Philosophy

The English curriculum reflects the cyclic and cumulative nature of English language learning. Achievement of the outcomes in each of the strands reflects students' increasing maturity and capacity to respond to the content of English – the texts spoken, read, viewed and written. Student development will be reflected in the increasing complexity and challenge of the texts, increasing control of a widening range of texts, and an increasing awareness by the student of context, purpose and audience. The English learning areas are organized into three strands: reading/literature, writing, and speaking and listening.

English Goals

• In accordance with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Language Arts Literacy, the English curriculum aims to develop in students:
• the ability to speak, listen, read, view and write with enjoyment, purpose, effect and confidence in a wide range of contexts;
• a knowledge of the ways in which language varies according to context, purpose, audience and content, and the capacity to apply this knowledge;
• a knowledge of the linguistic patterns used to construct different texts, and the capacity to apply this knowledge, especially in writing;
• a broad knowledge of a range of texts and a capacity to relate this to aspects of contemporary society and personal experience;
• the capacity to discuss and analyze texts critically; and
• a knowledge of the ways textual interpretation and understanding may vary according to cultural, social and personal differences, and the capacity to develop reasoned arguments about interpretation and meaning.