Language Arts

Jennifer Garland
Coordinator of Curriculum Support, Literacy

Standards-based literacy instruction is provided in all Cherokee County Schools for students in kindergarten through grade twelve through a designated literacy block. Students will learn to think critically and communicate orally and through writing while incorporating reading strategies that will enable them to continue to grow as a learner. Students will gain knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and literary resources as well as engage in regular practice with complex text and its academic language.

Resources for all English Language Arts courses:

Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE)

Lexile, the Framework for Reading

Reading Resources from the Georgia Department of Education

Elementary, grades K-5

Students in kindergarten through fifth grade will experience rigorous and relevant standards-based curriculum designed specifically for the elementary student. The Cherokee County Board of Education has adopted resources that support a balanced literacy approach and includes a phonics program for grades K-2, a multi-leveled Book Room for each school to incorporate guided reading, a Classroom Library for each teacher of reading and Reading Assessments to help each child is read at his or her appropriate level.

K-5 GSE

Balanced Literacy PowerPoint for Parents

What is Balanced Literacy? Video

KINDERGARTEN

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

Learn more here about CCSD's Little Free Libraries initiative to support early childhood literacy.

Middle School, grades 6-8

Students in grades six through eight begin to experience literacy with an increasing level of maturity and sophistication. Through challenging literature analyses, nonfiction books, articles, primary and secondary sources, they comprehend and analyze text; stake claims through evidence found within the text and consolidate and internalize skills instilled through the full-progression of the GSE. Student writing will reflect the ability to argue effectively, understand author bias and tailor prose for maximum influence.

Students will engage in a newly created, standards-based rigorous curriculum through real-world scenarios and performance tasks. In addition, students will receive extended support in a literacy-skills based Literacy Workshop course.

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

High School, grades 9 – 12

High School English Language Arts courses are organized into bands of grades 9 – 10 and 11 – 12 which allow schools and districts flexibility in designing courses. The Standards reveal what students should be able to do by the end of each grade band and ultimately by the end of their high school careers. Students will graduate with the ability to communicate in multiple modes of discourse demonstrating a strong command of the rules of Standard English.

Course #	Course Name	Honors	Credit	Required, Core orElective	Testing Requirement	Prerequisite
23.06100	9^th Grade Literature/Composition	Honors	1.0	R	GMAT-EOC	8^th Grade Language Arts
23.06200	10^th Grade Literature/Composition	Honors	1.0	C		9^th Grade Lit/Comp
23.05100	American Literature/Composition	Honors	1.0	R	GMAT-EOC	10^th Grade Lit/Comp
23.05200	British Literature/Composition	Honors	1.0	C		American Lit/Comp
23.06700	Multicultural Literature/Composition		1.0	C		American Lit/Comp
23.03400	Advanced Composition		1.0	C		10^th Grade Lit/Comp
23.05300	AP English Language & Composition/American Literature		1.0	C	GMAT-EOC	10^th Grade Lit/Comp
23.04300	AP English Language/ Composition		1.0	C		American Lit/Comp
23.06500	AP Literature/Composition		1.0	C		American Lit/Comp
23.06400	Literary Types/Composition		1.0	E		12^th Grade Elective
23.02400	Literature & History of the Old Testament Era		1.0	E		12^th Grade Elective
23.02500	Literature & History of the New Testament Era		1.0	E		12^th Grade Elective
23.08200	Reading Enrichment		1.0	E		None
23.08300	Basic Reading/Writing I		1.0	E		Staff/IEP Recommendation
23.08400	Basic Reading/Writing II		1.0	E		Staff/IEP Recommendation & Basic Reading/Writing I
23.08500	Basic Reading/Writing III		1.0	E		Staff/IEP Recommendation &Basic Reading/Writing II
23.08600	Basic Reading/Writing IV		1.0	E		Staff/IEP Recommendation &Basic Reading/Writing III
23.04200	Oral/Written Communication (Speech)		1.0	E		None
23.04600	Speech/Forensics I		1.0	E		None
23.04700	Speech/Forensics II		1.0	E		Speech/Forensics I
23.03100	Writer’s Workshop		1.0	E		None
23.03200	Journalism I		1.0	E		Instructor Approval
23.03300	Journalism II		1.0	E		Journalism I
23.03500	Journalism III		1.0	E		Journalism II
23.03600	Journalism IV		1.0	E		Journalism III