Southside High School Language Arts Program

Overview
The essential questions are as follows:

1. What is the big idea?
2.  What are we trying to know and be able to do when we leave Southside High School?
3. How do we become critical analysts of everything we see, read and hear?
4. How do we produce text that compelling, structurally sound and coherent from beginning to end?

Southside High School’s Language Arts Department believes that its mission is to do more than just help students graduate; it is to help students prepare for life-long success.

Therefore, the English component of the Department is excited to be one of two Atlanta Public Schools High Schools to pilot CollegeBoard’s SpringBoard English Curriculum.  As a pilot school, the Language Arts Department will continue to fervently work to enhance students’ skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
The Foreign Languages component continues to expose students to various cultural, political and geographical worlds through the continuous development of language acquisition.

Major Course Offerings
SpringBoard Level IV (9th Grade English)
In Level IV, the units focus on the concept of “Coming of Age,” as well as presenting a traditional genre study. The units begin with an introduction to the idea of “Coming of Age” and then follow this topic by presenting units focused on short stories, poetry, drama, film, non-fiction, and a novel that present incidents that are significant milestones in the lives of young people. Specific elements of genre study and writing skills are emphasized. Students are expected to learn and apply reading, writing, oral and collaborative strategies to their own learning styles, strengths and weaknesses.

SpringBoard Level V (10th Grade English/World Literature)
In Level V, units of study focus on world literature in order to broaden the literary landscape of high school students. The units begin with an investigation of culture, working towards a definition and an understanding of the commonalities and differences among human cultures as represented in literature, media, and non-fiction from around the world. Students read widely and deeply, and are asked to write about and research ways cultures communicate and the conflicts that sometimes arise between cultures.

SpringBoard VI (11th Grade English/American Literature)
In Level VI, the units of instruction center on an investigation of the idea of “The American Dream.” Students are asked to read and think about important questions presented in American literature—questions about freedom and justice and the pursuit of happiness. Students will read longer works of fiction and non-fiction, honing their skills of analysis and synthesis. Both creative and academic writing grows out of the reading and thinking about ideas presented in the units. Students move toward creating an Assessment Portfolio that emphasizes self-assessment in relation to standards and growth in skills.

SpringBoard Senior English
In Senior English, the 12th grade, the instructional units introduce and explore literary theories and multiple perspectives. Throughout the year, students are introduced to Archetypal, Feminist, Historical, Marxist, Reader Response, and Cultural criticism. Applying new perspectives to both familiar and unfamiliar texts enables students to consider carefully the concept of truth as it is presented in literature, film, nonfiction texts, and drama. Students work toward a culminating assignment that requires creating and defending a comprehensive research portfolio.

French I
In French I, students are introduced to the French language.  Students learn and practice the basic tenets of the language becoming experts of such things as grammar, parts of speech, greetings, ask and response questions as well as basic reading comprehension.

French II
An extension of French I, students begin to explore French culture through the continued enhancement of language development.

French III/IV
In French III/IV, students use their language skills to develop a better understanding of the French world, completely.

Spanish I
In Spanish I, students are introduced to the Spanish language.  Students learn and practice the basic tenets of the language becoming experts of such things as grammar, parts of speech, greetings, ask and response questions as well as basic reading comprehension.

Spanish II
An extension of Spanish I, students begin to explore Spanish culture through the continued enhancement of language development.

Spanish III/IV
In Spanish III/IV, students use their language skills to develop a better understanding of the Spanish world, entirely.

Subject Related Links
Colorado State Universities Online Writing Lab
Exemplars: Developing Writers
Learning-Focused Writing Assignments K-12
Purdue University's Online Writing Lab
ReadWriteThink
Write Source
The Writing Site
SpringBoard