La Cañada Unified School District English Language Arts

Elementary English Language Arts

English Language Arts Instruction is aligned with the California Common Core State Standards. Kindergarten is using National Geographic: Reach for Reading, Cengage Learning; 1-5th grades are using HMH Journeys CA Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; and 6th grade is using Collections CA Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Teachers use supplemental materials and digital resources to differentiate instruction. Core literature lists have been established by teachers and are used for each grade level. Pre and post writing assessments are used districtwide to measure student growth in writing. Common assessments are used three times per year to evaluate student mastery of ELA standards and guide instruction.

Middle School English Language Arts

Middle School English Language Arts instruction is aligned with the California Common Core State Standards. 2 years of English is required and each class is year-long. 7th and 8th grade ELA teachers use Language of Literature McDougal Littell as a resource. They also use supplemental materials and digital resources to differentiate instruction. Core literature lists have been established by teachers and are used for each grade level. Common assessments are used three times per year to evaluate student mastery of ELA standards and guide instruction.

High School English Language Arts

All students must be enrolled in an English class every semester and must earn a total of 40 units of English credit in order to graduate. All classes are year-long classes. Courses will comply with the California state standards for English Language Arts, and for Advanced Placement courses taken in the junior and senior years, the curriculum framework written by the College Board. Completion of four years of English and the demonstration of English competency through passing an on-demand writing sample satisfies the LCUSD research and writing graduation requirement. In LCHS English classes, students will complete a variety of language arts tasks in order to create a firm foundation in language skills, composition, and literature by reading and analyzing fiction and nonfiction pieces. Writing accounts for 50% of the grade in all required English classes.

La Cañada Unified School District, 4490 Cornishon Ave., La Cañada, (818) 952-8300 or visit www.lcusd.net.