Language Arts

 
Standard 1. 

WORD ANALYSIS, FLUENCY, AND SYSTEMATIC VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT.

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Students apply their knowledge of word origins both to determine the meaning of new words encountered in reading materials and to use those words accurately.
 

 
Vocabulary and Concept Development.

 
Skills:

 
1.1 Trace the etymology of significant terms used in political 
science and history.

 
1.2 Apply knowledge of Greek, Latin, and Anglo-Saxon roots and 
affixes to draw inferences concerning the meaning of scientific and mathematical terminology.

 
1.3 Discern the meaning and relationship between pairs of
words encountered in analogical statements.

 
Standard 2.

READING COMPREHENSION (FOCUS ON INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS)

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Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. They analyze the organization patterns, arguments, and positions advanced. The quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students are illustrated in the California Reading List. In addition, by grade 12, students read two million words annually on their own, including a wide variety of classic and contemporary literature as well as magazines, newspapers, and on-line information.
 

 
Structural Features of Informational Materials

 
Skills:

 
2.1 Analyze both the features and rhetorical devices of different
types of public documents and how authors use these features and 
devices.

 
Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text.

 
Skills:

 
2.2 Analyze how clarity is affected by the patterns of organization, hierarchical structures, repetition of key ideas, syntax, and word 
choice in text.

 
2.3 Verify and clarify facts presented in other types of expository 
texts by using a variety of consumer, workplace, and public documents.

 
2.4 Make warranted and reasonable assertions about significant 
patterns, motifs, and perspectives by using elements of text to 
defend and clarify interpretations.

 
2.5 Analyze an author's implicit and explicit philosophical assumptions
and beliefs about a subject.

 
Expository Critique.

 
Skills:

 
2.6 Critique the power, validity, and truthfulness in the logic of 
arguments set forth in public documents, their appeal to audiences 
both friendly and hostile, and the extent to which they anticipate and 
address reader concerns and counterclaims.

 
Standard 3. 

LITERARY RESPONSE AND ANALYSIS.

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Students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of world literature, particularly American and British literature. They conduct in-depth analyses of recurrent patterns and themes. The quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students are illustrated in the California Reading List.
 
 

 
Structural Features of Literature.

 
Skills:

 
3.1 Analyze characteristics of sub-genres that are used in 
poetry, prose, drama, novel, short story, essay, and other
basic genres.

 
Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text.

 
Skills:

 
3.2 Analyze how the theme or meaning of a selection represents 
a view or comment on life, using textual evidence to support the
claims.

 
3.3 Analyze how irony, tone, mood, style, and sound of language
are to achieve specific rhetorical and/or aesthetic purposes.

 
3.4 Analyze ways in which poets use imagery, personification, 
figures of speech, and sounds to evoke readers' emotions.

 
3.5 Analyze recognized works of American literature representing 
a variety of genres and traditions in order to: 
(1) trace the development of American literature from the
Colonial period forward.

(2) Contrast the major periods, themes, styles and trends, and 
describe how works by members of different cultures relate to
one another in each period.

(3) Evaluate the philosophical, political, religious, ethical, and / or
social influences that shaped characters, plots and settings.
 

 
3.6 Analyze how authors over the centuries have used archetypes
drawn from myth and tradition in literature, film, political speeches,
and religious writings (e.g., how the archetypes of banishment from
an ideal world may be used to interpret Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth)

 
3.7 Analyze recognized work or world literature from a variety of 
authors, in order to: 
(1) Contrast the major literary forms and techniques and the characteristics of the major literary periods. (e.g. Homeric 
Greece, Medieval Period, Romantic, Neoclassic, Modern).

(2) Relate literacy works and authors to major themes and
issues of their eras.

(3) Evaluate the philosophical, political, religious, ethical,
and /or social influences that shaped characters, plots, and 
settings.
 

 
Literary Criticism.

 
Skills:

 
3.8 Analyze the political assumptions in a selection of literary
works or essays on a topic for their clarity and consistency.
(e.g.,suffrage, women's place in organized labor) (Political Approach)

 
3.9 Analyze the philosophical arguments presented in literary
works to determine whether the authors' position contributed
to the quality of each work and the credibility of its characters.
(Philosophical Approach).

 
Standard 1. 

WRITING STRATEGIES

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Students write coherent and focused texts that convey a well defined perspective and tightly reasoned argument. Student writing demonstrates awareness of audience and purpose and use of the stages of the writing process, as needed.
 

 
Organization and Focus.

 
Skills:

 
1.1 Demonstrate understanding of the elements of discourse
when completing narrative, expository, persuasive, informational, 
or descriptive writing assignments.

 
1.2 Use point of view, characterization, style, and related elements 
for specific rhetorical and aesthetic purposes.

 
1.3 Structure ideas and arguments in a sustained, persuasive, and sophisticated way and support them with precise and relevant 
examples.

 
1.4 Enhance meaning by employing rhetorical devices, including 
the extended use of parallelism, repetition, and analogy; the
incorporation of visual aids; and the issuance of a call for action.

 
1.5 Use language in natural, fresh, and vivid ways to create a 
specific tone.

 
Research and Technology.

 
Skills:

 
1.6 Develop presentations by using clear research questions and 
creative and critical research strategies.

 
1.7 Use systematic strategies to organize and record information.

 
1.8 Integrate databases, graphics, and spreadsheets into word
processed documents.

 
Revising and Evaluating Strategies.

 
Skills:

 
1.9 Revise writing to highlight individual voice, improve the style
and sentence variety, and enhance subtlety of meaning and tone in 
ways that are consistent with purpose, audience, and genre.

 
Standard 2.

WRITING APPLICATIONS (GENRES AND THEIR 
CHARACTERISTICS)

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Students combine  the rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition,
persuasion, and description to produce text of at least 1,500 words, when 
appropriate. Student writing demonstrates a command of standard 
English and the research, organizational, and drafting  strategies outlined 
in Writing Standard 1.0.
 

 
Using the Grades 11/12 Writing Strategies.

 
Skills:

 
2.1 Write fictional, autobiographical, and/or biographical
narratives that:
(1) Narrate a sequence of events and communicate their 
significance to the audience.

(2) Locate scenes and incidents in specific places.

(3) Develop the narrative elements with concrete sensory
details and language (e.g., visual details of scenes; descriptions
of sounds, smells, specific actions; movements and gestures;
 interior monologue or feelings of characters.

(4) Pace the presentation of actions to accommodate temporal,
spatial, and   dramatic mood changes.

(5) Make effective use of descriptions of appearance, images, shifting    perspectives, and/or sensory details.
 

 
2.2 Write responses to literature that: 
(1) Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the
significant ideas in works or passages;

(2) Analyze the use of imagery, language, universal themes 
and/or unique aspects of text.

(3) Support key ideas and viewpoints through accurate and 
detailed    references to the text and/or to other works.

(4) Demonstrate an understanding of the author's use of 
stylistic devices and an appreciation for the effects created.

(5) Identify and assess the impact of  perceived ambiguities,
nuances, and   complexities within text.
 

 
2.3 Write reflective compositions that: 
(1) Explore the significance of personal experiences,
events, conditions, or concerns using rhetorical strategies.

(2) Draw comparisons between specific incidents and broader 
themes that    illustrate the writer's important beliefs or
generalizations about life.

(3) Maintain a balance in describing individual incidents and
relating those    incidents to more general and abstract ideas.
 

 
2.4 Write historical investigation reports that: 
(1) Use exposition, narration, description, argumentation, 
exposition, or some combination of rhetorical strategies to
support the main proposition.

(2) Analyze several historical records of a single event, 
examining critical relationships among elements of the
research topic.

(3) Explain the perceived reason(s) for the similarities and
differences in historical    records with information derived 
from  primary and secondary sources to support or enhance
the presentation.

(4) Include information from all relevant perspectives, taking 
the validity and reliability of sources into consideration.

(5) Provide a formal bibliography.
 

 
2.5 Write job applications and resumes that: 
(1) Are clear and purposeful, and address the intended 
audience appropriately.

(2) Use varied levels, patterns, and types of language to 
achieve intended effects and aid comprehension.

(3) Modify tone to fit purpose and audience.

(4) Follow the conventional style for the type of document 
(e.g., resume', memorandum)    and use page formats, fonts,
and spacing  that contribute to the documents' readability 
and impact.
 

 
2.6 Deliver multimedia presentations that: 
(1) Combine text, images, and sound, drawing information
from many sources.

(2) Select an appropriate medium for each element of the
presentation.

(3) Use selected media skillfully, including proper editing 
and monitoring for quality. 

(4) Test audience response and revise the presentation 
accordingly.
 

 
Standard 1. 

WRITTEN AND ORAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS.

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Students write and speak with a command of standard English conventions.
 

 
Manuscript Form.

 
Skills:

 
1.1 Demonstrate control of grammar, paragraph and sentence
structure, diction, and usage.

 
1.2 Produce legible work that shows accurate spelling and correct
use of the conventions of punctuation and capitalization.

 
1.3 Reflect appropriate manuscript requirements in writing.

 
Standard 1. 

LISTENING AND SPEAKING STRATEGIES

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Students formulate adroit judgments about oral communication. They deliver focused and coherent presentations of their own that convey clear and distinct perspectives and solid reasoning. They incorporate gestures, tone, and vocabulary tailored to audience and purpose.
 

 
Comprehension.

 
Skills:

 
1.1 Recognize strategies used by media to inform, persuade, 
entertain, and transmit culture.

 
1.2 Analyze the impact of media on the democratic process at
the local, state, and national levels.

 
1.3 Interpret and evaluate the various ways that visual image
makers present events and communicate information.

 
Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication.

 
Skills:

 
1.4 Use rhetorical questions, parallelism, concrete images, 
figurative language, characterization, irony, and dialogue to 
achieve clarity, force, and aesthetic effect.

 
1.5 Distinguish among, and use, various forms of classical and
contemporary logical argument, including (1) inductive and 
deductive reasoning; (2) syllogisms and analogies.

 
1.6 Use logical, ethical, and emotional appeals that enhance a 
specific tone and purpose.

 
1.7 Use appropriate rehearsal strategies to achieve command of 
text, skillful and artistic staging, and attention to performance 
details.

 
1.8 Use effective and interesting language, including:

(1) informal usage for effect;

(2) standard English for clarity;

(3) technical language for specificity.
 

 
1.9 Use research and analysis to justify strategies for gesture,
movement, and vocalization, including dialect, pronunciation, and
enunciation.

 
1.10 Evaluate when to use different kinds of images to create
effective productions.

 
Analysis and Evaluation of Oral and Media Communications.

 
Skills:

 
1.11 Critique the impact that a speaker's use of diction and syntax 
has on purpose and audience.

 
1.12 Identify logical fallacies used in oral addresses.

 
1.13 Analyze the four basic types of persuasive speeches, and 
understand the similarities and differences in their use of patterns 
of organization, persuasive language, reasoning, and proofs.

 
1.14 Analyze the techniques used in media messages for a particular audience and evaluate their effectiveness.

 
Standard 2. 

SPEAKING APPLICATIONS (GENRES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS)

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Students deliver polished formal and extemporaneous presentations that combine traditional rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition, persuasion and description. Student speaking demonstrates a command of standard English and the organization and delivery strategies outlined in Listening and Speaking Standard 1.0.
 

 
Using the Grades 11/12 Speaking Strategies.

 
Skills:

 
2.1 Deliver reflective presentations that: 
(1) Explore the significance of personal experiences, events, conditions, or concerns, using rhetorical strategies.

(2) Draw comparisons between the specific incident and 
broader themes that illustrate the speaker's beliefs or 
generalizations about life.

(3) Maintain a balance between describing the incident and
relating it to more general abstract ideas.
 

 
2.2 Deliver oral reports on historical investigations that: 
(1) Use exposition, narration, description, argumentation, 
or some combination of the four modes of presentation to 
support the main proposition.

(2) Analyze several historical records of a    single event, 
examining critical    relationships between and among elements 
of the research topic.

(3) Explain the perceived reason(s) for the similarities and
differences, using    information derived from primary and 
secondary sources to support or enhance the presentation.

(4) Include information on all relevant perspectives, considering
the validity and reliability of sources.
 

 
2.3 Deliver oral responses to literature that:
(1) Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the 
significant ideas of works or passages.

(2) Analyze the use of imagery, language, universal themes,
and unique aspects of text through the use of rhetorical
strategies.

(3) Support key ideas and viewpoints through accurate and 
detailed references to the text or to other works.

(4) Demonstrate awareness of the author's use of stylistic 
devices and appreciation of the effects created.

(5) Identify and assess the impact of perceived ambiguities, 
nuances, and complexities within the text.
 

 
2.4 Deliver multimedia presentations that: 
(1) Combine text, images, and sound, incorporating 
information from a wide range of media, including television,
videos, films, newspapers, magazines, CD ROMs, on-line
information, and computer media generated images.

(2) Select an appropriate medium for each element of the
presentation.

(3) Use the selected media skillfully, including editing and
monitoring for quality.

(4) Test audience response and revise the presentation 
accordingly.
 

 
2.5 Recite poems, selections from speeches, or dramatic soliloquies with  attention to performance details to achieve clarity, force, and aesthetic effect and to demonstrate understanding of meaning.