Henri Matisse, Black Leaf on Green Background, 1952.
 
Welcome Parents!
 
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions by parents:
 
How can I help my child do well in English class?
 
1)Tell your child that academic ability is something that grows, not something that is fixed. Studies in a recent book by Carol Dweck, Profess of Psychology at Stanford University, show that students who are told that intelligence grows (which it in fact, does) do better than students who think intelligence is fixed. The book is called Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Click on the following link for more info:
http://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Success-Carol-Dweck/dp/1400062756
 
2)Talk to your child about what he/she is doing in class. Ask what the class is discussing, what books are being read, what new ideas he/she is coming into contact with. Share your own opinions, ideas, readings, and experiences . . .
 
3) Encourage your child to read and re-read the assigned reading. Read parts of it aloud together. Take your child to the library or bookstore to checkout/buy books that your child finds interesting. For some potential titles, click on:
http://spotlight.digication.com/English9/readingrecs/
 
4) Encourage your child to make vocab. cards weekly (go to the following link for an example):
http://spotlight.digication.com/English9/vocab/
 
5)Ask your child if he/she is keeping up with the homework assignments. Has he/she decided to do any extra credit assignments? Ask why/why not.
 
 
What is the English I English curriculum at Bellaire High School?
 
The goal of English I is to provide a forum for freshmen to develop the reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills necessary to succeed throughout their high school career and beyond. To this end, students and teachers use literary elements as lenses to engage in increasingly higher orders of thinking a variety of texts from both the classical cannon such as The Odyssey and Romeo and Juliet and more contemporary works such as Monster by Walter Dean Myers and Maus by Art Spiegelman. Students are invited to respond to the texts both through analytical writing as well as through creative and reflective pieces. Vocabulary is taught in the context of the readings; grammar, usage, and mechanics are taught in the context of the student writing process.
 
What is the Difference between "Academic English I", "Advanced Academic English I", and "Pre-AP English I"?
 
All English I classes follow a common curriculum, including the same core of literary texts, vocabulary words, grammar concepts, and literary terms. All classes strive to provide an environment in which students are able to master and enjoy learning key language arts skills.
 
In relation to Academic English I, students in Advanced Academic English I and Pre-AP English I can expect a heavier out-of-class reading load, more vocabulary words to learn each week, and a quicker progression through gramatical concepts.


What do English I students read?
 
*The Pearl by John Steinbeck

*short stories (including Edgar Allen Poe's "Cask of Amontillado", Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace", Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game"; "The Gift of the Magi" by O' Henry; "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst)
*selections from The Odyssey by Homer (trans. by Robert Fitzgerald)
*Animal Farm by George Orwell
*Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
*a book-length first person narrative (fiction or non-fiction)

*poems and ancillary non-fiction readings
*at least one other novel such as: The Third Eye by Lois Duncan; Night by Elie Wiesel; Monster by Walter Dean Myers; The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd; Troy by Adele Geras . . .
*additional texts read in pre-AP English include Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns; Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte; short stories by Hawthorne; Shakespeare's Julius Caesar; and a non-fiction book on a current injustice for a book club

Where do the vocabulary words come from?
 
The bulk of words on the 9th grade vocabulary list come from the texts read in class; additional words come from Latin and Greek prefix, suffix, and root words and Flocabuary.
 
How can I contact my child's English teacher?
 
Mr. Beard bbeard1@houstonisd.org [contact with any questions related directly to the site]
Ms. Blank cblank@houstonisd.org
Mr. Boyce rboyce@houstonisd.org
Ms. Frye sfrye@houstonisd.org
Ms. Moore-Walker emoorewa@houstonisd.org
Mr. Proctor aproctor@houstonisd.org
Ms. Terry nolavere@houstonisd.org