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Edmonds School District

English Language Arts

The Edmonds School District’s English curriculum is aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) which have been adopted by the state of Washington. Rather than prescribe grade-leveled content that students must master, the CCSS focuses on skills and understandings that students will achieve at each grade level with the goal of student’s being ready for the literacy demands they’ll encounter beyond their K-12 education, called College and Career Readiness (CCR). Edmonds School District graduates who are College and Career Ready are engaged and open-minded readers, writers, and communicators who read and evaluate a variety of texts, communicate their ideas in a variety of ways, employ technology thoughtfully and fluidly, and appreciate that the 21st century classroom and workplace is one in which people from diverse cultures and experiences must learn and work together.

Edmonds School District Adopted Materials:

Core Curriculum: In 2015, the Edmonds School District adopted a Common Core-aligned Secondary English Language Arts curriculum, Collections, for all of its middle- and high school English classrooms. Collections provides a cohesive secondary curriculum for all students while allowing for teacher flexibility based on classroom needs. Collections introduces students to a diverse range of texts from around the world and includes selections ranging from the classics to modern essays. In addition, it is designed to provide students with multiple opportunities to analyze text; read, write and speak grounded in evidence; and write authentically. Students and teachers are able to access the Collections curriculum in traditional textbook form, as well as via a fully digital, online suite of materials.

Adopted Materials List:

Title

Publisher

Adoption Year

Grade

Collections

Houghton Mifflin

2015

7-12

Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric, 2nd Edition

Bedford St. Martins

2015

AP English 11

100 Great Essays, 5th Edition

Pearson

2015

AP English 11

Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing (10th Edition)

Longman

2015

AP English 12

Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry

Thomson

2006

IB English

 

Supplemental Novels: Each middle- and high school selected its own novels to complement the Collections, AP or IB curriculum. Novel selection rationale included text complexity aligned to the Common Core; quality of writing; diversity of authors; diversity of characters and subjects; engagement of grade level students at a given site; and connections to other curricular content areas.

LINKS:

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts – http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/
CCSS Standards-at-a-Glance, grades 6-12 – linked document
Secondary ELA Curriculum Adoption Board Report – linked document
Course Pathway – linked document

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:

English 9: In English 9, students develop their reading, writing and communication skills in alignment with the CCSS for English. As readers, students read a variety of classic, contemporary and multicultural tests (ex: essays, myths, non-fiction, novels, plays, poems, and short stories) and apply analytic and critical thinking skills to their interpretation. Writing instruction extends students’ understanding of the writing process in the development of the narrative, informational, and argumentative writing forms. Students engage in a variety of speaking and listening activities such as classroom discussions, evaluating point of view, and presenting to the class.

Honors level coursework focuses on the same requirements with increased rigor, complexity, and pacing. 


English 10: Students in English 10 build on their Common Core aligned reading, writing, and communication skills. Students read broadly and engage in critical analysis and discussion of variety of literary and informational texts, including world and multicultural texts. As writers, students deepen their narrative, informational, argumentation and research writing skills when they solidify their understanding of the writing process to produce well-organized and well-supported writing projects that address a clear target audience. Students further refine their speaking and listening skills through classroom discourse, collaborative projects, and presentations.

Honors level coursework focuses on the same requirements with increased rigor, complexity, and pacing. Summer reading assignments are a common expectation of honors English classes.


English 11: English 11 students read widely from foundational and contemporary works of American literature, as well as nonfiction texts of historical or literary significance. (ex: essays, poetry, short stories, novels, historic speeches, and other informational texts). As students explore trends and traditions in American literature, analytical reading instruction will extend students’ understanding of literary devices, elements, and language. Students continue to write in a variety of styles – narrative, informational, and argumentative – with greater sophistication, as well as engage in effective discourse, collaboration, and reflection on learning. 

English 11 AP Language and Composition: AP English Language and Composition is the first of two AP English courses; it addresses the goals of a first year college writing course to enable students to write effectively and confidently in their college courses across the curriculum and in their professional and personal lives. It emphasizes the expository, analytical, and argumentative writing forms common in academic and professional settings. In addition, students will read complex texts with understanding and write with sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively about the texts and related issues. Finally, attention is given to vocabulary that enhances a student’s understanding of the academic language of literature and overall college level word usage. Advanced Placement courses provide students the opportunity to earn college credit through the successful completion of the course and a qualifying score on the AP exam. College credit may be awarded to those who earn qualifying scores on the examination. Completion of assigned summer work is an expectation of the AP Language and AP Literature courses.

AP Language and Composition is offered at Lynnwood, Meadowdale, and Mountlake Terrace High Schools.

IB English A - Language and Literature 11: Designed to be the first year of a two-year course for academically-oriented students who have well-developed communication skills, IB English A – Language and Literature 11 focuses on the analysis of language/mass communication and on literature.. First semester focuses on a wide range of text types in order for students to examine different forms of communication within the media. Mass media include newspapers, magazine, the Internet, radio and film. Students will address the issue of how the production and reception of texts is influenced by the medium in which they are delivered and learn to show the way mass media use language to inform, persuade or entertain. Second semester will focus on the critical study of three literary texts chosen from the IB Prescribed book list. Students will explore literary texts in detail. By looking closely at the detail of literary texts, students will develop awareness of their rich complexities and the intricacies of their construction. IB Language and Literature is offered at Edmonds Woodway High School.

English 12: Students in English 12 are prepared for the reading, writing, thinking and communication needs for College and Career Readiness. Students continue to read critically, including analyzing how multiple themes/ideas develop and interact in a text, as well as exploring the author’s craft and impact of author’s choices on the development of a text. Writers will continue to extend their development of narrative, informational and argumentative writing forms. As communicators, English 12 students respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, make informed decisions, and critically interpret media.

English 12 AP English Literature and Composition: AP English Literature and Composition is the second of two AP English courses. This course asks students to carefully examine and analyze literary text with a focus on world literature from a variety of genres and time periods. It includes the reading, study, and critical analysis of selected poems, prose passages, complete novels and plays. Student responses will range from informal, exploratory analysis and evaluation to formal academic essays. The class assists the student in the evolution of their writing style as they respond to literature, developing their individual academic voice. Students will study personal stylistic choices in a range of voices, with an emphasis on sentence structure, syntactical variety, figurative language, tone, diction and vocabulary. Advanced Placement courses provide students the opportunity to earn college credit through the successful completion of the course and a qualifying score on the AP exam. College credit may be awarded to those who earn qualifying scores on the examination. Completion of assigned summer work is an expectation of the AP Language and AP Literature courses. AP Literature and Composition is offered at Lynnwood, Meadowdale, and Mountlake Terrace High Schools.

IB English A Language and Literature 12: Designed as the second year of IB English A – Language and Literature 12 focuses on the analysis of language in cultural context and on literature. First semester focuses on a wide range of text types to give students the opportunity to explore how language develops in specific cultural contexts, how it impacts the world and the ways in which language shapes both individual and group identity. Second semester will focus on three literary texts chosen from the IB Prescribed booklists, one of which is translated to English from its original language. Through a close reading of literary texts, students will be asked to consider the relationship of literature to issues at large such as gender, power, and identity. The compulsory study of translated texts encourages students to reflect on their own cultural assumptions and consider the changing historical, cultural and social contexts in which particular texts are written and received. IB Language and Literature is offered at Edmonds Woodway High School.

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