DOCOXIIT RESUME ED 102 594 CZ 201 891 TITLE Alternatives English Program for Eleventh and Twelfth Grade English at Highland Springs High School, Virginia. INSTITUTION Henrico County School System, Highland Springs, Va. PUB DATE 74 NOTE 112p. EDRS PRICE EF-$0.76 HC-$5.70 PLUS POSTAGE DESCRIPTORS *Composition Skills (Literary); Curriculum Guides; *Elective Subjects; *English Curriculum; English Instruction; *Language Arts; *Literature Appreciation; Secondary Education ABSTRACT In order to provide 11th and 12th grade English students (in both standard and academic classes) witha more stimulating set of course offerings,a program was developed which incorporates one required course, communication skills, to be taken during the first school quarter and three electivecourses to be taken during the'remainder of the schoolyear. This course guide includes brief descriptions of the 36 proposedcoarse offerings; a chart of the results of the student inventory of English alternatives; descriptions of each of the 21courses offered during the 1974-75 school year; outlines for the communication skills courses; and outlines--including a description, objectives, suggested activities, lists of resources and materials, and strategiesfor evaluation--for each of the alternativecourses. (JR) DEPARTMENT OF WEALTH, EDUCATION S FAMPAREI !RATIONAL tNSTITUTS OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS SEEN REPRO DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED rROM THE PERSON OR ORGANtZATION ORIGIN ^TING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OF F ICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF 8' Watiai EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY ALTERNATIVES ENGLISH PROGRAM FOR ELEVENTH AND TWELFTH MUM aTGLISli HIGH.LAND SPRENGS HIGh SCHDOL HENRICO COUNTY, VIRGINIA Henrico County Schools CO/liciTTEE Chairman: Dorothy Ogden Keener Oyordinator of High School English 0o-Chairman:Marian Sorrell English Department Chairman William E. larowne Carol A. Kiniry Linda B. Oorrada 0. Wayne Rafferty Anne M. Fitzgerald .Ton M. Stith Cart lee D. Hall Brenda L. Swanson W. E. Campbell, Superintendent of Schools Carroll R. Cloninger, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum andInstruction Thomas E. Oolaman, Director of Secondary Education Victor W. Kreiter, Principal (1973-74) William C. Bosher, Principal (1974-75) Summer1974 TABLE OF OONTENTS Introduction English Alternativeu: Teachers' InterestQuestionnaire Sorm Used for TentativeCourse Planning Letter of Explanation toStudents and Parents Inventory of Proposed Oaurse Offerings 4 - le Students' ChoiceElDtMS 11 Results of Students' Interest in Oaurse Offerings 12 - 13 Determined fromInventory Descriptions of Course Offerings for the 1974-75 14 - 19 Session Conetunication Skills (Required Course)Standard- 26 - 24 Group C Communication Skills (Required COurse)Academic- 25 - 33 Group B Composition Focus 34 The American Way of Death 35 - 40 Cry for the Children 41 - 44 Drama from the Greeks to the Absurdists 45 - 47 Individualized Writing 48 - 50 Life in AmericaThe Modern American Navel 51 - 54 Man and the Supernatural 55 - 59 The Modern Short Story 60 - 64 The Poetry of Rock Music 65 - 67 The Research Paper 68 - 70 Romantic Love 71 - 75 Search for Ielentity 76 - 80 Search for PersonalValues 81 - 85 TABLE OF CONTENTS Shakespeare: A Man for All Seasons 86- 89 Stories of the Bible in Drama 90- 92 War and Morality 93- 96 What If?--Science Fiction 97- 99 What's So Funny? 100- 103 Speed Reading 104- 105 Suggested Approach to IndividualizedReading 106 and Independent Study, 4 INTRODUCTION The alternatives program in Englishat Highland Springs High School was conceived as a result ofa growing awareness by students, teachers, and administrators that the traditionallystructured curriculum was neither meeting the needs of the majorityof the students nor motivating them to achieve their potentials. A study of alternatives curricula in operation in otherschools in our county, in the state, and in the nation indicated that suchan approach might provide the variety that would meetthe recognized needs of students both in content and motivation, whileat the same time would provide the flexibility needed to take advantage of teachers' special interests and talents. In February 1974 a survey of the teachers !_n thedepartment revealed favor for change from the traditionalto the alternatives approach, limited for the firstyear to the eleventh- and twelfth- grade levels. The nine teachers who would be able to attenda two-week summer workshop to develop thenew curriculum were the onesassigned to teach in theprogram for the 1974-75 session. It was decided to offer three quarters of alternativesto be pre- ceded by a required quarter ina skills-oriented communications course, designed on two levels:one for standard English (11C and 12C) and one for academic English (118 and128). Thirty-six pro- posed alternatives courses were initially described. In May these descriptions were given to tenth- andeleventh - grade students with instructions to choosefive courses of interest to they with the privilege of suggesting themes for othercourses. No difficulty or ability designationswere made in the descriptions given to the students except to indicatethose strongly recommended for the college-bound. With three exceptions, it was agreed that the top fifteen courses selected by thestudents would be developed for the 1974-75 course offerings. Two drama courses, which ranked low, were included to give more variety/and the substitution of War and Morality for Justiceor Injustice was made because of the availability of materials. The only teacher whose courses did not "make" agreed to develop twocourses originally proposed by others. During the two-week summer workshop the alternativescommittee planned the two communications courses and developedthe seventeen alternatives. In addition, a limited - enrollment course in Speed Reading for each of four quarterswas developed by the teacher in charge of the Beading-Learning Center. Also, plans were made to provide a limited number of students with theopportunity to elect a course in traditional twelfth-grade English for the lastthree quarters. According to the plan of the committee,students will be assigned by computer toa class period of standard or academic English and to an anchor teacher,who will act as an advisor throughout the year. They will stay with the anchor teacher for the first quarter'scourse entitled Communications Skills. At the end of the first six-weeks,each student will make his choice of an alternativescourse for the second quarter from those ofZered during the Englishclass period to which hewas originally assigned. A like selection will be made duringthe second and third quarters,respectively. The final grade, which determines pass or fail, will bean average of the flour quarters. For the 1975-76 session, it isplanned that a twelfth-grade student will elect alternatives foreach of the four quarters (instead of three) unless he didnot satisfactorily complete the communications course requires duringthe 1974-75 session, in which case he will repeat thiscourse upon recommendation of the anchor teacher. There are two exceptionsto the requi ed course in communica- tions skills: (1) A student who scores very highon the teacher-made diagnostic test to be administeredthe first week of school will be given the opportunityto select guided independent study as an alternativeduring the first quarter. (2) A student who is scheduled into botheleventh- and twelfth-grade English, either becausehe is repeating eleventh-grade Englishor because he is accelerating toward early graduation, will be giventhe opportunity to select guided individualized readingduring the first quarter. Our aim in designing the alternativesprogram is based on the rationale that the school isresponsl.bde for motivating studentsto become better prepared inboth oral and written expressionin order to meet the demands of employerson those students who go directly into the work-a-day world, andof colleges and universitieson those who plan to pursue higher education. Also, we believe that the alternatives program mayprove to be a means of changing students' attitudes toward the study oflanguage, composition, and literature through the use of creativelearning situations and instructional materials appropriate to theirneeds, interests, abilities, and educational goals. The Committee ii. 6 ENGLISH ALTERtIATIVES TEACHERS' INTEREST QUESTIONNAIRE FEIGRIAND SPRINGS HIGH SCIDOL February 14, 1974 1. Would you like to change the English curriculum toan alternatives (elective) program of instruction? Yes No 101NIONMEN.Ift 11111111.MNIINO 2. Should such a program, for thetirst year (1974-75), be developed for: grades 11 and 12 only? grade 12 only?____ grades 9 and 10 only grade 10 only?.____ grade11 only? grade 9-12? 3. An alternatives (elective) program will undoubtedly necessitate changes in teachers' grade level assignments. Are you willing to work at whatever level you are assigned? Yes No 4. The success of the reading program indicates thatany change in the English curriculum should be coordinated with thisprogram, Considering your responsibility for reading asan integral part of the English discipline, do you feel that the coordination of the two programs will be beneficial to students? Yes No 5. If a program of alternatives is implemented, willyou be willing to give of your own time from February through May to help in developing this program? Yes No 6. Will you be free during the weeks of June 17 through .mane 28to serve on the curriculum committee responsible for a plan of organization,