HIGH SCHOOL :: Red Cloud Indian School

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Courses Offered
Freshman English
Sophomore English
Junior English
Senior English
Journalism and Creative Writing
Spanish

Students at Red Cloud High School are required to take four full years of English courses. Each course covers a different group of topics centered around reading, writing, self-expression, grammar, and public speaking.

Freshman English
The Freshman English class at Red Cloud is moving right along. Currently, the students are working on their first reading goal. For this they must read a novel, two short stories, three poems, and three non-fiction articles. They have been working on this goal for 5 weeks now. They will be setting their own goals for the next 6 weeks, as many of the students reached and surpassed the first goal. Reading is an integral part of the freshman's daily routine.

The Freshman have been working hard on developing ideas in their writing. They are also learning to use imagery to develope their writing skills. Let me tell you, these kids can paint some awesome pictures with words. Currently they are writing a fiction story based on a picture. They will be peer editing this and revising it to perfection.

In addition to reading and writing, they also get their daily dose of Oral Language. When the students enter the room, there are grammatically incorrect sentences on the board. The students must find the grammer errors and then correct the sentences. This is to help them to put to use all the grammar rules they learned in elementary and middle school. While it isn't their favorite, they are getting very good at it.

The freshmen at Red Cloud are proving to be some of the best there are. We have a good time in class, but we also accomplish a great deal. Way to go, Puppies!

Sophomore English
English II has a few major goals throughout the course of the year. We are focusing heavily on writing through journal work every day and writing different types of essays. Public speaking will be highlighted during the second quarter in our speech unit, where students will write and deliver their own speeches. During the second semester, many students will have their first introduction to Shakespeare with Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the year, we will be working on understanding the purpose and effectiveness of various literary conventions employed in poetry, short stories, novels, and drama.

Junior English
The juniors at Red Cloud intensively study reading and writing through a workshop approach. Each semester, they read at least 8 books and produce at least 8 essays or pieces of creative writing. We have a classroom library that includes over two thousand books. The most popular books this year have been A Child Called It, Tears of a Tiger, Friday Night Lights, The Coldest Winter Ever, and anything by Nicholas Sparks. While at least two class periods each week are devoted to independent reading and writing, we also spend time together as a class learning reading and writing strategies and studying different genres. We begin the school year with memoir and autobiography, move on to the essay, look at poetry, and conclude the year by studying drama and investigating biography.

Senior English
Senior English at Red Cloud focuses on college preparation. Students are required to work independently on a number of reading and writing projects to prepare them for the greater independence required of college students. Seniors read at least 8 books and write 8 essays each semester. Students work intensively on essay writing strategies at the beginning of the year to prepare them for completing their college and scholarship application essays. They learn reading strategies and practice reading and discussing short texts that are typically used in college classes. They work through units on study skills, time management, and stress management. Built into the curriculum are many opportunities to practice problem solving and to apply their new skills.

Journalism and Creative Writing
Do you ever wonder about how journalists write those catchy headlines? Or about how reporters conduct the interviews that get them the stories they are writing? Or even about how they structure the articles that go into a newspaper while on deadline?

In this class we will be exploring all of those aspects through a look at reporting, writing and editing. We will learn the textbook basics of how to write a news story as well as implement those skills by reporting on events at Red Cloud High School. We will also watch videos – both educational and fictional – to illustrate the concepts learned in class. Students are expected to keep up on the news worldwide, nationally and locally and are given news quizzes. In addition students are taught a brief history of journalism, the First Amendment and how the Freedom of the Press has been challenged contemporarily. To increase the students’ comfort with talking in front of others, regular presentations with reports are assigned.

Spanish
Thirthy-one seniors, juniors and sophomores are taking the introduction to the Spanish language course. Our goal in class is to learn basic abilities in reading, writing and speaking Spanish. Students work frequently with partners and in groups to practice conversation, to learn basic sentence structure and vocabulary. By taking Spanish, Red Cloud students benefit in several ways: knowledge of another foreign language which in turn can widen their understanding of their own language, and the ability to participate at different levels of our ever changing society. Having taken the Spanish language course, students have a benefit when applying for college programs and also help to meet college graduation requirements. It is also a useful language to know as our Spanish speaking population continues to boom.