Instructional Goals
Instructional Goal(s)
What are the teacher’s measurable goals, as directly related to the subject area GLCE’s or HSCE’s, Common Core, and/or School Improvement Plan as described in Domain 1?
1. My first Instructional Goal for the 2014-2015 school year is to improve students’ Argumentative Writing Skills. I will teach the logic and application of argumentative writing. Listed below are the Common Core Literacy Standards for Argumentative Writing which I will use as the foundation for my improvement.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
W.9-10.1a Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
W.9-10.1b Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
W.9-10.1c Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
W.9-10.1d Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
W.9-10.1e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
English 10
English 12
2. My Second Instructional Goal for the 2014-2015 school year is the incorporation of more non-fiction reading material into each unit to improve students’ Reading for Information skills. I will utilize articles and op-ed current events articles to allow students to grasp the relevancy of each novel unit. I will use “envelope activities” and various other “close reading” strategies to improve reading for information. Listed below are the Reading for Information Common Core State Standards for Reading for Information which I will use as the foundation for my improvement.
RI.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
RI.11-12.10: By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
RI.11-12.11: By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
RI.11-12.2: Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
RI.11-12.3: Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.
RI.11-12.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
RI.11-12.5: Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
RI.11-12.6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text.
RI.11-12.7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
RI.11-12.8: Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses).
RI.11-12.9: Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (including The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.
Strategies/Activities: How will the teacher specifically implement the goals identified above?
English 10
English 12
What are the teacher’s measurable goals, as directly related to the subject area GLCE’s or HSCE’s, Common Core, and/or School Improvement Plan as described in Domain 1?
1. My first Instructional Goal for the 2014-2015 school year is to improve students’ Argumentative Writing Skills. I will teach the logic and application of argumentative writing. Listed below are the Common Core Literacy Standards for Argumentative Writing which I will use as the foundation for my improvement.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
W.9-10.1a Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
W.9-10.1b Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
W.9-10.1c Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
W.9-10.1d Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
W.9-10.1e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
English 10
- After reading The Crucible and watching the documentary film "Good Night and Good Luck," one of the culminating assignments of The Crucible Unit requires students to write a persuasive essay convincing readers to stand up for a particular cause. Students must have two sources and cite them correctly. Counterclaims must be included.
- The culminating assignment for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Unit is an argumentative speech. Students must support a controversial claim about the novel with evidence from the novel itself along with external sources. Students generate a comprehensive outline prior to presenting the speeches.
- In the Into the Wild Unit, students must routinely respond in writing to several prompts that require them to take a position about an issue present in the novel. These prompts are used as quizzes, class discussion starters, and class essays.
English 12
- When students study Things Fall Apart, they contemplate Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero. To end the unit, students take a position on whether or not the character Okonkwo fits Aristotle's definition. This is used as a culminating assessment.
- The anticipatory set for the study of The Great Gatsby involves a comprehensive view of class in America. Throughout the unit, students are asked to take a position about whether or not class in the USA matters. Additionally, students study recurring motifs in the novel and establish a position on their relevancy.
- The last assignment for seniors is a project requiring students to research two charitable organization that are working to remedy a social or environmental problem. Part of the assignment asks students to evaluate the effectiveness of each organization then choose which of the two is more worthy of citizens' time and money.
2. My Second Instructional Goal for the 2014-2015 school year is the incorporation of more non-fiction reading material into each unit to improve students’ Reading for Information skills. I will utilize articles and op-ed current events articles to allow students to grasp the relevancy of each novel unit. I will use “envelope activities” and various other “close reading” strategies to improve reading for information. Listed below are the Reading for Information Common Core State Standards for Reading for Information which I will use as the foundation for my improvement.
RI.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
RI.11-12.10: By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
RI.11-12.11: By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
RI.11-12.2: Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
RI.11-12.3: Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.
RI.11-12.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
RI.11-12.5: Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
RI.11-12.6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text.
RI.11-12.7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
RI.11-12.8: Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses).
RI.11-12.9: Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (including The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features.
Strategies/Activities: How will the teacher specifically implement the goals identified above?
English 10
- Within each unit, students will use envelope activities to enhance “close reading” skills.
- Each Friday of the first semester, students will alternate between reading and evaluating at least one current event article related to education, careers, or the current unit of study OR practicing non-fiction reading through several ACT model test passages.
- During The Crucible Unit, students will study Arthur Miller’s article for the New York Times “Why I Wrote the Crucible.” Additionally, students will evaluate relevant news articles about The Red Scare and the Salem Witch Trials culminating in the creation of two newspapers – one to illustrate their knowledge of McCarthyism and one to illustrate their knowledge of The Salem Witch Trials.
- During the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Unit, students will study background information about the controversial use of the “N” word in the novel. They will use the New York Times section “Room for Debate” to read several editorials about the controversy. Additionally, students will research information about the life and times of Mark Twain. They will present their findings to their classmates using a variety of web presentation tools. Fellow classmates will be evaluated on the information they learned from their classmates’ presentations.
- During the Of Mice and Men/American Poetry Unit, students will study biographies of several American poets. Additionally, they will read several articles about the American Dream and connect this information to non-fiction writings from transcendentalist authors.
- Students will study a new addition to the English 10 curriculum: a non-fiction selection titled Into the Wild. Through this novel study, students will read several articles and article excerpts that relate to Chris McCandless’ journey. They will evaluate epigraphs that relate to the American Dream and several other pertinent themes in the novel.
English 12
- Within each unit, students will use envelope activities to enhance “close reading” skills. .
- During the Things Fall Apart Unit, students will read and study non-fiction articles about epic heroes. They will read about and study Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, then illustrate the connections to the novel in an MLA formatted argumentative essay.
- During the 1984 Unit, students will read several articles relating the events of 1984 to current society. They will evaluate sources to determine validity. Then they will relate thematic similarities between the novel and our present world within the last 100 years in a speech using at least one form of integrated technology. They will cite evidence from the novel and their sources in their speeches.
- During the The Great Gatsby unit, students will read several articles about the current status of The American Dream in the 21st Century. Students will also read and research background information of the time period of the Roaring Twenties. Students will work collaboratively with their fellow classmates to prepare and plan a Roaring Twenties party in which they relate and present elements of the novel to historical and cultural events of the 1920’s.
- During the Research Paper Unit, students will read and research information about a social or environmental problem. They will research two charitable organizations that are working to remedy this problem. All information will be presented in an MLA researched essay. To bring closure to the unit, students will present the results of their research paper using a combination of technology/oral presentation.
- During the Night Unit, students will read and evaluate the effectiveness of several speeches written by Elie Wiesel, then relate the information to Wiesel’s memoir,Night.