Course Standards
General Course Information and Notes
Version Description
Students assess their own and others’ speaking habits and vocal characteristics as the first step in identifying qualities to retain and refine and modifying or eliminating those that may be undesirable in certain settings, such as regional dialects and slang. With this work, students also identify common speech errors and strengthen their comfort level with Standard American English language. Public performances may serve as a resource for specific instructional goals. Students may be expected to attend one or more performances outside the school day to support, extend, and assess learning in the classroom.General Notes
English Language Development ELD Standards Special Notes Section:
Teachers are required to provide listening, speaking, reading and writing instruction that allows English language learners (ELL) to communicate for social and instructional purposes within the school setting. For the given level of English language proficiency and with visual, graphic, or interactive support, students will interact with grade level words, expressions, sentences and discourse to process or produce language necessary for academic success. The ELD standard should specify a relevant content area concept or topic of study chosen by curriculum developers and teachers which maximizes an ELL’s need for communication and social skills. To access an ELL supporting document which delineates performance definitions and descriptors, please click on the following link: https://cpalmsmediaprod.blob.core.windows.net/uploads/docs/standards/eld/si.pdf
General Information
Educator Certifications
Student Resources
Original Student Tutorials
Learn to distinguish between a gerund phrase that's used as a direct object and a gerund phrase that used as the object of the preposition. In this interactive tutorial, you'll also practice using gerund phrases as a direct object or the object of the preposition in sentences of your own.
This tutorial is Part Two of a two-part series. Make sure to complete Part One before beginning Part Two. Click HERE to launch "Spice Up Your Writing Part One: Using Gerund Phrases as Subjects or Subject Complements."
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to distinguish between passive and active voice and how to revise sentences by changing them from passive to active voice in this magic-themed tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to distinguish between a gerund phrase that's used as a subject and one that's used as a subject complement. In this interactive tutorial, you'll also practice using gerund phrases as subjects or subject complements in sentences of your own. Using gerund phrases can add detail and variety to your writing.
This is Part One of a two-part series. Click HERE to launch "Part Two: Using Gerund Phrases as Objects."
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to use verbs and verb phrases to convey specific meanings through the use of specific verb tenses: past perfect tense and past perfect progressive tense.
This interactive tutorial is Part Two in a two-part series. You should complete Part One before beginning Part Two. Click HERE to launch Part One.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to use verbs and verb phrases to convey specific meanings through the use of specific verb tenses: simple past tense and past progressive tense.
This interactive tutorial is Part One in a two-part series. In Part Two, you'll explore the use of past perfect tense and past perfect progressive tense. Make sure to complete both parts!
Click HERE to launch Part Two.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to use verb phrases in particular tenses to convey specific meanings. In this interactive tutorial, you'll explore the use of four verb tenses: simple future, future progressive, future perfect, and future perfect progressive.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to enhance your writing with verbs and verb phrases in different tenses to convey specific meanings. In Part Two, you'll work with three perfect tenses: present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect.
We recommend that you complete Part One before starting Part Two. In Part One, you'll work with three simple tenses: past, present, and future. Click HERE to view Part One.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how verbs and verb phrases can convey specific meanings through the use of three verb tenses--simple present, present progressive, and present perfect--in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to enhance your writing with verbs and verb phrases in different tenses to convey specific meanings. In Part One, you'll work with past tense, present tense, and future tense.
We recommend that you complete Part Two after Part One. In Part Two, you'll work with three tenses: present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect. Click HERE to view Part Two.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to enhance your writing by using phrases. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn about absolute phrases and how they can add interest, depth, and variety to your writing.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to enhance your writing by using phrases. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn about adverb prepositional phrases. Using adverb prepositional phrases will help add interest, depth, and variety to your writing!
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to enhance your writing with two types of phrases that can function like adjectives in a sentence: the participle phrase and the prepositional phrase. In this interactive tutorial, you'll discover how phrases can help add detail and specificity to your writing.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about parallel form in this interactive English Language Arts tutorial. In this tutorial, you'll use parallel form with lists in sentences, identify sentences that contain parallel form and sentences that contain faulty parallelism, and practice editing sentences that contain faulty parallelism. You'll also examine how parallel form can add smoothness, clarity, and gracefulness to your writing.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to enhance your writing by using prepositional phrases. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn how prepositional phrases add description and specificity and help make your writing more interesting.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to enhance your writing by using noun phrases in this interactive tutorial. Although noun phrases can be used in many ways, here you'll learn how they can be used as the subject of a sentence or the object of a verb to add interest, detail, and specificity to your writing.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn 12 new academic vocabulary words in this interactive tutorial! You'll practice the words' synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, and context clues in order to add them to your vocabulary.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
This is Part Two of a two-part series. Learn to identify faulty reasoning in this interactive tutorial series. You'll learn what some experts say about year-round schools, what research has been conducted about their effectiveness, and how arguments can be made for and against year-round education. Then, you'll read a speech in favor of year-round schools and identify faulty reasoning within the argument, specifically the use of hasty generalizations.
Make sure to complete Part One before Part Two! Click HERE to launch Part One.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to identify faulty reasoning in this two-part interactive English Language Arts tutorial. You'll learn what some experts say about year-round schools, what research has been conducted about their effectiveness, and how arguments can be made for and against year-round education. Then, you'll read a speech in favor of year-round schools and identify faulty reasoning within the argument, specifically the use of hasty generalizations.
Make sure to complete both parts of this series! Click HERE to open Part Two.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Examine President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in this interactive tutorial. You will examine Kennedy's argument, main claim, smaller claims, reasons, and evidence.
In Part Four, you'll use what you've learned throughout this series to evaluate Kennedy's overall argument.
Make sure to complete the previous parts of this series before beginning Part 4.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Examine President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in this interactive tutorial. You will examine Kennedy's argument, main claim, smaller claims, reasons, and evidence. By the end of this four-part series, you should be able to evaluate his overall argument.
In Part Three, you will read more of Kennedy's speech and identify a smaller claim in this section of his speech. You will also evaluate this smaller claim's relevancy to the main claim and evaluate Kennedy's reasons and evidence.
Make sure to complete all four parts of this series!
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Examine some commonly confused pronouns that often trick people into believing that they have the same meaning when their meanings can be very different. This interactive tutorial will help you properly use the following pronouns: who, whom, which, that, their, there, they're.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Avoid "doppelganger danger" as you examine six pairs of commonly confused words in this interactive tutorial. Learn how to correctly use these commonly confused words to improve your language and writing skills.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Avoid "doppelganger danger" as you examine six pairs of commonly confused words. Learning how to correctly use these commonly confused words will help improve your writing and mastery of English.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Examine five pairs of commonly confused words in this interactive tutorial. This tutorial focuses on language and resolving issues of complex usage. You will examine pairs of words that are often confused in order to learn the correct use of each word. By the end of this tutorial, you should be able to accurately use these ten commonly confused words.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Avoid "doppelganger danger" as you examine fourteen homophones, which are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Learning how to use these homophones correctly in this interactive tutorial will help you avoid some of the most common usage mistakes.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Avoid "doppelganger danger" as you examine eleven homophones, which are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Learning how to use these homophones correctly in this interactive tutorial will help you avoid some of the most common usage mistakes.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Avoid "doppelganger danger" as you examine twelve homophones, which are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Learning how to use these homophones correctly in this interactive tutorial will help you avoid some of the most common usage mistakes.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about adverb clauses, a flavorful ingredient that can enhance your sentences. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn about adverb clauses and how these clauses can add interest, depth, and variety to your writing.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about adjective clauses and how they can add interest, depth, and variety to your writing in this sweet-themed interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to enhance your writing by combining clauses. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn how to combine independent and dependent clauses to add interest, depth, and variety to your writing.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to enhance your writing by using phrases. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn all about participle phrases. Using participle phrases will help add interest, depth, and variety to your writing!
Type: Original Student Tutorial
This is Part Two of a two-part tutorial series. In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice identifying a speaker's purpose using a speech by aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. You will examine her use of rhetorical appeals, including ethos, logos, pathos, and kairos. Finally, you'll evaluate the effectiveness of Earhart's use of rhetorical appeals.
Be sure to complete Part One first. Click here to launch PART ONE.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
This is Part One of a two-part tutorial series. In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice identifying a speaker's purpose using a speech by aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. You will examine her use of rhetorical appeals, including ethos, logos, pathos, and kairos. Finally, you'll evaluate the effectiveness of Earhart's use of rhetorical appeals.
Click here to launch PART TWO.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Practice analyzing word choices in "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, including word meanings, subtle differences between words with similar meanings, and emotions connected to specific words. In this interactive tutorial, you will also analyze the impact of specific word choices on the meaning of the poem.
This is Part Two of a two-part series. Part One should be completed before beginning Part Two. Click HERE to open Part One.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Practice analyzing word choices in "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe in this interactive tutorial. In this tutorial, you will examine word meanings, examine subtle differences between words with similar meanings, and think about emotions connected to specific words. You will also analyze the impact of specific word choices on the meaning of the poem.
This tutorial is Part One of a two-part series on Poe's "The Raven." Click HERE to open Part Two.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Practice using textual details and connotative meanings to determine a speaker's/narrator's tone in this two-part interactive tutorial. You'll also analyze the impact of word choices on the meaning and tone of the text in excerpts from Ayn Rand's dystopian novella Anthem.
Make sure to complete Part One before you begin Part Two. Click HERE to open Part One.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Practice writing different aspects of an expository essay about scientists using drones to research glaciers in Peru. This interactive tutorial is part four of a four-part series. In this final tutorial, you will learn about the elements of a body paragraph. You will also create a body paragraph with supporting evidence. Finally, you will learn about the elements of a conclusion and practice creating a “gift.”
This tutorial is part four of a four-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.
- Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 1)
- Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 2)
- Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 3)
- Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 4)
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Acquire new vocabulary through this interactive tutorial. You'll learn definitions for 15 new words, as well as their parts of speech, their synonyms and antonyms, and you'll practice using them in context.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to write an introduction for an expository essay in this interactive tutorial. This tutorial is the third part of a four-part series. In previous tutorials in this series, students analyzed an informational text and video about scientists using drones to explore glaciers in Peru. Students also determined the central idea and important details of the text and wrote an effective summary. In part three, you'll learn how to write an introduction for an expository essay about the scientists' research.
This tutorial is part three of a four-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.
- Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 1)
- Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 2)
- Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 3)
- Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 4)
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Practice using textual details and connotative meanings to help you determine a speaker's/narrator's tone in this two-part interactive tutorial. You'll also analyze the impact of word choices on the meaning and tone of a text. This tutorial series features excerpts from Ayn Rand's dystopian novella Anthem.
Part One should be completed before beginning Part Two. Click HERE to launch Part Two.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to avoid plagiarism in this interactive tutorial. You will also learn how to follow a standard format for citation and how to format your research paper using MLA style. Along the way, you will also learn about master magician Harry Houdini. This tutorial is Part Two of a two-part series on research writing.
Be sure to complete Part One first. Click to view Part One.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to integrate information from a text into your own writing to maintain the flow of ideas, avoid plagiarism, and cite your sources. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read an excerpt from novel The Poisonwood Bible. Using this text, you will practice selecting relevant information and integrating it into your own written responses.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Acquire new vocabulary through this interactive tutorial. You'll learn definitions for 15 new words, as well as their parts of speech, their synonyms and antonyms, and you'll practice using them in context.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Review strategies for acquiring new vocabulary and then learn fifteen new words in this interactive tutorial. You'll also practice using the words in a variety of ways to help you add them to your vocabulary.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn several ways to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, including context clues, word parts, and dictionary skills. In this interactive tutorial, you'll apply these strategies to text passages from John Muir's book A Thousand-mile Walk to the Gulf, which includes vivid descriptions of Florida in the late 1800s.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Examine the use of hyperbole and personification in the prologue of the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice identifying examples of hyperbole and personification within the text. You'll also learn how these two types of figurative language help authors convey their intended meaning.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to identify figurative language within poetry, including the use of similes, metaphors, and personification. In this interactive tutorial, we'll analyze William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” and William Shakespeare’s “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” to discover how figurative language contributes to the meaning of each poem.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about noun clauses, a flavorful ingredient that can enhance your sentences. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn about noun clauses and how these clauses can add interest, depth, and variety to your writing.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Tutorials
This video provided by the team at the Purdue Owl is a great way to be introduced to formatting a paper in Microsoft Word (including things like titles, headings, page margins, line spacing, etc.) using MLA format. The video will show you exactly how to format your paper using your computer, screenshots of Microsoft Word will leave no confusion on how to follow each step.
Type: Tutorial
Learn how to create a Works Cited page with this step-by-step guide. A short video walks you through all of the formatting and style choices you need to make for your next source-based paper. It specifically explains what information must be included for the following sources: books, articles, maps, newspapers, websites, and more.
Type: Tutorial
In this activity from the Online Tutorial for Effective Writing of Northern Illinois University, you will take a pre-test to identify weaknesses in familiarity with, and use of, MLA and APA styles as well as using a formal writing style. After reviewing the mini-lesson on the missed items, you will be presented with additional interactive quizzes for each style type. The arrows at the bottom of each mini-lesson will lead you to these quizzes for extra practice and support.
Type: Tutorial
This activity From the Online Tutorial for Effective Writing from Northern Illinois University provides you with a pre-test to identify any weaknesses in the most common grammatical errors. After reviewing the mini-lessons on the missed items, you will be presented with additional interactive quizzes for each error type. The arrows at the bottom of each mini-lesson will lead you to these quizzes for extra practice and support.
Type: Tutorial
In this animated video from TEDed, you will learn about the power of metaphors in your reading and in your writing. The video explores questions like: "How do metaphors help us better understand the world?", as well as "What makes a good metaphor?"
Type: Tutorial
This fun and interactive exercise will give you practice in recognizing parallel structure. After every response, you will get immediate feedback. The site also includes an explanation of the rules of parallel structure that you can refer to as you complete this exercise.
Type: Tutorial
This fun and interactive exercise will give you practice in maintaining parallel structure. After every response, you will get immediate feedback. The site also includes an explanation of the rules of parallel structure that you can refer to as you complete this exercise.
Type: Tutorial
This fun and interactive exercise will give you practice in maintaining parallel structure. You will get feedback after every typed response. The site also includes an explanation of the rules of parallel structure that you can refer to as you complete this exercise.
Type: Tutorial
This fun and interactive exercise will give you practice in recognizing parallel structure. After every response, you will get immediate feedback. The site also includes an explanation of the rules of parallel structure that you can refer to as you complete this exercise.
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial you will learn how to use MLA format and documentation in your academic papers. You will be able to work at your own pace. Also, throughout the tutorial you will receive plenty of examples to model in your paper.
Type: Tutorial
This fun and interactive exercise will give you practice in maintaining parallel structure. After every response, you will get immediate feedback. The site also includes an explanation of the rules of parallel structure that you can refer to as you complete this exercise.
Type: Tutorial
This fun and interactive exercise will give you practice in maintaining parallel structure. You will get feedback after every typed response. The site also includes an explanation of the rules of parallel structure that you can refer to as you complete this exercise.
Type: Tutorial