TIPS FOR PARENTS

In addition, the following electives are available for Medford High School students:

MCAS English Review not only offers students an intensive review of the learning standards in the Massachusetts Language Arts Framework but also helps students to understand and use strategies in preparation for the MCAS test in English.

Mythology is remarkably suited to the current trend toward cultural diversity and parallels the study of classical literature, as well as Greek, Latin, and ancient history.

Book Club The Book club elective is a course where you pick books that you enjoy, have quiet time to read alone, and engage in critical discussions with your peers. Without even knowing it, you will earn to read more actively and fluently, to communicate effectively verbally and in writing, and to choose literature that you love. This new elective course supports our district literacy program and promotes the principles of Silent Sustained Reading (SSR), which research indicates is essential to creating life-long readers.

To create strong schools, the definition of the classroom must be expanded to include the family. The Medford Public Schools recognizes that parental support for their childs learning is an important component in optimizing student achievement. Here are some suggestions for supporting your child throughout the school year: Make your childs attendance at school a top priority. There are only 180 instructional days per school year; given the new district curriculum and rigorous state testing, it is critical that children be in school each day to be successful Consult frequently with your childs teacher about your childs progress and specific ways to help him/her with their work Work with the school to promote good study habits Develop good nutritional, rest and safety habits Take an active interest at home in you childs daily school activities Help your child select materials and ideas from home to contribute to class assignments Provide your child with a structure for studying that includes a schedule and location where he or she can quietly work on assignments Encourage your child to pursue individual interests and help him/her to link interests with schoolwork Assist your child with homework ensuring that the final product reflects his true understanding of the assignment Use family activity time to reinforce learning in school by visiting museums and libraries Keep current about district and state educational initiatives. Sources for educational information include channel 15 and the following websites: Medford Public Schools http://www.medford.k12.ma.us/ Department of Education http://www.doe.mass.edu

Medford High School Medford Vocational-Technical High School English Department ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS This guide provides an overview of what a high school student should know and be able to do in English/language arts (ELA). The Medford Public Schools is committed to providing all students with the academic and problem-solving skills essential for personal development, responsible citizenship, and life -long learning. The district-wide curriculum goals are as follows: To develop high standards and expectations for all students To incorporate a balanced core of critical, essential learning that reflects national standards and the state curriculum framework for English/language arts To develop competency in communication, thinking, problem solving, research, and other critical skills To connect learning to relevant situations and experiences outside the school setting To measure student learning through multiple types of assessments, including the MCAS To integrate the curriculum, whenever possible, across subjects and grade levels To effectively integrate technology into the curriculum To recognize and respect the different needs, interests, and talents of all students For additional information on the English/language arts curriculum, instructional and/or assessment program of the Medford Public Schools, please contact Nicole Chiesa, Interim Director @ 781-393-9016 Roy E. Belson, Superintendent of Schools Beverly Nelson, Deputy Superintendent Paul Krueger, Headmaster, High School William Mahoney, Director, MVTHS Medford School Committee Mayor Michael McGlynn Ann Marie Cugno Erin DiBenedetto John Falco Robert E. Skerry George Scarpelli Paulette Van der Kloot

Mission : The mission of the Medford High School English program is to facilitate and teach literacy through reading, the writing process, listening skills, speaking and presenting, and reasoning so that learners will use language purposefully as they comprehend, construct and convey meaning. Vision: The vision of the Medford High School English program is to empower students to go beyond the limits of their immediate experience and to strengthen the powerful and uniquely human connection that exists between thought and language. Students will learn not only about language but through language in an integrated language arts approach using multiple strategies to ensure active and ongoing learning. Students will broaden their understanding of our diverse world, ultimately developing into effective communicators and challenged, independent learners. ******************** The English department of Medford High School provides continuing opportunities for each student to develop discipline and the academic skills necessary to understand and appreciate literature and the humanities; the communication skills necessary for effective reading, writing, speaking, listening, thinking and presenting; and the motivation necessary to foster increasing curiosity and creativity, traits that contribute to the development of the personality and that will help the student in whatever field he/she enters after high school. Although the emphasis placed on specific skills varies for each grade and level, the total program provides continuity in the students educational program over four years. The English department is committed to the presentation of materials and skillsacquisition through a broad range of study: the reading of quality literature; the development of writing skills that ensure an appropriate finished product; spelling and vocabulary development; oral language; listening; grammar and usage, and reasoning. Since writing is a reflection of thinking, students are expected to respond to literature, as well as to generate writing from their own ideas. The English program specifically addresses and provides practice in pertinent areas such as the state MCAS Test (gr. 10), the PSAT Test (gr. 10), the SAT Test (gr. 9-12), and the two Advanced Placement (AP) Tests (gr. 11 and 12). All teachers at the secondary level work with a curriculum that stresses weekly writing, a research paper for each of four years, the reading of quality literature: classic, contemporary, and multicultural. All instruction is allied with the Massachusetts language arts Framework. England. Summer reading is a requirement for all standard, honors and AP students. ********************

The following are expected outcomes for all students at Medford High School, outcomes that ally with the Mass. language arts Framework: Students will be able to 1. Use agreed-upon rules for formal and informal in small groups. 2. Pose questions, listen to the ideas of others, and contribute their own information or ideas in group discussions and interviews in order to acquire new knowledge. 3. Make oral presentations that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and the information to be conveyed. 4. Acquire new vocabulary and use it correctly in reading and writing. 5. Describe and analyze the grammatical structure of the English language and the standard English conventions for sentence structure, usage, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling 6. Describe and analyze how oral dialects differ from each other in English, how they differ from written standard English, and what role standard American English plays in informal and formal communication. 7. Describe and analyze how the English language has developed and been influenced by other languages. 8. Decode accurately and understand new words encountered in their reading materials, drawing on a variety of strategies as needed, and then use these words accurately in speaking and writing. 9. Identify the basic facts and essential ideas in what they have read, heard, or viewed. 10. Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the characteristics of different genres. 11. Identify, analyze and apply knowledge of theme, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. 12. Identify and analyze how an author's choice of words appeals to the senses, creates imagery, suggests mood, and sets tone. 13. Compare and contrast similar myths and narratives from different cultures and geographic regions. 14. Interpret the meaning of literary works, non-fiction, films and media by using different critical lenses and analytic techniques. 15. Plan and present effective dramatic readings, recitations and performances that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience and purpose. 16. Write compositions with a clear focus, logically related ideas to develop it, and adequate detail. 17. Select and use appropriate genres, modes of reasoning, and speaking styles when writing for different audiences and rhetorical purposes. 18. Demonstrate improvement in organization, content, paragraph development, level of detail, style, tone and word choice in their compositions after revising them. 19. Use knowledge of standard English conventions to edit their writing. 20. Use self-generated questions, note-taking, summarizing, precis writing, and outlining to enhance learning when reading or writing. 21. Use open-ended research questions, different sources of information, and appropriate research methods to gather information for their research projects. 22. Develop and use appropriate rhetorical, logical, and stylistic criteria for assessing final versions of their compositions or research projects before presenting them to varied audiences.

23. Obtain information by using a variety of media and evaluate the quality of material they obtain. 24. Explain how the techniques used in electronic media modify traditional forms of discourse for aesthetic and rhetorical purposes. 25. Design and create coherent media productions with a clear controlling idea, adequate detail, and appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and medium. *** In order to help grade 9 students to adjust to the high school program, special attention is given to library and study skills. By building on the tools of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking (skills presented in both the elementary and middle school grades), the student is provided with continued opportunities for developing these communication skills, while focusing on analysis of the short story, novel, essay, drama, and poetry. *** In grade 10 the focus is on British literature where the British Isles has continually offered great contributions to world literature. Through class discussion, readings, informal and critical essays, independent research, etc., students explore the major themes that the authors themselves explored. From this concentration on British literature, it is expected that students will develop higher critical/analytical reading and thinking skills in order to evaluate data and to respond appropriately. *** With American literature as the focus for study, grade 11 students develop a deeper knowledge and greater respect for the American heritage: its history, its complexity and its literary contributions. Thematic units (e.g., the Puritan conscience, the American search for identify, the American ideal, etc.) are studied through representative writers. Critical analysis and the essay comprise the principal amount of writing. *** For grade 12 world literature, reading in mythology and epic lore explores the roots of literary tradition. A survey of world literature from the fourteenth through the twentieth centuries affords students the opportunity to challenge the thinking of the great minds of Western civilization. Discussions are based on textual analysis and related material. The focus for the research paper originates from course readings. The English program offers students two Advanced Placement courses: Grade 11: AP English Language and Composition is a writing-intensive course that includes the study of style, structure, rhetorical devices, and modes of discourse in conjunction with a close examination of British literature. Students work to unlock the mysteries of poetry and prose from Shakespeare to Shaw and beyond. Course requirements include an afterschool seminar held each week for additional course work and for timed writings. This course is designed to perfect students critical writing skills in preparation for the AP exam in English Language and Composition. Grade 12: AP World Literature includes a study of writing style, the structure and variety of sentences, diction, rhetorical strategies, modes of discourse, and appropriate relationships among author, audience and subject. In addition, students read various examples of world literature from several genres and periods. In addition to increasing their ability to analyze an individual literary work in terms of character, language, setting, and themes, students evaluate structure, meaning, value and the relationship of the work to contemporary experience, as well as to the time in which the author composed the work.