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TIDE's English classes help students become strong readers and skilled communicators who can adapt their writing and speech to different audiences and purposes. Students read non-fiction texts from various disciplines in addition to classic and contemporary literature, developing digital and traditional literacy in a blended learning environment designed to prepare them for college and career. In guided book groups and writing workshops, students improve their interpersonal communication skills as they articulate persuasive arguments, analyze the effects of authors’ literary choices, consider alternate points of view, and provide feedback on their peers’ work. Coordinated interdisciplinary efforts among TIDE teachers provide students with opportunities for in-depth research, real-world problem solving and experiential learning.

English 9 Focus Standards
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LT 1. Vocabulary 
Acquire and use college level vocabulary words. 
LT 2. Conventions
Demonstrate grade level appropriate writing convention, including capitalization, spelling, punctuation, verb tense, conjugation and pronoun use.
LT 3. Revising
Develop and strengthen writing by planning, revising, editing and rewriting for a specific purpose and audience. 
LT 4. Argument Writing 
Write strong arguments using valid claims, that are supported by relevant evidence and clear reasoning. 
LT 5. Writing Informational Text
Write informative texts that effectively select, organize, and analyze content.
LT 6. Narrative Writing
Write narratives that use effective techniques, details, and event sequences. 
LT 7. Select and Read
Actively select and read a variety of reading level appropriate texts from a variety of authors.
LT 8. Reading Strategies 
Learn, apply, and refine reading strategies with literary and informational texts.
LT 9. Key Ideas in Text
Demonstrate an understanding of the key ideas and details in literature and informational texts.
LT 10. Analyze Craft in Text (Lit.)
Analyze the craft and structure of literature.
LT 11. Analyze Craft in Text (Info.)
Analyze the craft and structure of informational texts.
LT 12. Research
I can answer research questions and/or research ways to address problems by gathering, evaluating credibility, synthesizing, and properly citing a variety of relevant and credible sources.
LT 13. Discussion
Participate effectively in a range of discussions by actively listening, clearly and persuasively expressing ideas and building on the ideas of others.
LT 14. Presentation
Present information using effective public speaking techniques and appropriate digital media.
LT 15. HOWL - Habits of Scholarship
I demonstrate habits of scholarship to be an effective learner.
LT 16. HOWL - Habits of Character
I demonstrate habits of character that uphold TIDE community norms and support learning growth and safety for all.

9th grade example projects & activities
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Utopia Project SlidesTop of Page

English 10 Standards
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Major Reading Goal
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.10
By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems; literary nonfiction; and informational texts independently and proficiently.
Acquire, use, and understand college level vocabulary words. 
Language
(Interpretation)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.3
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings especially in different contexts.
Language 
(Writing Convention)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1
Demonstrate grade level appropriate writing convention, including capitalization, spelling, punctuation, verb tense, conjugation and pronoun use.
Writing
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.5
Develop and strengthen writing by planning, revising, editing and rewriting for a specific purpose and audience. 
Writing 
(Argument)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1
Write strong arguments using valid claims, that are supported by relevant evidence and clear reasoning. 
Writing
(Informational)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2
Write informative texts that effectively select, organize, and analyze content.
Writing
(Narrative)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3
Write narratives that use effective techniques, details, and event sequences. 
Reading Literature
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3
Analyze how characters develop, interact with other characters, and affect the plot or develop the theme.
Reading Informational Texts
Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
Reading Informational Texts
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
Reading: Lit + Info
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4-7
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.4
Analyze the craft and structure of both literary and informational texts.
Speaking & Listening
(Collaboration)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas by actively listening and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Speaking & Listening
(Comprehension)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.2
Engage with multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
Speaking & Listening
(Presentation) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence so that listeners can clearly follow the presented information. Organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
Writing
(Research)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.7
Answer research questions and/or research ways to address problems by gathering, evaluating credibility, synthesizing, and properly citing a variety of relevant and credible sources.

10th grade Social Media
Argumentative Campaign Project
(Distance Learning Project):
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*Disclaimer: Students chose their own topics based on their interests and conducted their own research. Students looked into dominant and counter narratives about a topic they were interested in, picked a stance, and had to identify and use both logical fallacies and rhetorical strategies for maximum persuasive effectiveness. Although the samples only show the social media campaigns they designed, there were accompanying essays in which students justified their rhetorical choices and explained how these choices were effective persuasive methods.

English 11 Standards
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Major Reading Goal
By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Acquire and use accurate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Language
(Interpretation)
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings especially in different contexts.
Language 
(Writing Convention)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1
Demonstrate grade level appropriate writing convention, including capitalization, spelling, punctuation, verb tense, conjugation and pronoun use.
Writing
Develop and strengthen writing by planning, revising, editing and rewriting for a specific purpose and audience. 
Writing 
(Argument)
Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
Reading Literature
Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
Reading Literature
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. 
Reading Informational Texts
Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
Speaking & Listening
(Collaboration)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Speaking & Listening
(Comprehension)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2
Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
Speaking & Listening
(Presentation) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
Writing
(Research)
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Example of 11th grade activities:
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