Language Arts

Building a solid foundation of Language Arts skills is essential for the journey students have ahead of them both in their future academic and workplace careers. Language Arts is a year-long integrated literature and writing course designed to help students grow as readers, writers, speakers, listeners, and thinkers. We will cover a variety of genres in our reading, and practice an array of writing styles that range from concise journal reactions to more expansive, formal essays.

Course Goals:

The major goals of the curriculum are in alignment with Common Core State Standards. Some of the concepts that we will be covering are themes in literature (both overarching and specific), vocabulary and concept development, reading comprehension, literary analysis, writing skills, oral speech and communication, and the conventions of writing in general.

The course is designed to nurture each individual and work toward personal goals that include:

1. Finding personal relevance in literature
2. Developing critical thinking and reading skills
3. Improving writing skills through the writing process
4. Refining oral presentation skills, while increasing awareness of audience and purpose
5. Building a useful vocabulary to intensify writing and improve reading comprehension
6. Consistently utilizing correct grammar conventions focusing on sentence structure
7. Researching topics using a variety of print and electronic resources
8. Working effectively with a team of students towards common goals