SANTA MONICA HIGH SCHOOL
ENGLISH
WHO ARE WE?
ENGLISH TEACHERS
S House
Amy Chapman
Jenna Gasparino
LaSonja Roberts
Tisha Reichle
Meredith Louria
Rob Thais
A House
Jennifer Pust
Michael Surrago
Berkeley Blatz
Terry Anderson
M House
Lauren Fairchild
Christina Nation
Megan Walker
John Harris
O House
Amy Beeman-Solano
Maria Stevens
Stephanie Dew
H House
Ruth Magnuson
Russell Rowton
Kitaro Webb
James Altuner
I House
Randy Denis
Nathan Fulcher
Gilda De La Cruz
Pete Barraza
Kathleen Faas
WHAT DO WE TEACH?
“COMPREHENSIVE ENGLISH”
 READING SKILLS
 BOOKS
 WRITING SKILLS
 TYPES OF WRITING
 RESEARCH
 SPEAKING
 CREATIVE WRITING
 LINKS TO OTHER SUBJECTS
 LINKS TO THE REAL WORLD
READING SKILLS
A few samples:
How to use Latin roots to figure out new word
How to “mark up” a text.
How to recognize and interpret a metaphor.
How to detect irony.
BOOKS
• Balance between old and new, between the
“canon” and the multicultural, between men and
women.
• Balance between fiction and non-fiction
• Outside Reading programs
• Summer Reading
“A book is a ‘classic’
not because it’s old,
but because it’s always new.”
WRITING SKILLS
A few samples:
• Using ink, full name, correctly capitalized title.
• Varying the length and structure of sentences.
• Using graceful transitions between ideas and
paragraphs.
• Providing specific evidence and examples
The Sweet 16
~ FEATURES OF GOOD WRITING ~
Ideas
1
Organ ization
You have one clear thesis
that responds to the assigned
task, and all the ideas in your
essay help to support that
thesis.
Your first paragraph engages
the reader and introduces a
clear thesis or purpose.
9 CONCISENESS
You express ideas si mply
and clearly, without wasted
words or unnecessary
repetition.
2
6
10
UNITY
INSIGHT
5
Style
INTRODUCTION
PARAG RAPHING
VOCABULARY
Gramm ar
13
14
SENTENCE SENSE
Your writing is free of runon sentences and fragments.
GRAMMAR & USAG E
Your ideas are thoughtful
and stimulating, yet
reasonable and true to the
material.
Each body paragraph sticks
to one idea; and each idea is
discussed in only one body
paragraph.
Your choice of words is
interesting and precise, but
not pretentious.
You follow the rules of
standard English.
3
7
11
15
ARGUMENT
FLOW
SENTENCE STRUCTURE
MECHANICS
You prove your ideas
clearly, logically, and
completely. You fully
prepare the reader to
understand each sentence
and its purpose in your
paper.
Your main ideas are
presented in a logical and
effective order, made clear
via topic sentences,
paragraph conclusions, and
transitions.
Your sentences are strong,
graceful, and suitably varied
in length and structure.
Your spellin g, capitalization,
and punctuation are correct.
4
8
12
16
EVIDENCE
The quality and quantity of
evidence strongly supports
your ideas, and shows
CONCLUSION
You conclude with a
graceful reminder of your
thesis.
VIVIDNESS
You enliven your writing
with concrete language,
fresh and specific detail, and
FORMA T
You follow the conventions
of format and
documentation.
TYPES OF WRITING
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ESSAYS ABOUT LITERATURE
AUTO/BIOGRAPHICAL NARRATIVE
PERSUASIVE ESSAYS
RESEARCH ESSAYS
RESEARCH/PERSUASIVE ESSAYS
S.A.T.-STYLE ESSAYS
JOURNALS
READING LOGS
OTHER “WRITING-TO-LEARN”
RESEARCH
9TH -12TH GRADE SEQUENCE OF RESEARCH AND
DOCUMENTATION SKILLS BEGINS NEXT YEAR
The object of this addition to our curriculum is
to prepare our students for one of the most
common kinds of college writing.
SPEAKING
• Class lessons & discussions
• Reports, projects, recitations, readings
• Socratic seminars
CREATIVE WRITING
• LINKED TO LITERATURE
AND/OR
• UN-LINKED
LINKS TO OTHER SUBJECTS
9th grade - English and Freshman Seminar
10th grade – English and World History
11th grade – English and American History
12th grade – English and Philosophy, Psychology,
Sociology, History, Cultural Studies, Sports
LINKS TO THE REAL WORLD
• Assemblies – e.g., Downbeat 720
• Nights at the theater & other field trips
• Correspondence with other parts of the U.S.
and other countries, like Russia
• The California Lit field trip to Steinbeck
country
• Every day in every class of every English
teacher
WHAT ARE THE
SPECIFIC ENGLISH
COURSES TAUGHT?
COURSE OFFERINGS IN ENGLISH
9TH GRADE
College Prep English
Honors English
10TH GRADE
College Prep English
Honors English
11TH GRADE
College Prep English
Advanced Placement
English Language and
Composition
12TH GRADE
Senior English Electives:
-African American Literature
-Bible as Literature / Existentialism
-California Literature
-Chicano/Latino Literature
-Folktales and Mythology
-Reader-Writer Workshop
and upcoming . . .
-Asian American Literature
-Women’s Literature
. . . and maybe more!
Advanced Placement
English Literature and
Composition
Should my child
take college prep
or honors/ap?
Do english teachers
help students with
their personal
statements for
college
applications?
Yes, it’s our policy:
In all senior English classes, both
elective and AP, there’s a unit on
writing the college personal
statement, completed in early fall
before application deadlines.
When’s the exit
exam, and how do
you prepare
students for the
language arts
section?
The Exit Exam (CAHSEE) is next
Tuesday and Wednesday, March 17
and 18. Tenth-grade teachers have
state-prepared books to use with their
classes to help prepare students. In
addition, our regular 9th and 10th grade
curriculum is geared to the standards
that are tested by the Exit Exam.
How does the
english department
help struggling
students?
HELP WITH ENGLISH WORK
•
•
•
•
•
•
ELD sequence
Tutorial blocks
Freshman Seminar blocks
After-school tutoring programs
House intervention programs
Individual teacher attention outside of class
hours
• CAHSEE prep
Are you stuffy old
english teachers
down with the
latest technology?
Indeed we are! . . .
Elmo / Laptop / Projector
Homework & handouts on-line
Turnitin.com
Wikis
Blogs
What books should I
get my child to
read?
WHATEVER WILL ACTUALLY GET READ!
Any book your child WILL actually read is a good book to get into
their hands. If your child will read classics or other high-quality
books, great! But don’t insist on quality if it discourages reading!
Make reading fun, easy, and perhaps practical. Some often
overlooked categories that appeal to high school students are:
GRAPHIC NOVELS (COMIC-BOOK STYLE)
HUMOR
SCARY/HORROR/SUSPENSE/MYSTERY
BOOKS OF QUOTES OR OTHER “SMALL BITES”
SHORT AND SHORT SHORT STORIES
BOOKS WITH MOVIE TIE-INS
CELEBRITY BIOGRAPHIES – SPORTS, MUSIC, TV/MOVIES
SELF-HELP BOOKS
POETRY OR NOVEL-IN-VERSE
FICTION BOOKS THAT ARE “BELOW STUDENT’S LEVEL”
BILINGUAL BOOKS