Welcome to The Academy of Public Service English Department!
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Links
ELA Scope and Sequence
Literary Terms
Non-Fiction Readings
Poetry
Courses
English Language Arts 10: In alignment with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks
and the Citywide Learning Standards for English Language Arts, this course will
develop students’ reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and critical
thinking skills. Students will use a variety of strategies to critically read
and respond to diverse selections of literary genres (both fiction and
nonfiction). In preparation for the MCAS, students will identify, compare,
analyze and evaluate (orally and in writing) the influence of an author’s
cultural, personal, and social background on the point of view and other
literary elements, structures, themes, language, and literary devices presented
in a text. Moreover, students will understand how to formulate questions and
take a position on what they are reading. They will gather and organize
information to support their point of view or position. Students will apply what
they learn to make personal connections with what they read and to
compare and contrast their points of view with others.
Furthermore, this course will enable students to participate in the workshop
approach. This approach will also be used to teach reading, writing, and
learning strategies and to help students put them into practice to become
independent learners. The course allows students to share in the ownership of
the curriculum to increase their investment, engagement, and motivation.
Students will use a variety of effective learning strategies to explore and
understand the content they are studying. Students participate in the selection
of books for independent and small group reading, discussion, and writing
activities, and they also explore, read, and write about topics and ideas of
importance to them.
English Language Arts 11: In alignment with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks
and the Citywide Learning Standards for English Language Arts, this course will
develop students’ understanding of literature and their reading, writing,
listening, speaking, viewing, and critical thinking skills. They will identify,
analyze and evaluate the author’s point of view and choice of language as well
as demonstrate their understanding of the characters, elements, structures,
themes, and literary devices that are included in the texts. Moreover, they will
understand how to formulate and respond to open-response questions and key
questions about what they are reading. They will develop and present clear
points of view and positions; utilize a variety of research skills to gather and
organize information to support their points of view and positions; apply what
they learn to compare and contrast their points of view and positions with
others.
Furthermore, this course will enable students to participate in the workshop
approach. This approach will also be used to teach reading, writing, and
learning strategies and to help students put them into practice to become
independent learners. The course allows students to share in the ownership of
the curriculum to increase their investment, engagement, and motivation.
Students will use a variety of effective learning strategies to explore and
understand the content they are studying. Students participate in the selection
of books for independent and small group reading, discussion, and writing
activities, and they also explore, read, and write about topics and ideas of
importance to them.
English Language Arts 12: In alignment with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks
and the Citywide Learning Standards for English Language Arts, this course will
develop students’ understanding of literature and their reading, writing,
listening, speaking, viewing, and critical thinking skills. Students will
analyze and evaluate the author’s point of view and other elements, structures,
themes, language, and literary devices. Moreover, students will understand how
to formulate and respond to open-response questions and key questions about what
they are reading and the literary language, characters, themes, and structures.
Also, utilizing a variety of research techniques, students will gather and
organize information from primary and secondary sources to support their
presentation of a point of view or position on a particular theme or topic from
literature in the form of a research paper.
Furthermore, this course will enable students to participate in the workshop
approach. This approach will also be used to teach reading, writing, and
learning strategies and to help students put them into practice to become
independent learners. The course allows students to share in the ownership of
the curriculum to increase their investment, engagement, and motivation.
Students will use a variety of effective learning strategies to explore and
understand the content they are studying. Students participate in the selection
of books for independent and small group reading, discussion, and writing
activities, and they also explore, read, and write about topics and ideas of
importance to them.
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition: In this course students will read a diverse selection of
essays, respond to the essays and analyze models of good writing and original
examples produced in class. These essays include, for example, narration,
description, example, comparison/contrast, argument and persuasion. The AP
English course will develop students’ critical thinking, reading, writing,
listening and speaking skills. Students will develop opinions about what they
read and take part in class discussions. In addition, students will learn and
apply useful literary terms and increase their ability to utilize grade level
vocabulary. Students will utilize important strategies when responding to
reading selections (e.g., writing while reading or interacting with text,
summarizing, analyzing, making inferences, synthesizing, and evaluating). In AP
English students will also examine the author’s point of view, and choice of
language, elements, structures, themes, and literary devices. Moreover, students
will write in the various modes of discourse (narration, description, persuasive
argument, etc.). Furthermore, students will increase their understanding of the
writing process through drafting, revising, editing, and sharing or publishing.
This course will also prepare students for The College Board Advanced Placement
Test in English Language and Composition. Students will develop the essential
skills required for the AP English Test. The exam tests students’ skills in
analyzing the reasoning and expression of ideas in prose passages and asks
students to demonstrate their skill in composition by writing essays in various
rhetorical modes. This course will prepare students for the multiple-choice
questions and free-response questions. Students will practice for the AP English
Test in timed writing, timed multiple-choice questions and in analysis.