Building a High School Credit - English
Sample English Credit Guide
Reading maketh a full man;
Conference maketh a ready man;
Writing maketh an exact man.
-Sir Francis Bacon, 1625,"On Studies"
Each English credit should have an overall theme, such as Genres, American Literature, World Literature, British Literature, Contemporary, Fiction, etc.
If the focus is narrow, such as Shakespeare or poetry, apply for .5 credit.
Goals for English Credit—State EALRs and District Level 3 Benchmarks will provide
guidelines for creating your own personal goals.
Reading Component Suggestions are in italics.
- Read at least 8 books for 1.0 credit. At least 4 of these books should be from a “recognized” reading list such as National Council of Teachers of English, American Library Association, etc. Keep a detailed reading notebook to record reading and to provide “raw material” for writing, presentations, AP tests, etc.
- Read from other genre: short stories, poetry, drama (Could be one of the 8 books)
- Keep an annotated bibliography, following the MLA format and including a 50-100 word summary of each book you read which incorporates an evaluation and recommendation. (Add to this from year to year.)
- Analyze for structure, theme, characterization, point of view, plot, and literary devices. (See Communication and Writing Components for suggestions and products.)
- Study vocabulary: from literature, SAT, roots, etc.
- Self-evaluate: reflective writing, mentor discussions (See Writing)
Communications Component Suggestions are in italics.
- Speaking: demonstrations, presentations, such as Senior Project, persuasive or informative speeches, book reviews
- Listening: presentations, lectures, note-taking, oral directions, asking questions, interviews
- Interpersonal: panel and class discussions, drama, debates, multi-media presentations
- Self-evaluation: strengths and weaknesses, setting goals, analyzing
Writing Component
Your writing portfolio should include at least one sample from each of the following categories. Suggestions are in italics.
- Narrative: personal experiences, memorable events, relationships
- Creative Writing: poetry, short story, script
- Expository: explain a procedure, descriptions, film review, media analysis, summarize and critique two or more local newspaper articles related to the same topic or issue, compare two views of a given initiative /referendum in a voter’s pamphlet,
- Persuasive: position paper incorporating expert opinions, problem-solution paper, evaluation of a product or service, critique of public policy, editorial, letter
- Research (thesis-based): transcription of oral history, investigative report for a newspaper, research for another subject area or for a specific topic, research report written from a different point of view, research of a particular subject and the relationship between that subject and a novel read, definition of a complex realistic problem and a possible solution
- Technical: news page, home page, job application, business letter, science experiment, use job search materials to prepare a career report, extend understanding of a specific field of study or a career interest through an annotated bibliography of texts read, investigate a workplace question using technical documents
- Literary Analysis: comparison of books, analysis of a theme of a story or novel, analysis of a character, description of a character, analysis of the reasons for a character’s actions taking into account the situation and basic motivation of the character, review of a book or play, examination of the symbolism in a literary piece, analysis of a poem, letter to a literary character, explanation of a particular section of a book or play, analysis of the style, themes, and techniques of a given poet using at least four representative poems, analyze how a universal theme is developed by works in several genres (novel, short story, drama, and poetry), analysis of a text in terms of the author’s purpose and point of view and how each affects the text, a comparison of one’s own culture with another using at least two representative works of that culture, comparison of the literary merits of two or more short stories, novels, plays, or biographies about one individual, an examination of themes in the work of a popular author, analysis of women authors to American or world literature, comparison of two authors writing on the same theme or issue
- Reflective: self-evaluation of a project, letter to reader of portfolio, response to a quote, statement of reading goals, letter attached to the annotated bibliography setting goals for the kinds of material read and amount of reading, a reflective piece identifying the areas of strength and weakness in one’s own reading, a reflection and evaluation of reading abilities in terms of future goals including occupation/career plans
Ideas for Completion Indicators
- Video or other digital presentation
- Portfolios
- Evaluations by teachers
- Self-evaluation
- Discussions
- Technology projects
- Artwork
- Tests-objective, essay
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