GRADES 11 & 12 – Common Core Standards :  Course Objectives

In adhering to the Common Core Standards, as a result of this course, the students should demonstrate competency based on the following objectives under five main headings:

READING INFORMATIONAL TEXT

1.  Analyze complex ideas and events and explain how specific components interact and develop over the course of a work.
2. Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses to determine if he/she makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.

WRITING

1. Write well-developed paragraphs.

1. Develop an effective introduction that clearly introduces the topic, provides a precise and concise thesis statement, as well as establishes a clear relationship between the topic and the body paragraphs.
2. Understand the structure of the body of a paper, in which each paragraph has a specific focus and valid, substantial support; understand how to break a piece of writing into paragraphs.
3. Develop an effective conclusion that follow and supports the information presented.
4. Write a persuasive essay, using valid reasoning and relevant evidence; develop claims and counterclaims fairly, and utilize effective transitions.
5. Write an expository (explanatory/informative) essay, using valid facts and objectivity, and utilize effective transitions.
6. Write a narrative essay, using appropriate structure, dialogue, and sequencing to effectively tell a story.
7. Write an assortment of precise and concise essays, using appropriate style, tone, consistency, and sentence variety.

1. Understand and regularly utilize the writing process (pre-writing, rough draft, revision, final draft), completing purposeful revisions that not only change grammar/mechanics but also the relaying of the information contained in the writing.
2. Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
3. Develop a process for summarization that not only helps increase comprehension but also condenses the work to its key points.
4. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question or solve a problem; synthesize multiple sources from a variety of locations, including the internet; and demonstrate understanding of the subject under investigation.
5. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

1.  Actively engage and participate in discussions—one-on-one, in groups, or teacher-led.
2. Cohesively work in peer groups, understanding individual roles, meeting deadlines, recognizing procedures for discussion, evaluating opinions, and learning to compromise.
3. Present information in an organized, concise, valid manner utilizing a variety of digital media and in formal English.

LANGUAGE

1.  Demonstrate command of the following conventions of standard English (review of all): capitalization, punctuation (commas, parentheses, hyphens, and review of other marks), parallel structure, clauses (dependent and independent), verb tense, verb mood, verb voice (active and passive), confused words (such as to, too, two/there, they’re, their/your, you’re, etc.), sentence types, subject/verb agreement, pronoun/antecedent agreement, dangling modifiers, and misplaced modifiers.
2. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
3. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases.
4. Use reference materials to find meanings of unknown words.
5. Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level.