ENGLISH

Mr. Norman Danielson, Director
Telephone: 508-841-8831
E-mail: ndanielson@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

» Message from Director
» Staff
» Summer Reading
» Frequently Asked Questions

The English program is designed to meet students’ individual needs and to help them acquire effective communication skills. Students are enrolled in an English class each year and must successfully complete four years in order to meet graduation requirements. Each year’s course offering builds upon skills acquired during previous years. Listening, reading, speaking, thinking, and writing skills are emphasized each year, and students are challenged to support their opinions with specifics from their readings and observations. Students in Grade 9 are given one quarter of instruction in Speech Fundamentals as part of their assigned English class. Elective courses are also available and provide students with reinforcement and enrichment. There are three levels of English at each grade level. Students are placed at a level most appropriate for them based on teacher recommendation, past academic performance, standardized test scores, and future goals.

Components of the English Language Arts Content Standards begin with the Core Concept that "Lifelong learners engage in constructing and conveying meaning by assessing, analyzing, evaluating and applying knowledge and experiences for a variety of purposes, audiences and situations."

The Six Strands of the ELA Framework that describe the context and skills students learn in English Language Arts throughout their schooling are apparent in Shrewsbury High School's English curriculum. Some highlighted examples at each grade level include the speech component in grade nine which provides opportunities for students to engage productively in discussions as listeners and speakers; the multi-cultural literature studied in grades nine and ten which expands students' perspectives and develops in them an appreciation of themselves and others; the opportunity for interdisciplinary study of American literature and history in grade eleven which gives students chances to speculate on connections and relationships as well as analyze recurrent themes and patterns; and, the research unit in grade twelve which provides students with opportunities to access information through a variety of print and electronic media and to design and produce media products that successfully communicate.