The American Academy

Eleventh graders are seeking greater and greater independence. Where they are demanding more autonomy and respect as adults, they are still maturing and reaching for adulthood. This course focuses on reading and writing experiences that are developmentally appropriate. Vocabulary instruction looks at the cultural and contextual meanings of words. Reading instruction continues to offer young adults opportunities for improvement through growing sophistication in interaction with a variety of texts. Writing moves to analysis and interpretation of multiple ideas and perspectives to extend thinking and demands synthesizing of ideas to form conclusions and recommend actions. Analytical evaluation and assessment of writing are further nuanced, and editing skills are more sophisticated and specifically and clearly delineated. Inquiry skills are focused on synthesizing information in preparation for presenting research results.