth, Ugly Girl (Joyce Carol Oates) 820 Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson) 820 The Chocolate War (Robert Cormier) 820 Whirligigs (Paul Fleischman ) 820 Various excerpts from Read Magazine 820 820 Instructional Materials Include: 820 Bud's Research Manual 820 840 840 The English curriculum provides a framework within which the English teacher may not only address the needs of the particular group assigned to him/her, but also may provide the group with a course of study which is an extension of his/her personal identity and philosophy. Reading lists identify core texts required for each instructional design for the course. In essence, each class, and teacher are allowed to develop an individual style and method of dealing with language arts needs. Continuity in the program is maintained through meetings of teachers assigned to identical courses and formal department meetings.