English at FHSA

Upon graduation at FHSA, each Arts graduate will have experienced rigorous and engaging coursework in Language Arts. Culminating in research using scholarly articles in the upper level courses, all students entering Fordham High School for the Arts are enrolled in ELA 9, regardless of level in 8th grade. This course, designed to create a strong foundational toolkit of argumentative writing and text analysis, provides all learners with the opportunity to sit for the CCLS ELA Regents Exam in January of their first year, and June if necessary in order to earn a ‘college ready’ score (80 or higher). By front loading students with foundational skills in reading and writing, all students will be enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) coursework by their 11th grade year. Courses such as AP Language and Composition, AP Literature, and AP Seminar are nationally-recognized courses offered through College Board, while students can also take courses such as Studios of Academic Writing through Syracuse University. By ensuring all students at FHSA engage in rigorous coursework that promotes critical thinking, inquiry, and real-world performance tasks, students graduate with a portfolio of high-level work that best prepares them for success after high school.

ELA I/II (Grade 9)

In this year-long course, students will explore real-world problems that affect our lives and the lives of millions around the world through engagement with literature, informational texts, visual art and more. All learners will learn how to write effective arguments in the Writing Lab (Unit 0), an introductory unit of study that builds foundational skills and structures used throughout their four years in high school. Students are provided a choice of applicable topics related to their own lives, and use informational texts to develop sound arguments. Additionally, students analyze texts to determine a central idea developed by the author using writing strategies over the course of a text. Anchor texts include The Odyssey by Homer, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, For colored girls, who considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf by Ntozake Shange, and short stories and poetry by a wide variety of authors and voices, including Junot Diaz and Sherman Alexie. All students sit for the NY State CCLS ELA Regents Exam in January and June of their 9th grade year, demonstrating growth in skill development throughout the year-long course. Students across the cohort participate in the NY Times Annual Student Op-Ed writing contest during the Spring term, writing about a topic meaningful to them and learning to write for an audience while maintaining standards of research organization consistent with public writing. Regular benchmarking occurs through timed writing, in which students engage in 1:1 conferencing following drafts of their work and provides opportunities to highlight growth and areas for improvement. 

ELA III/IV (Grade 10)