English Language Arts
ELA 9 | ELA 10 | ELA 11 | ELA 12 | HONORS/ADVANCED PLACEMENTEnglish Language Arts 9 (required) Course Number: 151
Instruction focuses on the core instructional practices of a comprehensive literacy program that include: read aloud, think alouds, shared reading, independent reading, modeled writing, word study, guided writing, and independent writing. All students develop as independent readers equipped with a variety of reading strategies that enhance their understanding, exploration, enjoyment, and appreciation of literature in a variety of genres and prepare them for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS).
In the context of readers workshop, students learn and apply their knowledge of the basic elements of different literary genres, including fiction (realistic, historical, science), nonfiction (biography, autobiography, essays, speeches, articles), poetry, drama, myths, legends, folktales, and informational texts. They make personal connections, and use the elements to interpret, analyze and evaluate the structure, language and ideas in the culturally diverse literature they read.
In the context of writers workshop, students develop as independent writers equipped with a variety of writing strategies that allow them to compose effective pieces of writing for different purposes and audiences. In addition, all students are provided with support and opportunities to develop as critical and reflective thinkers. They develop their ability to acquire and use oral and written language effectively to express what they have learned, and to share their ideas and perspectives on important issues, in formal and informal situations.Reading & Writing Requirements:
- Students are expected to read and respond to a minimum of 20 books or "book equivalents" (e.g., series of periodicals or articles, manuals, collections of essays or poetry) each year. These works must be from multiple genres, including fiction and non-fiction.
At least ten of the works must be whole books, fiction and non-fiction. Three of these ten books should be selected from a list of 10-15 books developed by the teacher, in collaboration with his or her colleagues.
- Students are expected to meet minimally acceptable standards (level 2-4 using BPS Task Descriptions, MCAS Scoring Guides, or comparable school-developed alternatives; levels 3-6 on MCAS ELA Composition Scoring Guide) on at least one independently written Narrative/Memoir and one independent Response to Literature (Key Question) by the close of the school year.
- Students are expected to keep a writer’s notebook where they have the opportunity to collect ideas each day, think about their writing, and write about what they’re thinking and reading. The notebook will include a large volume of work. A minimum of 8 pieces of work from multiple genres will emerge from their notebook, be taken through the writing process (including a seed idea, initial drafts, revisions, edits, completion/publication) and be assessed using a rubric. At least two of these works will be responses to complete works of literature.
Required Assessments:
• Students are expected to take and meet minimum competency benchmarks on the Scholastic Reading Inventory, Qualitative Reading Inventory, or Flint-Cooter Reading Assessment.
• Mid and End-of-Year ELA Open-Response Writing Assessments
Instructional Time: minimum of 400 minutes per week
English Language Arts 10 (required) Course Number: 152
Instruction focuses on the core instructional practices of a comprehensive literacy program that include: read aloud, think alouds, shared reading, independent reading, modeled writing, word study, guided writing, and independent writing. All students develop as independent readers equipped with a variety of reading strategies that enhance their understanding, exploration, enjoyment, and appreciation of literature in a variety of genres and prepare them for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS).
In the context of readers workshop, students learn and apply their knowledge of the basic elements of different literary genres, including fiction (realistic, historical, science), nonfiction (biography, autobiography, essays, speeches, articles), poetry, drama, myths, legends, folktales, and informational texts. They make personal connections, and use the elements to interpret, analyze and evaluate the structure, language and ideas in the culturally diverse literature they read.
In the context of writers workshop, students develop as independent writers equipped with a variety of writing strategies that allow them to compose effective pieces of writing for different purposes and audiences. In addition, all students are provided with support and opportunities to develop as critical and reflective thinkers. They develop their ability to acquire and use oral and written language effectively to express what they have learned, and to share their ideas and perspectives on important issues, in formal and informal situations.
Reading & Writing Requirements:
- Students are expected to read and respond to a minimum of 20 books or "book equivalents" (e.g., series of periodicals or articles, manuals, collections of essays or poetry) each year. These works must be from multiple genres, including fiction and non-fiction. At least ten of the works must be whole books, fiction and non-fiction. Three of these ten books should be selected from a list of 10-15 books developed by the teacher, in collaboration with his or her colleagues.
- Students are expected to meet minimally acceptable standards (level 2-4 using BPS Task Descriptions, MCAS Scoring Guides, or comparable school-developed alternatives; levels 3-6 on MCAS ELA Composition Scoring Guide) on at least one independently written Literary Analysis and one independent Response to Literature (Key Question) by the close of the school year.
- Students are expected to keep a writer’s notebook where they have the opportunity to collect ideas each day, think about their writing, and write about what they’re thinking and reading. The notebook will include a large volume of work. A minimum of 8 pieces of work from multiple genres will emerge from their notebook, be taken through the writing process (including a seed idea, initial drafts, revisions, edits, completion/publication) and be assessed using a rubric. At least two of these works will be responses to complete works of literature.
Required Assessments:
• Mid and End-of-Year ELA Open-Response Writing Assessments
Instructional Time: minimum of 400 minutes per weekEnglish Language Arts 11 (required) Course Number: 153
Instruction focuses on the core instructional practices of a comprehensive literacy program that include: read aloud, think alouds, shared reading, independent reading, modeled writing, word study, guided writing, and independent writing. All students develop as independent readers equipped with a variety of reading strategies that:
• enhance their understanding, exploration, enjoyment, and appreciation of literature in a variety of genres and
• encourage their exploration of different themes and literary movements across time periods and cultures in America and around the world.
In the context of readers workshop, students learn and apply their knowledge of the basic elements of different literary genres, including fiction (realistic, historical, science), nonfiction (biography, autobiography, essays, speeches, articles), poetry, drama, myths, legends, folktales, and informational texts. They make personal connections, and use the elements to interpret, analyze and evaluate the structure, language and ideas in the culturally diverse literature they read. All students are also provided with strategies that will support test-taking skills on the SAT, ACT and other tests.
In the context of writers workshop, students develop as independent writers equipped with a variety of writing strategies that allow them to compose effective pieces of writing for different purposes and audiences. In addition, all students are provided with support and opportunities to develop as critical and reflective thinkers. They develop their ability to acquire and use oral and written language effectively to express what they have learned, and to share their ideas and perspectives on important issues, in formal and informal situations.Reading & Writing Requirements:
- Students are expected to read and respond to a minimum of 20 books or "book equivalents" (e.g., series of periodicals or articles, manuals, collections of essays or poetry) each year. These works must be from multiple genres, including fiction and non-fiction. At least ten of the works must be whole books, fiction and non-fiction. Three of these ten books should be selected from a list of 10-15 books developed by the teacher, in collaboration with his or her colleagues.
- Students are expected to meet minimally acceptable standards (level 2-4 using BPS Task Descriptions, MCAS Scoring Guides, or comparable school-developed alternatives; levels 3-6 on MCAS ELA Composition Scoring Guide) on at least one independently developed Argument/Position Paper and one independent Response to Literature (Key Question) by the close of the school year.
- Students are expected to keep a writer’s notebook where they have the opportunity to collect ideas each day, think about their writing, and write about what they’re thinking and reading. The notebook will include a large volume of work. A minimum of 8 pieces of work from multiple genres will emerge from their notebook, be taken through the writing process (including a seed idea, initial drafts, revisions, edits, completion/publication) and be assessed using a rubric. At least two of these works will be responses to complete works of literature.
Required Assessments:
• Mid and End-of-Year ELA Open-Response Writing Assessments
Instructional Time: minimum of 400 minutes per weekEnglish Language Arts 12 (required) Course Number: 154
Instruction focuses on the core instructional practices of a comprehensive literacy program that include: read aloud, think alouds, shared reading, independent reading, modeled writing, word study, guided writing, and independent writing. All students develop as independent readers equipped with a variety of reading strategies that:
• enhance their understanding, exploration, enjoyment, and appreciation of literature in a variety of genres and
• encourage their exploration of different themes and literary movements across time periods and cultures in America and around the world.
In the context of readers workshop, students learn and apply their knowledge of the basic elements of different literary genres, including fiction (realistic, historical, science), nonfiction (biography, autobiography, essays, speeches, articles), poetry, drama, myths, legends, folktales, and informational texts. They make personal connections, and use the elements to interpret, analyze and evaluate the structure, language and ideas in the culturally diverse literature they read. All students are also provided with strategies that will support test-taking skills on the SAT, ACT and other tests.
In the context of writers workshop, students develop as independent writers equipped with a variety of writing strategies that allow them to compose effective pieces of writing for different purposes and audiences. In addition, all students are provided with support and opportunities to develop as critical and reflective thinkers. They develop their ability to acquire and use oral and written language effectively to express what they have learned, and to share their ideas and perspectives on important issues, in formal and informal situations.
Reading & Writing Requirements:
- Students are expected to read and respond to a minimum of 20 books or "book equivalents" (e.g., series of periodicals or articles, manuals, collections of essays or poetry) each year. These works must be from multiple genres, including fiction and non-fiction. At least ten of the works must be whole books, fiction and non-fiction. Three of these ten books should be selected from a list of 10-15 books developed by the teacher, in collaboration with his or her colleagues.
- Students are expected to meet minimally acceptable standards (level 2-4 using BPS Task Descriptions, MCAS Scoring Guides, or comparable school-developed alternatives; levels 3-6 on MCAS ELA Composition Scoring Guide) on at least one independently developed Research/Position Paper and one independent Response to Literature (Key Question) by the close of the school year.
- Students are expected to keep a writer’s notebook where they have the opportunity to collect ideas each day, think about their writing, and write about what they’re thinking and reading. The notebook will include a large volume of work. A minimum of 8 pieces of work from multiple genres will emerge from their notebook, be taken through the writing process (including a seed idea, initial drafts, revisions, edits, completion/publication) and be assessed using a rubric. At least two of these works will be responses to complete works of literature.
Required Assessments:
• Mid and End-of-Year ELA Open-Response Writing Assessments
Instructional Time: minimum of 400 minutes per weekEnglish Language Arts 12 Honors Course Number: 164
Description: All Honors English courses are aligned with the Guiding Principles and standards included in the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks. The courses are accelerated to provide a more elaborate, complex and in-depth study of classical and contemporary literature. Students explore major themes, issues, and various perspectives to challenge, extend and build new understandings. Honors English courses utilize a workshop approach and effective literacy instruction to enhance students’ ability to become critical, divergent and independent readers and writers.
Vocabulary instruction is strategically and rigorously addressed to foster more versatile and diverse word choice during discussions and in written expression. Assessment through essays and other methods is used to evaluate students’ ability to interpret new and more complex materials. The course design encourages self-initiated and self-directed learning and growth.
Additional Requirements: In addition to the reading and writing requirements for regular English Language Arts courses, students are expected to
- Complete an additional, in-depth, literary analysis that reflects the students’ understanding and application of a literary criticism; the student will be expected to:
- evaluate the cultural or political perspectives represented in the text
- analyze the impact of the author’s use of language and choice of words
- analyze the representation of some ethnic, cultural, socio-economic, or political group; race, or gender
- analyze how the author's background and beliefs influence the language, elements and structure of the text
- Complete an additional piece of writing, through writers workshop, that reflects a mastery of the basic conventions of writing as well as complexity in sentence structure and organization.
Instructional Time: minimum of 400 minutes per week
Advanced Placement English Language And Composition Course Number: 171
The AP course in English Language and Composition engages students in becoming:
• skilled readers of prose from variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and
• skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes.
Their reading and writing makes students more aware of the interactions among a writer ’s purpose, the audience’s expectations, and the subject, as well as the way conventions and language contribute to effective writing. The AP Language and Composition course allows students to write in a variety of forms —narrative, exploratory, expository, argumentative —and on a variety of subjects, from personal experiences to public policies, from imaginative literature to popular culture. Expository, analytical, and argumentative writing form the basis of academic and professional communication; personal and reflective writing foster the development of writing facility in any context.
AP English Language and Composition course helps students move beyond such programmatic responses as the five-paragraph essay. It emphasizes the writing process, asking students to write essays that proceed through several stages or drafts, with revision aided by teacher and peers.
The Examination
All students must take the three-hour AP examination that gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and abilities. The exam employs multiple-choice questions to test the students ’ skills in analyzing the rhetoric of prose passages. Students are also asked to demonstrate their skill in composition directly by writing several essays in various rhetorical modes. Examples of multiple-choice and essay questions from previous examinations are presented on the College Board website at http://www.apcentral.collegeboard.com
Instructional Time: minimum of 400 minutes per weekAdvanced Placement English Literature and Composition Course Number: 172
The AP English course in Literature and Composition engages students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. Students consider a work ’s structure, style, and themes as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. Students come to understand a work ’s complexity, its richness of meaning, and the social and historical values it reflects and embodies.
The course includes intensive study of representative works from various genres, periods, and cultures, concentrating on works of recognized literary merit from the 16th to the 20th century. The reading is accompanied by thoughtful discussion and writing about the books in collaboration with other students.
Writing involves analysis and interpretation including brief, focused analyses on aspects of language and structure; making and explaining judgments about a works artistry; exploring its underlying social and cultural values through analysis, interpretation, and argument; and creative writing assignments to help students see from the inside how literature is written. Some of the writing is informal and exploratory, allowing students to discover what they think in the process of writing about their reading. Some of the writing involves research, perhaps negotiating differing critical perspectives. Much writing involves extended discourse in which students develop an argument or present an analysis at length. In addition, some writing assignments encourage students to write effectively under the time constraints they encounter on essay examinations in college courses in many disciplines, including English.
The goal of all writing assignments is to increase students’ ability to explain clearly, cogently, even elegantly, what they understand about literary works and why they interpret them as they do.
The Examination
All students must take the three-hour AP examination that gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and abilities. Ordinarily, the examination consists of 60 minutes for multiple-choice questions followed by 120 minutes for essay questions. Performance on the essay section of the examination counts for 55 percent of the total grade; performance on the multiple-choice section, 45 percent. Examples of multiple-choice and essay questions from previous examinations are presented on the College Board website at http://www.apcentral.collegeboard.com
Instructional Time: minimum of 400 minutes per week