Philosophy of the Language Arts Department

The goal of the Language Arts Department is to prepare students for the literacy demands of today and tomorrow. The greatest responsibility for Language Arts teachers is to strengthen student's ability to obtain and to communicate information, skills essential for all learning to take place. In classrooms, as supported by the National Council of Teachers of English, “All students are offered the opportunities, the encouragement, and the vision to develop the language skills they need to pursue life's goals.”

The Language Arts program is designed to provide students with a variety of integrated language experiences that challenge them to develop their abilities to the fullest. These experiences include reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing.

The purpose of this curriculum guide is to provide teachers with a framework of content and skills, not a structured set of lesson plans. The Language Arts teachers embrace differences in teaching style and respect the innovation and creativity which exists in every classroom. On the other hand, teachers recognize the importance of students having a common body of knowledge upon completion of their secondary Language Arts education.

This guide contains common objectives for all students. These parallel the Indiana State Proficiency Guide, the ISTEP+ Content Standards, and the guidelines set forth by the National Council of Teachers of English. In addition, it contains more specific goals for each grade level.

One of the main objectives for curriculum revision this year was to be more specific about content at each grade level, rather than base the entire curriculum on spiraling. Repetition of skills will be done on a student need and ability basis, but it should not be the foundation upon which the Language Arts curriculum is written.

The Language Arts Curriculum Committee recognizes that curriculum review and revision is an on-going process. For that reason, the curriculum guide is not permanently bound. Curriculum revision will occur at the end of this and subsequent academic years.