DOCUMENT RESUME ED 102 603 CS 201 903 TITLE Breakthrough: Goals for Basic English with Supplement. INSTITUTION Henrico County School System, Highland Springs, Va. PUB DATE 71 NOTE 416p. !DRS PRICE HE -$O.76 HC-S20.94 PLUS POS'T'AGE DESCRIPTORS Curriculum Guides; *English Curriculum; English Instruction; *Language Arts; Low Ability Students; Secondary Education; *Slow Learners ABSTRACT This ungraded curriculum guide was designed specifically for slow learners in basic, secondary levelEnglish classes. The content, built on the rationale that the slowlearner can learn to spell and usestandard English in speaking and writing, consists of twenty-three objectives for each ofwhich several activities and technique's are listed. Akupplement to the guide contains book lists and various teaciiing materialsrelated to teaching English to slow learners. (JN) U.S. L a PARTMENT OF NEALTN. EDUCATION WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OP EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEN REPRO OW:ED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON ON ORGANIZATION ORIGIN AT:NG IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS , STATED DO NOT NECESSARILYimat It 1, 1, SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY .1 BREAKTHROUGH GOALS FOR BASIC ENGLISH Henrico County Schools Highland Springs, Virginia Committee Chairman: Dorothy Ogden Keener Coordinator of High School English Cochairman:Helen H. Thompson Alice A. Bartley Anamae H. Hill C. Spencer Bullington Marion M. Newell Susan C. Ross Acknowledgments The cooperation and encouragement given by teachersand other members of the instructional staff have beeninvaluable to the com- mittee in developing this guide. Acknowle3gmentis made to the following teachers, as well as to those teacherswho remain anony- mous by choice, for theirsuggestions: Judith Anderson, Judy C. Bennett, Phoebe Best, Janet Carlson, Linda W.Coleman, Nancy W. Davis, Juanita T. Elmquist, Nancy N. Jacobs,Janice A. Hunt, Betty A. Jaffee, Mark Jarrett, Julia C. Killian,Carol A. Kiniry, Gayle Layfield, Martha Lyle, Catherine B. McCauley,Larry L. Mason, Carolyn S. Nichols, Meg W. Oliver,Carol Reid, Mary S. Rowe, Marian Sorrell, and Linda L. Woolridge. The committee also expresses appreciation tothe following persons for their advice and help in producingthis guide: Dr. Robert W. Reising, Pembroke University, compositiontechniques; William C. Bosher, Jr. ,students' book list; W. Randolph Cheatham, coverdesign; Cleveland Knight, printing; Dorothy M. Miles,typing. 2 FOREWORD Among the many indices used to judge whether or not one maybe called educated is how well he understands thelanguage and can use it to make himself understood. Our communication with others through speaking andwriting requires at least an understanding of the basiclanguage skills.There seems little doubt thatpractically all students can obtain this level, though some may experience much greaterdifficulty in reaching this level than others.It is to this latter group that Breakthroughis particu- larly directed. Breakthrough is a product resulting from the thought andexperience of a group of Henrico County educators dedicated tothe premise that all. students. including slow learners, can learn tospell and to use acceptable English in speaking and writing.it is believed, therefore, that the wide range of activities atall operative levels included inBreakthrough will assist teachers in helping students to find their ownstarting point of discovery and motivation in understanding and usingtheir symbolic language system. With encouragement and patience,the slow learner also can uncover new experiences in learningsatisfaction and renewed faith in himself. Cashell Donahoe Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction The mark of effective teaching has been,and very likely will continue to be, directly related to the continuousevaluation of progress in achieving the goals of teachers and students.Included in this evaluation are efforts by classroom teachers to provide objectivesand activities that will aid in sup- porting the student in learning functional andhumane content. The committee of English classroom teachers whoworked to provide a written basisfor improving the learning patterns of non-academic students was motivated by needand opportunity.Part of the results of their opportunity is found in thiE volume.Hopefully, other teachers will take the opportunity to examine, uEa, and revisethis initial effort to develop and maintain a functional guideline for upgrading the quality of thelearning patterns for which students have a need and requiremotivation. Carroll A. Cloninger Director of Secondary Education 3 INTRODUCTION Breakthrough was developed in a workshopduring the summer of 1971 in an attempt to fulfill the requestsof teachers of basic English forassistance in helping stow learners toimprove their communication skillsand to become informed anal productive humanbeings. The content is built on the rationalethat all instruction to be effective must be based on the needs of students asindividuals.The primary need of the passively resistant, inattentive,restless, or rel..,ellious and sometimesdefiant slow learner is to feel that histeacher cares abeut him and hasdefinite expec- tations for him. His reactions aregenerally mere subjective thzznobjective, more emotional thanrational.The objectives or goals statedin this guide take into account this primary needand other needs of these students asderived from the collective experiences of thecommittee. We believe that the slow learner canbe taught to spell and to use standard English in speaking and writing;that he can be helped to regain faith inhimself; that he can be convinced thathe is wrong when he says, "I can't getEnglish and never could"; thathe need not be an enigma, sittingwith arras folded, seeming to say, "Go ahead, motivate me,if you can!" W e believe thathe needs a teacher who understands him, believes inhim, wishes to help him, is notafraid of him, is patient with him to the nth degree,and does not demand morethan he is capable of attaining. We believe that forthe teaching techniques describedin this guide to be successful, students assigned tobasic English classes shouldbe slow learners and not students of averageability who are recognized troublemakers. Breakthrough is an ungraded guide because webelieve that the techniques and activities contained herein canbe applied to the subject contentof grades 7 through 12, recognizing that some ideas are moreappropriate for one grade than for another.The ideas suggested by thecommittee for accomplishing goals were developed from teachers' experiencesin the classroom, from research, from consultative services, and from thecommittee's own innovations.It is intended that teachers who use the guide will firstselect an objective to correspondwith their students' needs and then willadapt the techniques described foraccomplish- ing this goal to the appropriategrade-level content.Breakthrough is not pre- scriptive; on the contrary, it isintended to afford teachers freedom toselect ideas which best fit the needsof their students. We further believe that a curriculumguide should bo developed bythe specialists in the field--the Englishteachers who will be using it.For this reason Breakthroughhas been printed on only one side efeach page in order to leave space on the back for teachers torecord their evaluations of thetechniques and activities they use and to suggestadditions and delftions.It is the hope of the committee that in this waythese ideas and goals will better representthe successful experiences of bothteachers and students an4, throughrevision, will become a better resource forteachers of basic English. The Committee 4 "Once I drove cross country with three horses," said the Baal Shem, "a bay, a piebald, and a white horse. And not one of them could neigh. Then I met a peasant coming toward me and he called: 'Slacken the reins!' So I slackened the reins, and then all three horses began to neigh." Martin Buber Thoughts of a dropout recorded by Marian Franklin, professor, School of Education, University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Teachers come in many sizes and shapeslarge, small, young, old, iWiTRIAL =LOVEDDUE TOCOPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS (Published in Today's Education, February, 1970. Permission for reproduction granted by the National Education Association. ) CONTENTS by OBJECTIVES 1. Show that you can communicate with others invaried situations 1 2. Show that you make use of your opportunities to read on your own 28 3. Show that you can write with ease in expressing your thoughts and feelings 36 4.Show that you are a careful listener 46 5. Show that you can give and follow directions 65 6. Show that you know the va..ious ways to improve study habits 71 7. Show that you can identify and make a sentence 79 8. Show that you understand the structure of various types of sentences 89 9. Show that you can use punctuation and capitalization to improve communication 119 10. Show that you understand that language changeswith time, place, occasion, age, and sex 128 11. Show that you can use the various ways of discoveringthe pronunciation, spelling, and meaning of words 152 12. Show that you can express your thoughts and feelings in poetry or prose 184 13. Show that you understand the meaning of what you read 218 14. Show that you can write a short description of an object, person, or place 243 15. Show that you can write the story of a personalexperience or of an imaginary happening. 257 6 16.Show that you can write a short explanation of an action, an idea, or a simple procedure ..268 / 17.Show that you respect the opinions and values of others. 275 18. Show that you can write letters for special purposes 280 10. Show that you can recognize the difference between fact and opinion 293 20.Show that you can support your opinion with reasons 3001 21.Show that you understand the impact of various media 305 22.Show that you can perform the appropriate procedures for obtaining a job 319 2 Show that you have gained, through your reading, a better understanding of yourself and others 326 '1 I p.1 of 2 OBJECTIVE 1.Show that you can communicate with others in varied situations. ACTIVITIES TECHNIQUES USE e group exercises to help a newclass Alt, ISZaly. _pathother and know themselves better.