Overview

Grades 6-8
Middle school language arts courses develop and expand students’ reading, writing, speaking, listening, research, and study skills. 

Goals:

• Develop and use critical thinking skills to build comprehension.
• Write narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive compositions.
• Read and evaluate a variety of literary forms(literary and informational text).

Grades 9-12
High school English courses integrate reading, writing, speaking, listening, and research skills.  These courses also provide opportunities for students to make cross-curricular, multicultural, and school-to-work associations. 

AP courses in English composition and literature are offered in the Clark County School District high schools.

Framework for Secondary Literacy (PDF)


Writing Instruction
The writing process is an instructional model in which students follow a given set of procedures for prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing their writing.

Teachers use the traits of effective writing as a common language to refer to the characteristics of good writing.  The writing traits include ideas, organization, voice, conventions, word choice, and sentence fluency.  Teachers and students use the writing traits to identify areas of strength and weakness as they focus on writing improvement. 

Reading Instruction
Reading instruction includes the reading process and the essential elements of effective reading instruction:  phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

The Reading/Writing Connection
CCSD is committed to providing our students the kinds of support and learning opportunities that will enable them to grow into confident, independent readers and writers.

Reading and writing are complementary processes and equally essential aspects of literacy.