Ana McDonald's Academic English I
San Marcos High School
Language Arts Classroom Building, Room 214
Syllabus Part 2: English I Overview
Reading is Understanding
Writing is Making Other People Understand
The school-year is divided into Quarters. Please click on the appropriate Quarter for detailed information about what we'll be doing in class including descriptions of major assignments.
Reading is Understanding
Students are urged to read outside class for pleasure for at least 30 minutes per day!
We'll read world literature and examine the historical influences that shape the literature. To acquire reading skills, we will learn what excellent readers already know, particularly focusing on Questioning, Predicting, Revising, Clarifying, Summarizing, and Drawing Conclusions.
Writing is Thinking & Making Other People Understand
The focus of English I (a.k.a., 9th Grade Language Arts) is logical argument with thesis, evidence, and definitions; persuasion; and description. We'll read world literature and examine the historical influences that shape the literature. Academic English II will introduce and improve the critical thinking skills students need in high school and beyond into college or the workplace. These skills include:
| Understanding Information |
Producing Information
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| Reading |
Writing
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| Listening |
Speaking
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| Viewing |
Representing
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To learn to write effectively, we'll analyze the TAKS Paragraph (Short Answer) and TAKS Essay Rubrics and others as required by the district.
By the end of the year, students should be able to