English Language Arts III




COURSE DESCRIPTION

Language Arts III is an integrated, collaboratively taught course that will focus on developing mastery of reading, writing, and speaking skills. Student research and presentations will reflect clear, precise thinking and strong communication skills. Numerous forms of literature will be analyzed and evaluated. In addition, students will complete independent and cooperative projects that complement the integrated curriculum. By satisfying these requirements of this study, all students will become more informed, skilled, productive, employable, and socially responsible citizens.


SRS OUTCOMES

Outcome 1 Students demonstrate many forms of communication (e.g. reading, writing,
and speaking in English, Yupik and other languages).

Outcome 2 Students understand, accept, and appreciate their own language and culture
and the cultures of others.

Outcome 3 Students demonstrate skills and attitudes that will enable them to achieve
post high school education.

Outcome 4 Students use technology for adapting to and initiating productive change.


COURSE OUTLINE

CONTENT (Essential course facts, concepts, and basic skills; assessed with teacher -made tests and rubrics )

Major Units of Study

A. Speaking and Writing

Alaska Content Standard(s): Standard A: English/Language Arts
(A student should be able to speak and write well for a variety of purposes and audiences)
Key Elements: Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to

  1. Write in a variety of quality forms (technical manual, essay, poetry, etc.) with research support, graphics, and clear, logical, precise, and simple progression of thought.
    A. Select from a variety of technical and other organizational patterns (technical manual, traditional essay, different types of poetry, etc.) to fit the purpose, situation, and audience.
    B. Research and select content appropriate to the purpose, situation, and audience.
    C. Select from a variety of graphics to match the purpose, situation, and audience.
    D. Use word processing at thirty-five wpm, clear and concise standard English, sentence structure, and correct mechanics (conventions), word choice, and format (organization).
    E. Write a quality essay with an introduction, thesis, body with two to four major points supported by examples, transitions, figurative language, and conclusion.

  2. Speak for a variety of purposes using appropriate style, organization, appearance, research support, concrete content, graphics, and a clear, logical, precise, and simple progression of thought.
    A. Select from a variety of technical and other organizational patterns (technical information, storytelling, demonstration, parliamentary, etc.) to match the purpose, situation, and audience.
    B. Research and select content appropriate to the purpose, situation, and audience.
    C. Select dress and other appearance factors (clothing/jewelry/cosmetics) and conduct (formal/informal) to match the purpose, situation, and audience.
    D. Use correct voice, body language, notes, and personal style to speak as assessed by oral presentation rubric.
    E. Write a precise, concise, and concrete thesis statement.
    F. Select from a variety of relevant visuals to match the purpose, situation, and audience.
    G. Answer questions appropriately (be specific and concise, provide examples, relate to questioner).

B.Reading, Listening, and Viewing

Alaska Content Standard(s): Standard B: English/Language Arts (A student should be a competent and thoughtful reader, listener, and viewer of literature, technical materials, and a variety of other information.)

Key Elements: Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to

  1. Interpret fiction and nonfiction and relate it to your personal life and identify ideas, events, emotions, and attitudes in fiction and nonfiction which are of importance to you.
    A. Explain, in writing, with support the author's intended meaning.
    B. Show, with support from text, how a literary work relates to your life.
    C. Justify with textual evidence an interpretation of a literary work.
    D. Summarize your intellectual and emotional response to the work.
    E. Explain, with support from text, how a literary work reflects the values/attitudes of another place/time/culture.
    F. Show understanding of what you have read/viewed by summarizing, asking questions, and recalling information.

  2. Read/view/listen to set goals, and take stances on issues of importance.
    A. Explore things that are important to you (brainstorming choices, discussion, reading).
    B. Clearly and briefly explain your personal goals.
    C. Analyze/evaluate the views and motivations of others before making up your mind on an issue.
    D. Treat the values, beliefs, and motivations of others with respect.
    E. Briefly and clearly compare and contrast your views and motivations with what you read/view/hear.
    F. Clearly and briefly write/present a critique with concrete justification of live or audiovisual presentations as assessed by writing rubric.

  3. Critique, defend, discuss, and compare the writing of self, classmates, and others.
    A. Develop and apply rubrics and checklists using state analytical writing assessment rubric as a model.
    B. State brief, concrete, and clear critiques of various samples of writing as assessed by writing rubric.
    C. State brief, concrete, and clear self-evaluations as assessed by writing rubric.
    D. Defend self-evaluations and critiques of the writing of others.



C. Completing Independent and Cooperative Projects

Alaska Content Standards: Standard C: English/Language Arts (A student should be able to identify and select from multiple strategies in order to complete projects independently and cooperatively.)

Key Elements: Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to

  1. Make choices (format, length, narrowing the topic) about a project after examining a range of possibilities.

  2. Organize a project by:
    A. understanding directions (oral and written).
    B. making and keeping deadlines.
    C. seeking, selecting, and using relevant resources.


  3. Select and use appropriate decision-making processes (t-chart, pro-con lists, diagrams, etc.).

  4. Set high standards for project quality (with specific criteria defined by project rubric).

  5. Work on a collaborative project (with specific criteria defined by cooperative group work rubric),
    A. take responsibility for individual contributions to the project.
    B. share ideas and workloads.
    C. incorporate individual talents and perspectives.
    D. work effectively with others as an active participant and as a responsive audience.
    E. evaluate the processes and work of self and of others.

D. Presenting and Explaining Positions

Alaska Content Standards: Standard D: English/Language Arts (A student should be able to think logically and reflectively in order to present and explain positions based on relevant and reliable information.)
Key Elements: Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to

  1. Develop a position by (with specific criteria defined by oral presentation/writing rubric): A. reflecting on personal experiences, prior knowledge, and new information. B. formulating and refining questions. C. identifying a variety of pertinent sources of information. D. analyzing and synthesizing information. E. determining an author's purposes.

  2. Evaluate the validity, objectivity, reliability, and quality of information read, heard, and seen (with specific criteria defined by oral presentation/writing rubric).

  3. Give credit and cite references using MLA or APA format as appropriate (with specific criteria defined by oral presentation/writing rubric).

  4. Explain and defend a position orally, in writing, and with visual aids as appropriate (with specific criteria defined by oral presentation/writing rubric).

E. Understanding and Respecting Others' Perspectives

Alaska Content Standards: Standard D: English/Language Arts (A student should understand and respect the perspectives of others in order to communicate effectively.)
Key Elements: Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to

  1. Use information and literature (local legends and myths, etc.), both oral and written, from many cultures to help understand self and others.

  2. Evaluate ideas from the speaker's or author's point of view.

  3. Recognize bias in different forms of communication (written, oral, electronic, mass media, etc.).

  4. Recognize the communication styles (verbal, nonverbal, interpersonal) of different cultures and their possible effects on others.


SKILLS (Essential processes or skills, universally taught by all teachers in all courses; assessed with teacher -made rubrics and/or tests )

Major Categories of Skills

A. Cross-curricular and/or Integrative Skills

Key Elements: Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to

1. effectively communicate (listen, observe, read, write, discuss, present, explain, persuade, defend)
3. use a variety of higher order thinking skills (hypothesizing, estimating, analyzing, classifying, synthesizing, evaluating,inferring, generalizing) to solve common day-to-day problems
Key Elements: Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to

Key Elements: Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to

respect and treat others equally, from the perspective of the needs and rights of all people
D. Cultural Relevance:



Alaska Content Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools: Student Standards A-E

Key Elements: Student will know about, understand, and demonstrate the ability to

INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AND MATERIALS


A. Community Resources Related to Course

Each individual and/or team of instructors, with the help of long time staff, students, parents and other concerned community members should cooperatively compile and periodically update a list of village elders, parents, local government leaders, business persons, and other concerned, active members of the community willing to share their wealth of experiences, knowledge and skills.
B. Major Internet Web Site Addresses Related to Course (a tiny sample)

Darling's Guide to Grammar: http://webster.commnet.edu/HP/pages/darling/grammar.htm
Common Errors in English: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/errors.html
AskERIC Lesson Plans: http://ericir.syr.edu/virtual/lessons/lang_arts/index.html
ABE Adult Education
Guide to Writing a Research Paper: http://cctc.commnet.edu/mla.htm
Inkspot: http://www.inkspot.com/young
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators: http://www.capecod.net/schrockguide/arts/artlit.htm
Key Pals: http://www.reedbooks.com.au/heinemann/global1.html
Kid News: http://www.vsa.cape.com/~powens/kidnews.html
Mr. William Shakespeare: http://daphne.palomar.edu/shakespeare
Myths & Legends: http://pubpages.unh.edu/~cbsiren/myth.html
Bartleby Library: http://www.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/bartlett
Outta Ray's Head English Lesson Plans: http://www3.sympatico.ca/ray.saitz

C. Media Center: Southwest Region School District
Contact Roz Goodman, the Southwest Region Media Specialist, for help. She has lists of materials related to specific subject areas and will help you find Internet resources or other materials
D. Itinerant Travel Kits and/or Permanent Core Skills Instructors' Materials

ABC Schoolhouse Rock: Grammar . With short videos that teach concepts related to nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns, interjections, and conjunctions
Encarta 97
Infopedia
Grolier's Encyclopedia

Writing by Doing: Learning to Write Effectively; (Elaine Hughes)
Strategies for Writing: A Basic Approach (Healy)

Speaking by Doing: A Speaking-Listening Text (Joseph A. Quattrini)
Literature and the Language Arts: The American Tradition (EMC/Paradigm pub.)
Decades of Science Fiction (Applewhite Minyard)
World Mythology (Rosenberg)
World Literature (Rosenberg)

Basic English Grammar (Bonnie L. Walker)
Simple Sentence Skills (Barbara Hansen)
The Elements of Style (Strunk & White)
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (Joseph Gibaldi)


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(Assessment Guidelines and Grading still "under construction" and awaiting additional in-put)

Teacher-made tests of content units will be required: pre-tests, quizzes, Unit Tests, Final Exams

Processes/Skills will be assessed Rubrics, checklists, et.al.

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(The Following Still Needs Input, Thought, and Work)

ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES AND GRADING



The primary goal of this class is to give all students an opportunity to gain essential new knowledge, comprehension, and skills. To determine if all students are actually attaining this goal, regular, in-progress assessment of student progress will be part of daily in-progress activities and final student projects.

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE TESTS

Minimum Requirements : At the very least, course Content will be regularly assessed with traditional
Teacher-made Tests (multiple choice, completion, true/false, matching, short essay).
Suggestions:
CRITERION-REFERENCED TESTS (CRT's)
STUDENT PERFORMANCE RUBRICS

EXTRA CREDIT WORK

In order to encourage students to pursue high level performances and quality products, all students who have completed required work, including any expected revisions, should be given an opportunity and encouraged to do Extra Credit work that might increase the depth and/or breadth of their understanding.
GRADING

All students will be held accountable for meeting the minimum requirements of all courses and will earn grades based on their ability to demonstrate the acquisition of basic content knowledge and comprehension, and their ability to apply specific essential skills to produce quality finished products. Final Grades in all courses will follow on a traditional "A", "B", "C", "D", "F", "I", system.
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