English Language Arts

Disciplinary Literacy will focus on specialized literacy strategies unique to content area disciplines. - This course is for students that have demonstrated proficiency in elementary literacy through reading screener and SOL assessments. This course will address both content area literacy as well as discipline specific literacy skills. The focus of this course is to engage in discipline specific reading and writing. Analyzing primary sources as a historian, reviewing data, charts and graphs as a mathematician or scientist, and utilizing argument writing for defending conclusions. Students will be taught the ways literacy is used to create, disseminate, and critique information in the various disciplines.

Disciplinary Literacy, Intensified will focus on specialized literacy strategies unique to content area disciplines. This course is for students that have specific interests to explore in research assignments. This course will address both content area literacy as well as discipline specific literacy skills. The focus of this course is to engage in discipline specific reading and writing while analyzing primary sources as a historian, reviewing data, charts and graphs as a mathematician or scientist, and utilizing argument writing for defending conclusions. Students will be taught the ways literacy is used to create, disseminate, and critique information in the various disciplines. Students will have opportunities for determining research topics and creative thinking in assignments.

In ninth grade, the student will continue to build upon skills previously learned in earlier grades with a variety of texts. There is a continued emphasis on reading comprehension by explaining, comparing, and analyzing literary and informational texts. In literary texts, the student will apply knowledge of literary terms to describe, differentiate, and analyze a variety of genres. 

In ninth grade, there will be an increased emphasis on informational reading, and the student will examine the function of a text within context. The student will demonstrate their comprehension by writing and use the texts read in class to understand the author’s craft to compose original compositions. The student will continue to expand vocabulary using the structural analysis of roots and affixes, as well as figurative language, to understand complex words. With an explicit focus to integrate reading and writing processes, the grade-nine student will use mentor texts as models to plan, draft, revise, and edit expository writing in preparation for postsecondary work and career. There is also an emphasis on persuasion, defending a position using counterclaims, reasons, and evidence from credible sources.

The student will continue to work in collaborative groups assisting with setting guidelines and working toward consensus. The student will evaluate sources and examine media messages to analyze the content, author’s viewpoint, and structure. The student will select, use, and analyze multimodal tools to create presentations both independently and in small groups. The student will apply research techniques to create independent research products and analyze and synthesize information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions and possible bias, citing both quoted and paraphrased information using either MLA or APA style. (Virginia Department of Education, Understanding the Standards Grade 9, 2024)

This course is designed for the needs of gifted and advanced students, and requires extensive reading and writing, intensive grammar and vocabulary, rigorous study of fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry, and high-level performance of all strands of English language arts standards beyond what is required in English 9. Students read a wide array of canonical and contemporary literature with a focus on analysis. Students develop robust writing skills to showcase their understandings and prepare for future AP/IB/DE course expectations.

“Community” is the central theme at Grade 10. Core curricular units are designed around enduring understandings and essential questions and align with the SOLs for tenth grade.

• There is a continued emphasis on reading comprehension by comparing fiction and nonfiction texts. Students will analyze the cultural and social function and universal themes of fictional texts from different cultures. Tenth grade students will analyze and synthesize information from nonfiction texts to solve problems, answer questions, and generate new knowledge.
• The student will continue development of vocabulary using roots and affixes, with attention to connotations, idioms, classical allusions, and figurative language.
• The student will use the writing process to write/compose with an emphasis on persuasion and analysis while showing relationships among claims, reasons, and evidence from reliable sources.
• Students will create media messages and analyze the cause-and-effect relationships between mass media coverage and public opinion trends. Students will continue to use multimodal tools to create presentations both independently and in small groups.
• The student will continue to build research skills presenting information gathered from diverse sources, identifying misconceptions and possible bias while crediting sources using MLA or APA style.
• Students will continue to become skilled communicators, working both independently and in collaborative groups while presenting alternate views and working toward common goals.

This course is designed for the needs of gifted and advanced students, and requires extensive reading and writing, intensive grammar and vocabulary, rigorous study of study of fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry, and high-level performance all strands of English language arts beyond what is required in English 10. Students read a wide array of canonical and contemporary literature related to the theme of “community” and develop writing skills to showcase their understandings and prepare for future AP/IB/DE course expectations.

“National Perspectives” is the central theme at Grade 11. Core curricular units are designed around enduring understandings and essential questions and align with the SOLs for eleventh grade.

• There is a sustained emphasis on reading comprehension of fiction and nonfiction texts. Students will conduct comparative analyses of multiple texts that address the same topic to determine how authors reach similar or different conclusions. The students will examine and analyze fiction texts by American authors describing the contributions of other cultures and identifying prevalent themes and characterizations, which are reflective of American history and culture.
• The student will continue development of vocabulary, with attention to connotations, idioms, classical allusions, and figurative language.
• The student will continue to use the writing process to write/compose with an emphasis on persuasion and argumentation for multiple purposes and audiences to create focused, organized, and coherent writing.
• Students will create media messages and analyze the cause-and-effect relationships between mass media coverage and public opinion trends. Students will create persuasive multimodal presentations that address alternative perspectives.
• The student will produce a research product synthesizing information from primary and secondary sources while maintaining ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information.
• Students will continue to build communication skills working both independently and in collaborative groups. Students will continue to demonstrate the ability to work within collaborative groups while presenting alternate views and working toward common goals.

The following alternative course uses the basic structure and content of English 11 but offers more rigorous study

This course will address the Virginia Standards of Learning for Grade 11 English and introduce students to critical thinking and the fundamentals of academic writing. Through the writing process, students will refine topics; develop and support ideas; investigate, evaluate, and incorporate appropriate resources; edit for effective style and usage; and determine appropriate approaches for a variety of contexts, audiences, and purposes. Writing activities will include exposition and argumentation with at least one researched essay that requires students to locate, evaluate, integrate, and document sources and effectively edit for style and usage.

"iPower” is the central theme at Grade 12. Core curricular units are designed around enduring understandings and essential questions and align with the SOLs for twelfth grade.

• There is a sustained emphasis on reading comprehension of fiction and nonfiction texts. Students will review multiple texts to identify and evaluate resources to make decisions and solve problems. The students will examine and analyze fiction texts by British and world authors evaluating how authors use key elements to contribute to meaning and interpreting how themes are connected across texts.
• The student will continue development of vocabulary, with attention to connotations, idioms, classical allusions, and figurative language.
• The student will continue to use the writing process to write/compose with an emphasis on persuasion and argumentation for multiple purposes and audiences to create focused, organized, and coherent writing. Students will write to a standard acceptable to both the workplace and postsecondary education.
• Students will create media messages and analyze the cause-and-effect relationships between mass media coverage and public opinion trends. Students will create persuasive/argumentative multimodal presentations both independently and in collaborative groups.
• The student will produce a research product synthesizing information from primary and secondary sources while maintaining ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information.
• Students will continue to demonstrate the ability to work within diverse teams and collaborative groups working toward common goals.

The following alternative courses use the basic structure and content of English 12 but offers more rigorous study.

This course will address the Virginia Standards of Learning for Grade 12 English which include a sustained emphasis on reading comprehension by comparing, analyzing, and evaluating literary and informational texts. The student will examine and analyze literary texts from Britain and around the world by evaluating how authors use key elements to contribute to meaning and interpreting how themes are connected across texts.  The student will continue development of vocabulary, with attention to connotations, idioms, classical allusions, and figurative language. Students will also examine major works of world literature, from canon to contemporary. This course involves critical reading and writing experiences throughout.

This course will address the Virginia Standards of Learning for Grade 12 English and introduce students to critical thinking and the fundamentals of academic writing. Through the writing process, students will refine topics; develop and support ideas; investigate, evaluate, and incorporate appropriate resources; edit for effective style and usage; and determine appropriate approaches for a variety of contexts, audiences, and purposes. Writing activities will include exposition and argumentation with at least one researched essay that requires students to locate, evaluate, integrate, and document sources and effectively edit for style and usage.

The Advanced Placement English Language and Composition course is designed to help students become skilled readers of prose written in a variety of American periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and to become skilled writers who can compose for a variety of purposes. Students will become aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes and rhetorical choices, audience expectations, and subjects, as well as the way literary conventions and the resources of language contribute to effective writing. Class assessments will prepare students for the College Board's two-part culminating exam, which consists of multiple choice and free response essays.

The Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition course is designed to engage students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative world literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students can deepen their understanding of the way writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students will consider a work’s structure, style, narrative perspective, setting, and themes, as well as more nuanced literary elements such as figurative language, imagery, symbolism, poetic meter, syntax, and tone. Class assessments will prepare students for the College Board's two-part culminating exam, which consists of multiple choice and free response essays.

In all middle schools, the English Language Arts Program focuses on four organizing topics as outlined in the Virginia English Standards of Learning: communication and multimodal literacies, reading, writing, and research. Competence in these areas leads to advanced student thinking and success both in and out of school. Curriculum follows a concept-based framework that focuses on enduring understandings and essential questions.

• Reading comprehension will focus on the comparison of fiction and nonfiction texts. In fiction texts, students will identify elements of narrative structure including identifying theme and analyzing figurative language. There is an emphasis on nonfiction reading by creating objective summaries and drawing inferences using textual evidence.
• The student will begin the study of word origins and continue vocabulary development.
• The student will plan, draft, revise, and edit writing in a variety of forms with an emphasis on narrative and reflective writing.
• Students will deliver multimodal presentations individually and in collaborative groups. Students will interpret information presented in diverse media formats.
• Students both contribute to and facilitate collaborative group work.
• The student will find, evaluate, and select appropriate resources for a research product and cite both primary and secondary sources. The meaning and consequences of plagiarism will be stressed.

In all middle schools, the English Language Arts Program focuses on four organizing topics as outlined in the Virginia English Standards of Learning: communication and multimodal literacies, reading, writing, and research. Competence in these areas leads to advanced student thinking and success both in and out of school. Curriculum follows a concept-based framework that focuses on enduring understandings and essential questions.

• There is a continued emphasis on reading comprehension by comparing fiction and nonfiction texts. In fiction texts, students will identify elements of a variety of genres while focusing on an author’s style. There is an increased emphasis on nonfiction reading, and students will identify the source, point-of-view, and purpose of texts.
• The student will continue the study of word origins and roots and begin identifying connotations.
• The student will plan, draft, revise, and edit writing in a variety of forms with an emphasis on expository and persuasive writing. Students will write to develop and modify a central idea, tone, and voice to fit the audience and purpose.
• Students will continue to deliver multimodal presentations individually and in collaborative groups. Students will interpret information presented in diverse media formats.
• Students share responsibility for collaborative work, as both a contributor and a facilitator, while working toward consensus.
• The student will apply research techniques to quote, summarize, and paraphrase research findings while properly citing sources. The meaning and consequences of plagiarism will be stressed.

In English 7, Intensified students will apply a complex lens of examination and interpretation to a variety of texts and genres to include fiction, non-fiction, short stories, novels and excerpts, argument, and media. Students will also be tasked with reflecting on their thinking and learning and use the writing process to develop and craft expository, narrative, and persuasive writing pieces.

Goals of this course include having students:

• Collaborate with peers through a comparative analysis process.
• Analyze and compare organizational structures of texts and use this knowledge to comprehend nonfiction and fiction and cite evidence to support their thinking.
• Expand academic vocabulary to include morphology and word origins.
• Write in a variety of forms, with a focus on essay writing, with a revision process to improve usage and mechanics, and composition and expression.
• Write to develop and modify a central idea, tone, and voice to fit the audience and purpose.
• Read higher level texts, as assigned or student choice, to make deeper learning connections to learning unit themes and learning expectations.
• Create and present work with a research-based focus, in diverse media formats and using advanced sources.
• Engage in critical thinking for reading and writing to include defending thoughts and ideas, composing and presenting critiques, exploring intentions of others, exploring “What If’ questions, and examining and evaluating real world situations and contexts.

In all middle schools, the English Language Arts Program focuses on four organizing topics as outlined in the Virginia English Standards of Learning: communication and multimodal literacies, reading, writing, and research. Competence in these areas leads to advanced student thinking and success both in and out of school. Curriculum follows a concept-based framework that focuses on enduring understandings and essential questions.

• There is a continued emphasis on reading comprehension by comparing fiction and nonfiction texts. In fiction texts, students will explain the development of themes, and compare/ contrast authors’ styles. There is an increased emphasis on nonfiction reading, and students will analyze authors’ qualifications, point-of-view, and style.
• The student will continue the study of word origins, roots, connotations, and denotations.
• The student will plan, draft, revise, and edit while writing in a variety of forms with an emphasis on expository and persuasive writing. Students will compose a thesis statement and defend a position with reasons and evidence, including counterclaims.
• Students will evaluate, analyze, develop, and produce media messages. Students will create multimodal presentations that include different points-of-view.
• Students will collaborate with others to exchange ideas, make decisions, accomplish goals, and solve problems.
• The student will apply research techniques to analyze information gathered from diverse sources by identifying misconceptions and possible bias. Students will cite primary and secondary sources using either MLA or APA style. The meaning and consequences of plagiarism will be stressed.

In English 8, Intensified students will apply a complex lens of examination and interpretation to a variety of texts and genres to include fiction, non-fiction, short stories, novels and excerpts, argument, and media. Students will also be tasked with reflecting on their thinking and learning and use the writing process to develop and craft expository, narrative, and persuasive writing pieces.

Goals of this course include having students:

• Engage in cross-curricular connections.
• Collaborate with peers through a comparative analysis process.
• Analyze and compare organizational structures of texts and use this knowledge to comprehend nonfiction and fiction and cite evidence to support their thinking.
• Analyze language in texts, as well as imagery and theme.
• Expand academic vocabulary to include morphology and word origins.
• Write in a variety of forms, with a focus on essay writing, with a revision process to improve usage and mechanics, and composition and expression.
• Write a literary analysis and a short story.
• Read higher level texts, as assigned or student choice, to make deeper learning connections to learning unit themes and learning expectations.
• Create and present work with a research-based focus, in diverse media formats and using advanced sources.
• Engage in critical thinking for reading and writing to include defending thoughts and ideas, composing and presenting critiques, exploring intentions and choices of others, exploring “What If’ questions, evaluating decisions, analyzing multiple viewpoints, and examining and evaluating real world situations and contexts.

Students engage in remedial work in the academic areas for which they have passed the class but failed the SOL assessment. Instructional software and/or on-line programs may be used to supplement instruction. The majority of student work will be completed on an independent study basis, with assistance from the teacher as needed.

Students engage in remedial work in the academic areas for which they have passed the class but failed the SOL assessment. Instructional software and/or on-line programs may be used to supplement instruction. The majority of student work will be completed on an independent study basis, with assistance from the teacher as needed.

Tenth grade students taking Seminar, AP will receive a graduation credit for English 10. Seminar, AP is a foundational course that engages students in cross-curricular conversations that explore the complexities of academic and real-world topics and issues by analyzing divergent perspectives. Students develop skills such as analytical reading and writing, research, collaboration, presentation, and time management by exploring topics and themes of interest. Using an inquiry framework, students practice reading and analyzing articles, research studies, and foundational literary and philosophical texts; listening to and viewing speeches, broadcasts, and personal accounts; and experiencing artistic works and performances. Students learn to synthesize information from multiple sources, develop their own perspectives in research-based written essays, and design and deliver oral and visual presentations, both individually and as part of a team. Students will learn to analyze and evaluate information with accuracy and precision and craft and communicate evidence-based arguments. 

Structured Literacy I will utilize systematic, explicit and cumulative direct instruction in two broad areas: word recognition (phonological awareness, decoding and sight recognition) and language comprehension (background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge).  Instruction in this course will emphasize word recognition. This course will employ diagnostic teaching to target gaps in foundational literacy skills that prevent secondary students from accessing grade level curricula.  Reading instruction will follow a research-based sequence and will be guided by student performance on diagnostic assessments and frequent progress monitoring.  Lessons will foster a sense of self-efficacy, sense of community, and utilizing literacy to achieve goals.

Structured Literacy I will utilize systematic, explicit and cumulative direct instruction in two broad areas: word recognition (phonological awareness, decoding and sight recognition) and language comprehension (background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge).  Instruction in this course will emphasize word recognition. This course will employ diagnostic teaching to target gaps in foundational literacy skills that prevent secondary students from accessing grade level curricula.  Reading instruction will follow a research-based sequence and will be guided by student performance on diagnostic assessments and frequent progress monitoring.  Lessons will foster a sense of self-efficacy, sense of community, and utilizing literacy to achieve goals.

Structured Literacy II will utilize systematic, explicit and cumulative direct instruction in language comprehension (background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge) with some review of word recognition.  Instruction in this course will emphasize language comprehension to build students’ vocabulary and background knowledge to become increasingly proficient and strategic in reading comprehension. To enroll, students must have demonstrated mastery (accuracy and automaticity) in skills associated with word recognition (Phonological Awareness, Decoding, Sight Recognition), but may be continuing to work on fluency.  Lessons will foster a sense of self-efficacy, sense of community, and utilizing literacy to achieve goals.

Structured Literacy II will utilize systematic, explicit and cumulative direct instruction in language comprehension (background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge) with some review of word recognition.  Instruction in this course will emphasize language comprehension to build students’ vocabulary and background knowledge to become increasingly proficient and strategic in reading comprehension. To enroll, students must have demonstrated mastery (accuracy and automaticity) in skills associated with word recognition (Phonological Awareness, Decoding, Sight Recognition), but may be continuing to work on fluency.  Lessons will foster a sense of self-efficacy, sense of community, and utilizing literacy to achieve goals.