Curriculum

ESL English 3

Prerequisites: a score in the intermediate range on both the SLEP (Secondary Language English Proficiency) Test and the departmental writing test.

The focus of this class is upon the academic skills of reading, writing, and grammar. Students study the different literary genres by reading three novels (To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and Animal Farm) in addition to short stories, poems, plays, essays and myths throughout the year. Grammar points such as verb tense, passive voice, and modals are taught and practiced within the context of the reading material. Students also learn how to create, write, revise, and edit narrative, descriptive, comparison/contrast, and persuasive essays.

ESL English 4

Prerequisites: successful completion of ESL 3 or a score in the advanced range on both the SLEP Test and the departmental writing test.

This course parallels our mainstream 9th and 10th grade English classes. The focus is upon the academic skills of analyzing literature and writing expository and creative essays. Texts such as The Catcher in the Rye, Things Fall Apart, Romeo and Juliet, and Lord of the Flies are read and analyzed. Students also explore short stories and poetry by such writers as Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Updike, Adrienne Rich, and William Shakespeare. Students create, write, revise, edit and select their own written pieces which are organized into a writing portfolio at the end of each semester. Advanced grammar points are taught and practiced within the context of the reading materials.

ESL History (9th and 10th grades)

Prerequisites: a score in the intermediate range on both the SLEP (Secondary Language English Proficiency) Test and the departmental writing test.

This course introduces major vocabulary and concepts of world history and surveys the highlights of world history between 500 and 1500. The course parallels the regular Medieval World History course but puts more emphasis on the study of geography and on developing the skills required for work in mainstreamed history.