• English
     
    BHS English Department Mission
     
    Click here for Course Options: BHS English Course Options
     
    The English department is committed to enhancing student learning in Language Arts. One of the main goals is not only to create students who know the curriculum but who can also think for themselves. Critical thinking and analysis play a major role in every classroom. Each year, the critical thinking level builds; students are moving from recall of information to evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing of information.

     

    English Department Curriculum
    You can find a general explanation of curriculum based on the level of the student on the Chandler Unified School District website.
     
     
    Research
    Each year, students complete a portion of the research process, over the years accumulating the skills to succeed at a graduate level. See the detailed research page for further information on this process, the steps at each grade level, and the topics.
     
     
    Common Activities Utilized
     
    · Socratic Seminars
    o Discussions based on Socrates' method of student-based questioning
    o Students are given questions to answer or they are given text to respond to and create their own questions. These questions are then discussed in a group setting, which allows students to learn many communication skills.
     

    ·     Literature Circles
    o Discussions based on common readings.
    o Students who have read the same novel or other text come together to discuss it. Often times, an assignment is given to hold students accountable for reading.
     

    ·     Independent Reading Projects
    o Reading that is conducted independently of school.
    o Each quarter, the students are assigned an IRP. The teacher chooses the genre and the student chooses a book from that genre, preferably from the approved book list, that they will read. After completing the book, students complete a project based on their reading. See resources list for list of approved books.
     
     

    ·     Grammar
    o Students learn grammar rules through the use of a progressive curriculum. English 9 begins with basic grammar such as identifying types of verbs and subject verb pairs. Each year, the rules build upon the curriculum previously learned. The purpose of teaching and learning grammar is for students to be able to utilize the knowledge when reading and writing.
     
     

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