School District of Springfield Township

A SNAPSHOT: GRADE 10 LANGUAGE ARTS

Reading Standards
Writing and Grammar Standards
Speaking and Listening Standard
Research Standard

(A Pennsylvania State Standards-Based Curriculum)

A Snapshot of Grade 10 Language Arts

Theme: Justice Versus Injustice

Sample Essential Questions Explored Through The Literature Selections What constitutes justice? How does culture determine what is just? What is the difference between legality and morality? How does the media influence people? How does the news influence people? Does race still impact justice? What effects does repression have on a society? How does fear produce mass hysteria? Is Shylock a villain or a victim? How did Shakespeare view women? Was Thoreau justified in his civil disobedience? How does an author’s work reflect his/her life?

Sample Texts—Classics, Contemporary Classics, Young Adult Fiction

Things Fall Apart, The Crucible, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Merchant of Venice, The Count of Monte Cristo, Flowers for Algernon, The House on Mango Street, Macbeth, Stotan, Nothing But The Truth, Driver’s Ed, selected short stories and poetry, independent reading selections

Note: Students must complete pre-requisite reading—see current list online at www.sdst.org/shs.

What goes on in the 10th grade Language Arts classroom? Collaboration (e.g., partnerships/small group learning activities: jigsaw, think-pair-share, informal and formal presentations, Literature Circles, fishbowls, peer reviews and edits) Inquiry (e.g., Web quests, research projects) Students as Teachers (e.g., vocabulary activities, Grammar Fest)

By the end of the 10th grade Language Arts experience, students KNOW…

How to take responsibility for their own reading and learning How to connect their learning independently to their lives and to current events How to share independent reading experiences with classmates How to write an effective expository essay to inform, persuade, or evaluate

And CAN…

Use technology effectively to research, learn, word process, and present

Reading Standards

Student reads independently to understand, interpret, and respond to a wide range of texts.

Student reads informational texts critically to solve problems, make decisions, and draw conclusions.

Student analyzes and interprets literature across experiences, societies, eras.

In grade 10 students expand reading comprehension and literature interpretation through

individual and collaborative study of literature and Sadlier Oxford Vocabulary Series, Level E and targeted practice for PSSA Reading Assessment

The Reading Standards In Action

Sample 10th Grade Activities Exercises; strategy practice; skits; creative stories using vocabulary words in context; highlighting of vocabulary words in recent publications; student-developed, interactive, vocabulary games; read-alouds; peer reviews and edits; informal and formal presentations; Literature Circles; jigsaw; fishbowls; Learning Logs; connections to current events; outside reading selections; web quests (Gold Award-winning “Scout’s Excellent Adventure”); enhancing context through related, purposeful research

Sample Indicators of Effective 10th Grade Reading Behaviors:

Uses metacognitive skills to monitor understanding
Clarifies meaning of text through graphic organizers, outlines, notes, summaries
Adjusts reading rate according to difficulty of text
Draws conclusions and justifies inferences
Compares and analyzes how different media offer individual perspective on information
Cites evidence to support views
Evaluates author strategies in language, technique, and meaning

Essential Learning Prompted by Reading Standards:

Student reads and responds to a variety of texts and genres of quality and complexity. The Sadlier Oxford program, level E offers acquisition of 300 new vocabulary words to provide students with increased vocabulary to support reading skill.

Writing and Grammar Standards

Student writes effectively. Effective writing includes making writing choices appropriate to audience and purpose; using writing process (pre-write, draft, revise, proofread and edit, publish); and controlling focus, content, organization, style, and conventions.

Student increases grammatical competencies.

The Writing and Grammar Standards In Action

Sample 10th Grade Class Activities

In grade 10 students increase writing and grammatical competencies through:

Frequent formal and informal writing assignments

Process writing and writing on demand

Expository format

Creative/Expressive modes

Peer review and edit collaboration

Individually-based focal correction areas

Mini-lessons:

review and practice

sentence structure and fluidity

Grammar Fest (student as teacher)

Sample Indicators of Effective 10th Grade Writing and Grammar Behaviors:

Orders information effectively
Creates logically reasoned positions; uses convincing evidence
Uses writing terminology of PA Writing Assessment domains to discuss writing issues; pays attention to audience and purpose for writing
Uses expository format effectively: introduction/thesis, body, conclusion
Uses conventions of English correctly
Begins to manipulate grammar and sentence structures purposefully

Essential Learning Prompted by Writing and Grammar Standards:

Students understand that the process of writing is as important as the product itself. The metacognitive awareness of the writer’s choices and how those choices affect the reader help students take greater care in both content and mechanics. Students and teachers use the PA Writing Assessment rubric domains for assessment and instruction.

Speaking and Listening Standard

Student demonstrates speaking, listening, and discussion skills.

The Speaking and Listening Standard In Action

Sample 10th Grade Class Activities

In grade 10 students improve their speaking and listening skills through formal and informal presentations such as outside reading experiences, collaborative learning assignments, and by conducting games, demonstrating strategies, participating in fishbowl discussion groups and large group discussions.

Sample Indicators of Effective 10th Grade Speaking and Listening Behaviors:

Masters ability to monitor own listening behaviors
Responds to ideas of others by agreeing, furthering, questioning, validating, providing examples, etc.
Selects, develops, and uses media of different types
Participates as a speaker and/or listener through everyday conversation, interviews, class discussions, small group discussions, informal debates, complex directions, and explanations
Works effectively for group presentations—plans, shares workload, communicates, rehearses, executes, reflects

Essential Learning Prompted By Speaking/Listening Standard:

Effective communication through speaking and listening is a life skill. Students learn to listen critically and to speak cogently, to respond to ideas and synthesize them in a discussion, to present ideas formally and informally, and to stand before a group and present information or artistic expression with confidence and clarity. One aspect of the Senior Seminar graduation requirement demands proficiency in presenting to an audience.

Research Standard

Student researches by gathering and synthesizing information from reference materials and communicating the knowledge gained (See also Reading Standards).

The Research Standard in Action

In grade 10 students complete a mini-research paper to prepare them for the grade 11 research project. Academic and Honors students compare and contrast an author’s life to one or two selected works by that author to determine the impact of life experience on literature. Spartan Project students research and evaluate a content issue as part of a problem-solving activity or project.

(For details about the research process and documentation format, consult the School

District of Springfield Township Research Guide online at www.sdst.org/shs/library.)

Sample Indicators of Effective 10th Grade Research Behaviors:

Poses question, thesis, hypothesis
Understands that research is a process of locating, weighing, synthesizing, and documenting information
Uses effective strategies as instructed for locating valid information
Weighs credibility, bias, and usefulness of information
Uses structured format to gather and arrange relevant notes
Begins to synthesize information effectively
Paraphrases effectively and begins to select supportive quotations judiciously
Uses technology skills in accessing, organizing, storing, analyzing, evaluating, and reporting information and conclusions
Reflects upon the research steps and processes used and considers the effectiveness of efforts
Values the integrity of the words and ideas of others—documents accurately

Essential Learning prompted by the Research Standard:

Students learn and practice the lifelong tools and skills of effective inquiry: posing questions, locating and identifying reliable sources, note taking, organizing information, synthesizing, documenting sources, and reflecting on the effectiveness of the process. The Language Arts Research Standard forms the level of expectation across the curriculum, and the senior thesis requirement for graduation demands accomplished research skills.

Most Frequently Asked Questions

How does the tenth grade curriculum prepare my son/daughter for the Pennsylvania Reading and Writing assessments given in grade 11?

Answer: The scope and sequence of the 9-12 curriculum backmaps sequentially from the expectations of these assessments. Thus, the Language Arts curriculum develops a step-by-step approach to achievement of proficiency in all eight Language Arts Standards. Students practice the three assessed writing modes: informational, persuasive, and narrative. Too, throughout all grades student writing is assessed using the Pennsylvania Writing Assessment rubric domains. Further, the high school is committed to implementing these standards across the curriculum at all grade levels. Finally, students in grade 10 practice released tests to give them experience and test-taking savvy so that they will be comfortable with the format and expectations of the actual test.

What about preparing for the PSAT and SAT?

Answer: Wide reading and the building of vocabulary are the two most important aspects of success on both of these tests. In particular, the Sadlier Oxford program provides a formal vocabulary building opportunity in addition to the words in context students encounter in their grade 10 reading. Our strong expository writing program prepares students for the writing portion, and grammar mini-lessons, in particular, help students identify and correct errors.

What books are required for the pre-requisite reading all students must complete before the course begins?

Answer: We periodically review and refine our lists; while the lists have not changed significantly over the last few years, we do make changes. Consult the current lists posted on our web page at www.sdst.org/shs. Additionally, a copy of the upcoming grade level list is included with the report card sent home in June. It is important that you encourage your son/daughter to complete this requirement because s/he will be assessed on the reading during the first week of class. We encourage students to keep a reading log for a memory aid; students will be allowed to consult the log during assessment of their reading.