SANTA MONICA HIGH SCHOOL

ENGLISHENGLISH

WHO ARE WE?

ENGLISH TEACHERSS HouseAmy ChapmanJenna GasparinoLaSonja RobertsTisha ReichleMeredith LouriaRob Thais

A HouseJennifer PustMichael SurragoBerkeley BlatzTerry Anderson

M HouseLauren FairchildChristina NationMegan WalkerJohn Harris

O HouseAmy Beeman-SolanoMaria StevensStephanie Dew

H HouseRuth MagnusonRussell RowtonKitaro WebbJames Altuner

I HouseRandy DenisNathan FulcherGilda De La CruzPete BarrazaKathleen Faas

WHAT DO WE TEACH?

“COMPREHENSIVE ENGLISH”

READING SKILLSBOOKSWRITING SKILLSTYPES OF WRITINGRESEARCH SPEAKINGCREATIVE WRITING LINKS TO OTHER SUBJECTS LINKS TO THE REAL WORLD

READING SKILLS

A few samples:How to use Latin roots to figure out new wordHow to “mark up” a text.How to recognize and interpret a metaphor.How to detect irony.

BOOKS• Balance between old and new, between the

“canon” and the multicultural, between men and women.

• Balance between fiction and non-fiction• Outside Reading programs• Summer Reading

“A book is a ‘classic’ not because it’s old,

but because it’s always new.”

WRITING SKILLS

A few samples:• Using ink, full name, correctly capitalized title.• Varying the length and structure of sentences.• Using graceful transitions between ideas and

paragraphs.• Providing specific evidence and examples

The Sweet 16 ~ FEATURES OF GOOD WRITING ~

Ideas Organization Style Grammar 1 UNITY

You have one clear thesis that responds to the assigned task, and all the ideas in your essay help to support that thesis.

5 INTRODUCTION

Your first paragraph engages the reader and introduces a clear thesis or purpose.

9 CONCISENESS You express ideas simply and clearly, without wasted words or unnecessary repetition.

13 SENTENCE SENSE

Your writing is free of run-on sentences and fragments.

2 INSIGHT

Your ideas are thoughtful and stimulating, yet reasonable and true to the material.

6 PARAGRAPHING

Each body paragraph sticks to one idea; and each idea is discussed in only one body paragraph.

10 VOCABULARY

Your choice of words is interesting and precise, but not pretentious.

14 GRAMMAR & USAGE

You follow the rules of standard English.

3 ARGUMENT

You prove your ideas clearly, logically, and completely. You fully prepare the reader to understand each sentence and its purpose in your paper.

7 FLOW

Your main ideas are presented in a logical and effective order, made clear via topic sentences, paragraph conclusions, and transitions.

11 SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Your sentences are strong, graceful, and suitably varied in length and structure.

15 MECHANICS

Your spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are correct.

4 EVIDENCE

The quality and quantity of evidence strongly supports your ideas, and shows

8 CONCLUSION

You conclude with a graceful reminder of your thesis.

12 VIVIDNESS

You enliven your writing with concrete language, fresh and specific detail, and

16 FORMAT

You follow the conventions of format and documentation.

TYPES OF WRITING• ESSAYS ABOUT LITERATURE• AUTO/BIOGRAPHICAL NARRATIVE• PERSUASIVE ESSAYS• RESEARCH ESSAYS• RESEARCH/PERSUASIVE ESSAYS• S.A.T.-STYLE ESSAYS• JOURNALS• READING LOGS• OTHER “WRITING-TO-LEARN”

RESEARCH

9TH -12TH GRADE SEQUENCE OF RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION SKILLS BEGINS NEXT YEAR

The object of this addition to our curriculum is to prepare our students for one of the most common kinds of college writing.

SPEAKING

• Class lessons & discussions• Reports, projects, recitations, readings• Socratic seminars

CREATIVE WRITING

• LINKED TO LITERATUREAND/OR

• UN-LINKED

LINKS TO OTHER SUBJECTS

9th grade - English and Freshman Seminar10th grade – English and World History11th grade – English and American History12th grade – English and Philosophy, Psychology,

Sociology, History, Cultural Studies, Sports

LINKS TO THE REAL WORLD

• Assemblies – e.g., Downbeat 720• Nights at the theater & other field trips• Correspondence with other parts of the U.S.

and other countries, like Russia• The California Lit field trip to Steinbeck

country• Every day in every class of every English

teacher

WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC ENGLISH COURSES

TAUGHT?

COURSE OFFERINGS IN ENGLISH

9TH GRADE College Prep English Honors English

10TH GRADE College Prep English Honors English

11TH GRADE College Prep English Advanced Placement English Language and Composition

12TH GRADE Senior English Electives:-African American Literature-Bible as Literature / Existentialism-California Literature-Chicano/Latino Literature-Folktales and Mythology-Reader-Writer Workshopand upcoming . . . -Asian American Literature-Women’s Literature. . . and maybe more!

Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition

Should my child take college prep or honors/ap?

Do english teachers help students with their

personal statements for college applications?

Yes, it’s our policy: In all senior English classes, both elective and AP, there’s a unit on

writing the college personal statement, completed in early fall

before application deadlines.

When’s the exit exam, and how do you prepare

students for the language arts section?

The Exit Exam (CAHSEE) is next Tuesday and Wednesday, March 17 and 18. Tenth-grade teachers have state-prepared books to use with their classes to help prepare students. In addition, our regular 9th and 10th grade curriculum is geared to the standards that are tested by the Exit Exam.

How does the english department help struggling

students?

HELP WITH ENGLISH WORK

• ELD sequence• Tutorial blocks• Freshman Seminar blocks• After-school tutoring programs• House intervention programs• Individual teacher attention outside of class

hours• CAHSEE prep

Are you stuffy old english teachers down with the

latest technology?

•

Indeed we are! . . .

Elmo / Laptop / ProjectorHomework & handouts on-lineTurnitin.comWikisBlogs

What books should I get my child to read?

WHATEVER WILL ACTUALLY GET READ!Any book your child WILL actually read is a good book to get into their hands. If your child will read classics or other high-quality books, great! But don’t insist on quality if it discourages reading! Make reading fun, easy, and perhaps practical. Some often overlooked categories that appeal to high school students are:

GRAPHIC NOVELS (COMIC-BOOK STYLE)HUMORSCARY/HORROR/SUSPENSE/MYSTERYBOOKS OF QUOTES OR OTHER “SMALL BITES”SHORT AND SHORT SHORT STORIESBOOKS WITH MOVIE TIE-INSCELEBRITY BIOGRAPHIES – SPORTS, MUSIC, TV/MOVIESSELF-HELP BOOKS POETRY OR NOVEL-IN-VERSEFICTION BOOKS THAT ARE “BELOW STUDENT’S LEVEL”BILINGUAL BOOKS