Verona Public School District Curriculum Overview Curriculum Committee Members: Dr. Stacey Smith Supervisor: Dr. Sumit Bangia Curriculum Developed: July 2015 Verona Public Schools 121 Fairview Ave., Verona, NJ 07044 www.veronaschools.org Board Approval Date: October 20, 2015
Verona Public Schools Mission Statement: The mission of the Verona Public Schools, the center of an engaged and supportive community, is to empower students to achieve their potential as active learners and productive citizens through rigorous curricula and meaningful, enriching experiences. Course Description: This course must be taken in conjunction with Speech Arts (for 12th grade students) as a year of English. Effective writing is a skill that requires ongoing and extensive practice in both reading AND writing. This course proposes two interactive components: 1) guided, intensive narrative, expository, and persuasive writing with a focus on synthesis and the application of rhetorical strategies, and 2) focused reading based upon student choice. Reading will be required but the texts will vary depending on the interests of the students. The course will provide practice and instruction in the evaluation of texts, as well as the types of writing students will use both in college and the professional world. Prerequisite(s): English III
8.1: Educational Technology: All students will use digital tools to access, manage, evaluate, and synthesize information in order to solve problems individually and collaborate and to create and communicate knowledge. X X X X X A. Technology Operations and Concepts B. Creativity and Innovation C. Communication and Collaboration D. Digital Citizenship E. Research and Information Fluency F. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making Standard 8: Technology Standards 8.2: Technology Education, Engineering, Design, and Computational Thinking - Programming: All students will develop an understanding of the nature and impact of technology, engineering, technological design, computational thinking and the designed world as they relate to the individual, global society, and the environment. A. The Nature of Technology: Creativity and Innovation X B. Technology and Society C. Design D. Abilities for a Technological World E. Computational Thinking: Programming Social and Emotional Learning Core Competencies: These competencies are identified as five interrelated sets of cognitive, affective, and behavioral capabilities Self-awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one s emotions and thoughts and their influence on behavior. This includes accurately assessing one s strengths and limitations and possessing a well-grounded sense of confidence and optimism. Self-management: The ability to regulate one s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations. This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, motivating oneself, and setting and working toward achieving personal and academic goals. Social awareness: The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school, and community resources and supports. Relationship skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking and offering help when needed. Responsible decision making: The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others. SEL Competencies and Career Ready Practices Career Ready Practices: These practices outline the skills that all individuals need to have to truly be adaptable, reflective, and proactive in life and careers. These are researched practices that are essential to career readiness. x CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership, and effective management. x CRP10. Plan education and career paths aligned to personal goals. CRP3. Attend to personal health and financial well-being. x CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. x CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. x CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership, and effective management. x CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership, and effective management. CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence. x x CRP5. CRP7. CRP8. CRP9. Consider the environmental, social, and economic impact of decisions. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Model integrity, ethical leadership, and effective management.
9.1: Personal Financial Literacy: This standard outlines the important fiscal knowledge, habits, and skills that must be mastered in order for students to make informed decisions about personal finance. Financial literacy is an integral component of a student's college and career readiness, enabling students to achieve fulfilling, financially-secure, and successful careers. Standard 9: 21 st Century Life and Careers 9.2: Career Awareness, Exploration & Preparation: This standard outlines the importance of being knowledgeable about one's interests and talents, and being well informed about postsecondary and career options, career planning, and career requirements. 9.3: Career and Technical Education: This standard outlines what students should know and be able to do upon completion of a CTE Program of Study. A. Income and Careers B. Money Management C. Credit and Debt Management D. Planning, Saving, and Investing E. Becoming a Critical Consumer F. Civic Financial Responsibility G. Insuring and Protecting x A. Career Awareness (K-4) B. Career Exploration (5-8) C. Career Preparation (9-12) A. Agriculture, Food & Natural Res. B. Architecture & Construction C. Arts, A/V Technology & Comm. D. Business Management & Admin. E. Education & Training F. Finance G. Government & Public Admin. H. Health Science I. Hospital & Tourism J. Human Services K. Information Technology L. Law, Public, Safety, Corrections & Security M. Manufacturing N. Marketing O. Science, Technology, Engineering & Math P. Transportation, Distribution & Log. Core Instructional Materials : These are the board adopted and approved materials to support the curriculum, instruction, and assessment of this course. College Writing Skills with Readings (9 th Edition) McGraw Hill ISBN: 9780078036279 Course Materials Differentiated Resources : These are teacher and department found materials, and also approved support materials that facilitate differentiation of curriculum, instruction, and assessment of this course. Various graphic organizers, webs and study tools
( /English) Unit Title / Topic: Who am I? Using Personal Narrative to reflect upon identity Unit Duration: 3 weeks STAGE 1: DESIRED RESULTS Established Goals Transfer Common Core Students will be able to independently use their learning to RI 11-12.6, 10 W 11-12. 3-5, 10 SL 11-12. 3-4, 6 L 11-12. 1-3,6 Construct a focused narrative essay using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences that help to give insight into personal attributes and strengths based upon real experiences. Enduring Understandings Students will understand that: Meaning Essential Questions Good writers develop and refine their ideas for thinking, learning, communicating and aesthetic expression. Writing to explain requires confident tone, specific word choice, and clear organization. Effective writers hook and hold their readers through good organization and clear language. Effective communication relies on the usage of proper forms that that into account both the audience and purpose. Writing is evaluated based a variety of criteria that may include purpose and audience. Writing can be enhanced through insightful reflection upon life experiences. Good writers use a repertoire of strategies that enables them to vary form and style, in order to write for different purposes, audiences and contexts. Rules, conventions of language, help readers understand what is being communicated. How do good writers express themselves? How do writers use language and structure to explain their ideas? How do effective writers hook and hold their readers? How does audience influence format of your writing? How does the purpose influence the format of your writing? How do we evaluate writing? How can we use evaluation and reflection to improve our writing? How do writers develop a well written product? How do rules of language affect communication? Students will know: Acquisition of Knowledge & Skills Students will be able to:
A personal essay requires the writer to reflect on his/her own personal experience. A good writer utilizes the writing process and continually revises. A good writer opens themselves to new perspectives through revision. A personal narrative is written from the author s point of view and tries to lead the reader to reflect on it. Sensory details are critical in personal narrative because it creates a unified and forceful effect. Key Terms Personal narrative Point of view Voice Tone Thesis Write a narrative to develop real events using effective technique with appropriate details and a solid structure. Develop and strengthen writing as necessary by planning, editing, revising and rewriting. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
Unit Title / Topic: Explain yourself: The fundamentals of expository writing Unit Duration: 5 weeks STAGE 1: DESIRED RESULTS Established Goals Transfer Common Core Students will be able to independently use their learning to RI 11-12.6, 10 W 11-12. 3-5, 10 SL 11-12. 3-4, 6 L 11-12. 1-3,6 Write a variety of informative (i.e., explanatory) based pieces of writings that examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. Enduring Understandings Students will understand that: Writing is essential to any individual s effective communication. Certain words help express ideas precisely and concisely without being repetitive. Rules, conventions of language, help readers understand what is being communicated. Writing to explain requires confident tone, specific word choice and clear organization. By improving our writing, we can better understand our identity by communicating our beliefs, values, and priorities. Expository writing is used by professional writers to convey information about themselves to their audiences. Meaning Essential Questions How does a person become an effective communicator? How can a writer or speaker avoid being repetitive? Why are certain words or phrases better to use than others? How do rules of language affect communication? How do writers use language and structure to explain their ideas? Why is writing to explain important to high school students? How do professional writers explain who they are to their readers? Students will know: Acquisition of Knowledge & Skills Students will be able to: The introductory paragraph clearly states what is to be analyzed or explained. Each subsequent paragraph has a distinct supporting topic. Each of the sentences of the paragraph relates directly to the topic. All the paragraphs are sequenced properly and make smooth transition from one topic to another. Precise and accurate words are used to convey the message. The concluding paragraph reinforces the position in a meaningful way. Review and maintain foundational knowledge of grammatical concepts, such as parts of speech and parts of a sentence Apply knowledge of literal and figurative language and the denotations and connotations of words when choosing diction in writing use adequate descriptions and explanations, but avoid flowery language and wordy explanations; be concise Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
Key Terms details, elaboration, objectivity, hypothesis, redundancy, controlling idea, topic sentence, relevance, organization, appropriate topic, Works cited, introduction, thesis statement, transition, quote format/documentation, mechanics/grammar, Works Cited, MLA, Redundancy, Wordiness, Concise, Precise Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. Analyze structure of a mentor text Write an effective thesis statement Write effective short-answer response to a text-based critical thinking question incorporating textual evidence
Unit Title / Topic: Expanding your perspective: Reading for information Unit Duration: 5 weeks STAGE 1: DESIRED RESULTS Established Goals Transfer Common Core Students will be able to independently use their learning to RL. 11-12. 1,4 RI. 11-12. 1-8,10 W. 11-12. 1a-e, 2a-f,4-8, 9a-b,10 L. 11 12. 1a-b,2-3, 4a-d,5,6 SL. 11-12. 1a-d Locate and analyze pertinent information from varied informational based reading related resources (print, on-line; primary, secondary). Critically evaluate sources and information (e.g., for accuracy, completeness, timeliness, lack of bias, properly referenced). Enduring Understandings Students will understand that: A strong reader analyzes and draws inferences from an informational text. Textual evidence provides credibility to help support analysis. An effective reader is able to support his or her reasoning. A good reader uses context clues to understand the text. Reading style adjusts depending upon the type of writing being read. Effective readers utilize a variety of strategies that focus on comprehension to help understand the text. Meaning Essential Questions Why is it important to analyze and draw inferences from informational text in your own words through the practice of taking notes from the text? Why is it important to gather textual evidence to support an analysis? What do good readers do, especially when they don t understand a text? How can I infer or find out what these words might mean? How does what I am reading influence how I should read it? What strategies do effective readers use to understand text? Students will know: Acquisition of Knowledge & Skills Students will be able to: Informational texts present interesting information in an organized structure that makes sense for the reader; Information gathered from informational texts can be used in our writing. Informational writing has special structures and features (i.e. headings, sub-headings, etc.) Technical writing involves logical and rational arguments supported by facts, details, or examples found in various types of correspondence, manuals, and other technical pieces. Key Terms Practice careful and attentive reading of both assigned texts and independent text choices Read with accuracy a wide variety of texts, including a variety of styles, genres, historical periods, authors, perspectives, and subjects Effectively analyze informational based texts in order to comprehend and clearly communicate. Differentiate between to analyze versus to summarize/paraphrase Cite evidence from the text for all claims and inferences, both in formal academic work and collaborative discussion
Skimming, scanning, quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, format, outlining, narrow topic, select appropriate on-line sources, primary Source, secondary Source, autobiography, biography, articles, fact vs. opinion, bias, active reading strategies: connecting, comparing, visualizing, predicting, questioning, summarizing, synthesizing, analyzing, and inferring. Annotate texts as they read, both formally for analytical reference, and informally to cement comprehension Distinguish between evidence that strongly supports a claim or position, and details that may be irrelevant or extraneous Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Unit Title / Topic: Becoming an expert: Engaging in the research process Unit Duration: 5 weeks STAGE 1: DESIRED RESULTS Established Goals Transfer Common Core Students will be able to independently use their learning to Accurately engage in the research process in order to construct a well-developed argumentative essay using strong and thoroughly researched evidence to support claims. RI 11-12.6, 10 W 11-12. 3-5, 10 SL 11-12. 3-4, 6 L 11-12. 1-3,6 Meaning Enduring Understandings Students will understand that: An argumentative research paper helps students to develop their analytical thinking and writing skills. Learning to support an argument with reputable research-based evidence is a life skill. Writers must organize topic, clarify meaning, and effectively communicate to their audience. The process involved with reading and writing expands our understanding of the world, its people, and oneself. Acquisition of Knowledge & Skills Students will know: A valid written argument needs to be organized (use of transitions and relevant topic sentences). A good writer must correctly cite sources to avoid plagiarism. Research can help a writer broaden his/her understanding of an issue. A valid written argument needs to use specific direct quotations and incorporate them into the writer s Key Terms narrow topic, thesis, questions, find resources (primary/secondary), source cards, plagiarism, paraphrasing, evaluate sources, summarizing, drafting, works cited Essential Questions What is the purpose of writing a research-based paper? How do you determine what research best supports your argument with your target audience? When should you best apply your understanding of the difference between summarization and analysis in shaping an argument? What is the significant connection between reading and writing? Students will be able to: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. Accurately use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. Write a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.