English

The Mission High school English department is committed to cultivating independent learners and critical thinkers. We strive to prepare students for success in college and secondary education, so that they can compete in a global setting. 

We want our students to have exposure to different genres of literature, and make connections between themselves, and the human experience at large. Through an anti-racist teaching lens, our focus on empowering students to have ownership of their learning, thus, our curriculum is dynamically reflective of the demographics we serve.

Our goal is to harness students intellectual abilities by developing a variety of cognitive skills that enhance students’ reading skills. We nurture the process of becoming independent readers by exposing them to different genres of text, and explicitly teach reading strategies, so that through this development, students intrinsically become joyful readers.

We honor the process of writing, so that students produce final drafts that are organized, logical and well developed. During each academic year, students learn specific writing skills such as essay formation, rhetorical strategies for building an argument. Understanding the varying needs, abilities, and aspirations of our school’s diverse student population, we adjust our methods and assessment strategies accordingly.

Our school has a large number of students who are recent immigrants, and who are English Language learners. Students are placed in their courses according to their California English Language Development Test scores. Our Newcomer pathway provides steps for those students to develop their language skills. These courses are designed according to the specific levels with  instructional methods and materials that meet the English Learner’s needs that support students’ growth.

We also offer Honors and Advanced Placement English Language and Literature and Composition classes. These courses, too, are strategically formed to match the demographics of our school population, and provide a preparation for college level work.