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English
Mission Statement
The mission of the English department is to enable students to read, comprehend, interpret, and analyze various literary genres and to communicate effectively through both verbal and written means, using correct grammatical and mechanical conventions.
Courses:
English I-Regulars, English I-Honors, English II-Regulars, English II-Honors,
English III-Regulars, English III-Honors,
English IV-Regulars, English IV-Honors, English IV-Advanced Placement,
English V-Regulars, English V-Honors, English V-Advanced Placement,
Creative Writing, Journalism I.
Extracurriculars:
Echoes (newspaper), Sardonyx (yearbook), Perspectives (literary magazine)
The English department is composed of 14 individuals who bring more than 100 years of teaching experience to the classroom. Within the department, teachers are encouraged to be individuals and to use the methods best suited to themselves. The department prides itself on enabling students to become life-long learners. We strongly believe that every girl can succeed if given the proper environment and instruction. With this in mind, every teacher encourages open discussions among the students by creating a non-threatening and supportive environment which allows free thought. In addition, teachers use a variety of Standards-based teaching methods, such as direct instruction, rubrics, student-led discussions, research, modeling, and cooperative learning, all of which allow for self-discovery and individual growth. This reflects each teacher's input toward the curriculum and implementation of Standards-based Education, which is highly encouraged and expected.
The curriculum of the English department includes literature, vocabulary, grammar, research, technology, and writing. Literature is explored as a means of teaching social values and as a record of life's experiences that echoes the real world and its complex issues. Vocabulary is not simply taught as a separate entity, but is also used in context of the written language which allows each student to comprehend different texts as well as communicate her ideas in both speaking and writing. Teachers encourage students to use their expanded vocabulary in class discussions and in assignments. Research is another requirement at all levels of the curriculum. We strongly emphasize ascertaining credible and reliable information to prove a point and/or to defend a particular position on a given topic.
Grammar is an essential aspect of the curriculum, taught as a comprehensive means of correctly and concisely using the English language which will benefit the students not only in the classroom but also in the workforce. Teachers promote the use of technology through regular visits to the computer labs for the purpose of research, reading, writing, and performance assessments. Lastly, writing, with all of its different formats, is the foundation for the overall curriculum. Each member of the department encourages students to be not only proficient communicators through the means of the written language, but also to go beyond the basics to develop their own writing styles and voices within their writings. Teachers require students to adhere to Modern Language Association requirements in all written assessments. Teachers maintain a record of all compositions written during the course of a school year so that each student may better understand her individual progress in the process of writing as well as assume ownership for her work.
In addition to the above, the English department is fully aware of and fully competent in using the Louisiana standards for Language Arts. Teachers communicate the expectations of the curriculum to the students and provide the students opportunities to self-evaluate and peer-evaluate in order to ascertain their mastery of Language Arts standards and benchmarks. Teachers do not isolate and teach individual standards; instead, standards indicating research, reading, writing, and communicating are all integral parts of each unit of study.
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