Freshman Orientation
Welcome to Vista del Lago High School! We are thrilled to have you joining us next year as Eagles, and look forward to working with the class of 2027. The Vista del Lago English Department places a heavy focus on student learning through the use of skills-based and standards-based instruction and assessment. Students will learn to think critically, write rhetorically, read with engagement, and converse collaboratively while developing their own voices and their self-confidence in the English Language Arts.
The courses for Freshmen students are as follows:
Term 1 — Students will be enrolled in the following:
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Beginning Composition |
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Beginning Composition is a 9th grade required course designed to help students become skilled writers by engaging them in thoughtful writing that will extend across the content areas. Because the course is designed to integrate thinking, reading, and writing, students will become aware of writing as a process and deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to convey specific ideas. Students will learn skills necessary to write on demand with an awareness of structure, tone, and word choice. Students will learn to choose strategies for specific writing prompts and become aware of the importance of audience. In addition to engaging students as writers, students will build their confidence through collaborative conversations, presentations using digital media, and employing rhetorical strategies to build appeals in oral communication. |
Term 2 — Students will be enrolled in one of the following:
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English 9/English 1 |
Honors English 9/English 1H |
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English 9 is a grade-level course designed to provide a comprehensive curriculum in English language arts with integration of the CA ELD Standards that were adopted by the SBE in November of 2012 (CDE 2014). This course calls for students to engage in a range of tasks (analyze, interpret, assess, integrate and evaluate, collaborate, adapt, apply) that require critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration demanded of 21st Century living and learning, with emphasis on meaning making, effective expression, content knowledge, and language development. Full Text Studies: To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, A Long Way Gone Curriculum: California StudySync |
Honors English 9 is a grade-level course designed to provide a comprehensive curriculum in English language arts with integration of the CA ELD Standards that were adopted by the SBE in November of 2012 (CDE 2014). This course calls for students to engage in a range of tasks (analyze, interpret, assess, integrate and evaluate, collaborate, adapt, apply) that require critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration demanded of 21st Century living and learning, with emphasis on meaning making, effective expression, content knowledge, and language development. Honors English 9 is differentiated from English 9 by complexity of materials, pace, and rigor of assessment. Please note — there is a summer and a winter reading requirement for Honors English 9. Full Text Studies: A Long Way Gone, In the Time of the Butterflies, To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, Romeo and Juliet, and an additional text to be read over the summer. Curriculum: California StudySync |
*Please note — there is no prerequisite coursework or assessment required for enrollment in Honors English 9, however students are expected to complete reading and assessment over the summer and winter breaks. There is no additional point in the GPA for Honors English 9. Summer reading assignment will be available at the end of May.
For further information, including Frequently Asked Questions, please see Ms. Rae’s teacher page on the Vista del Lago High School Website