English

Hopewell City Public Schools supports the English goals for students as described by the VIrginia Department of Education:

• Students should be prepared to participate in society as literate citizens, equipped with the ability to communicate effectively in their communities, in the workplace, and in postsecondary education.
• Students should become active and involved listeners and develop a full command of the English language, evidenced by their use of standard English and their rich speaking and writing vocabularies.
• Students should become competent readers of a variety of texts and are encouraged to acquire a lifelong love of reading.

These goals are achieved through instruction of the English/Language Arts Curricula strands which reflect a comprehensive instructional program of expected achievement. The organization of standards also reflects the gradual progression in the development of skills. The English Standards for kindergarten through twelfth grade are reading, writing, research, and communication/multimodal literacies.

Reading/language arts instruction in elementary school begins with an awareness of the concepts of print and the sounds and structure of oral and written language. Students acquire a strong foundation in phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension strategies. Elementary students in grades K-2 are also taught both manuscript and cursive writing. 

Reading/Language Arts instruction for students at middle school and high school incorporates opportunities for reading self-selected texts in addition to other fiction, non-fiction, and cross curricular texts.  Students strengthen their deeper learning skills as they analyze what they read and make comparisons of information.

All students in grades K-12 grow in their awareness of the structure of language and the writing process. Students write in multiple forms, including narrative, expository, reflective, and persuasive/argumentative. Proficiency in written communication is achieved as students apply their writing skills when writing for a variety of purposes and audiences. 

In the research strand, students first learn to create and investigate research questions and access information. Investigation starts in kindergarten and continues through middle and high school where students evaluate the validity of sources, appropriately credit sources, and synthesize information into research-based products. Research skills are an integral part of project based learning and supports cross curricular studies. By providing opportunities for autonomous problem solving and the ability to critically evaluate and synthesize information, students of all ages are learning to adapt to real world situations. 

The communication strand is targeted in English/Language Arts, but students learn to participate in classroom discussions and collaborate with others in all classes. Specific to English/language arts in grades three through twelve, students learn to prepare, deliver, and critique oral presentations.  Beginning in fourth grade and throughout high school, the communication strand includes a focus on experiencing and creating multimodal presentations and analyzing, developing, and producing media messages.