English/Language Arts English/Language Arts Course Sequence
| Grade 9 | Grade 10 | Grade 11 | Grade 12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 credit | 1 credit | 1 credit | 1 credit |
| English 9 or Honors English 9 |
English 10 or Honors English 10 |
English 11 or Honors English 11 |
Senior Seminar or Honors Senior Seminar or UCONN ECE English Course or Community College 3 Credit English Course |
The English Language Arts Program of Studies Course Descriptions
The vision for literacy in the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System is to cultivate literate and productive students who are college, career and life ready. The vision at CTECS is to develop relevant, lifelong reading and writing habits in our students that will enhance their learning pathway and prepare them for success in a global community. The English/Language Arts program in grades 9-12 promotes critical thinking, reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and researching skills that students use to analyze, evaluate and synthesize text. The curriculum actively engages students in reading and reflecting on a wide range of texts with opportunities to develop thinking and writing skills.
Through whole class, small group, and independent reading and reflection, students in high school English/Language Arts classes develop an understanding of language and its use to convey meaning and provide insight about the world around them. Literacy is a complex skill that must be explicitly taught and practiced across all disciplines, both academic and trade. The CTECS English/Language Arts Curriculum also supports the development of skills recommended by the CT Core ELA Standards, 21st Century Learning Standards and Career Technical Education (CTE) Career Ready Practices.
Course selections are customized per location.
Courses that are NCAA approved are indicated.
Courses that may be repeated for credit are indicated.
English Courses
Prerequisite: Meet two out of the three criteria for Honors Course Selection
The English 9 curriculum is CT Core State Standards aligned and emphasizes reading and writing across genres. Students will explore four conceptually-based units of study to develop their analytic and critical thinking skills. By the end of the course, students should be able to effectively engage with and respond to multi-modal text by interpreting, connecting with, critically evaluating diverse works and supporting their positions with relevant textual evidence and elaborate explanations. An emphasis on argumentation will require students to evaluate academic sources, synthesize information and properly cite these sources using MLA standards.
Prerequisite: Meet two out of the three criteria for Honors Course Selection
The English 10 curriculum is CT Core State Standards aligned and emphasizes reading and writing across genres. Students will explore four conceptually-based units of study to develop their analytic and critical thinking skills. By the end of the course, students should be able to effectively engage with and respond to multi-modal text by interpreting, connecting with, critically evaluating diverse works and supporting their positions with relevant textual evidence and elaborate explanations with increasing sophistication. The course will require students to evaluate academic sources, synthesize information and properly cite these sources using MLA standards.
Prerequisite: Meet two out of the three criteria for Honors Course Selection
The English 11 curriculum is CT Core State Standards aligned and emphasizes reading and writing across genres. Students will explore four conceptually-based units of study to develop their analytic and critical thinking skills. By the end of the course, students should be able to effectively engage with and respond to multi-modal text by interpreting, connecting with, critically evaluating diverse works and supporting their positions with relevant textual evidence and elaborate explanations with increasing sophistication. Students will also acquire the habits of reading independently and closely, which are essential to their future success in college, career, and life. The course will require students to evaluate academic sources, synthesize information and properly cite these sources using MLA standards.
English Senior Seminars
Senior Seminars provide 12th grade students with an in-depth experience with a topic of their choosing in the field of English Language Arts. Schools may offer up to six of the following courses for students to choose from in making their Senior Seminar selection. Seniors who are enrolled in an UConn ECE English course or a College-Career Pathways Community College English course do not have to take a Senior Seminar.
This seminar will provide a multi-genre introduction to the craft of creative writing. In the setting of a writing workshop classroom, students will examine literary conventions as well as the writing techniques and tools essential to effective writing, editing and communication. Students will read and write across genres. Communication skills will be a key component of the course, as sharing work and responding to the work of other students is essential to the workshop process. Students will complete the course compiling a portfolio with a minimum of four major pieces of finished writing including an argumentative essay, informative expository essay, personal narrative/college essay and a creative project.
Prerequisite: Meet two out of the three criteria for Honors Course Selection
Honors Creative and Nonfiction Writing is an accelerated course for motivated readers and writers who have clearly demonstrated strong language arts ability. Students who select this class must be able to employ accurate grammatical conventions, logical organization and a sophisticated vocabulary in their writing. The focus of the course is to help students write effectively in different forms (narrative, descriptive, expository, analytical and argumentative), for different purposes and audiences. Students will improve and incorporate rhetorical strategies into their own writing. The course will require students to evaluate academic sources, synthesize information and properly cite these sources using MLA standards.
This seminar will explore universal themes central to our lifetime. Using contemporary works, students will explore the themes of modern society, cultural conflict, marginalized identities, the influence of technology, and others relevant to current student interest. Critical thinking, essay writing, researching and speaking skills will be emphasized.