ENGLISH AS CORE COURSE

CHRISTOPHER F. TORIO

Every student takes high school English. The subject of English is defined as a “core course” of study which refers to a series or selection of courses that all students are required to complete before they can move on to the next level in their education.

Most schools will design their four year English course of study so that it has a vertical coherence. This vertical coherence allows curriculum writers the opportunity to prioritize learning, “so that what students learn in one lesson, course, or grade level prepares them for the next lesson, course or grade level.”

English traditionally offered as a survey course that serves as an introduction for the rigors of high school reading and writing. As freshmen, students will participate in the writing process by constructing thesis statements, and writing essays in multiple genres (argumentative, explanatory, informational).

The vertical coherence established in the curriculum for English should build on the major principles of writing in multiple genres. In English, students will continue focus on the skill sets for formal writing using the writing process (pre-writing, draft, revision, final drafts, publishing). Students will continue to expand (about 500 words annually) both their academic and content specific vocabulary.

English marks the culmination of a student’s course experience, for thirteen years from K-12. The organization of this course is the most flexible of all high school English classes, and may be organized as a multi-genre survey cou r se.

The curriculum for high school English is uniform and standardized such that identification of a set of specific grade level skills that students should develop in reading, writing, listening and speaking. English should always be established as a core course because of its essentiality.

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The author is Teacher II (Senior High School) at Diosdado Macapagal High School, Mexico, Pampanga