Assabet Valley

As a department, we strive to make sure our students are able to master these skills so that they are prepared for the future that awaits them after Assabet.

Beyond preparing students for the MCAS and Stanford tests as well as SATs and the Accuplacer, teachers in our department ensure that students have the skills to communicate effectively, think critically, and read thoughtfully.

• Read mythology, including The Odyssey
• Study the structure of short stories
• Analyze poetry
• Read and perform A Raisin in the Sun
• Read The House on Mango Street
• Review grammar concepts   
• Prepare for the MCAS test
• Learn basic research techniques

• Read novels, like Fahrenheit 451                        
• Continue to read and analyze short stories and poetry
• Read and perform Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
• Continue to study grammar concepts
• Prepare for the MCAS test, administered in the spring
• Learn more advanced research techniques

• Focus on American Literature
• Study the history and background of the Salem Witch Trials, often while reading and analyzing The Crucible
• Read and analyze Native American poetry
• Read and analyze classic and contemporary American novels, short stories, plays, and poetry
• Review research techniques; choose a topic and devise a thesis for a research paper; research, using print and non-print sources; follow the MLA rules for proper citation and bibliography format; and write a cohesive, thesis-based research paper of five or more pages
• Prepare to take the Accuplacer test
• Have the opportunity to take the AP English Language & Composition course and exam if they meet the prerequisites

• Focus on World Literature
• Read dramatic literature such as A Streetcar Named Desire
• Read and analyze ancient texts such as Beowulf and "The Wanderer"
• Read and analyze Middle English texts such as The Canterbury Tales, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and King Arthur and Camelot tales
• Read and perform Shakespearean plays such as Macbeth or Hamlet
• practice writing college application essays
• Read and analyze important novels such as Lord of the Flies and A Long Way Gone
• Have the opportunity to take the AP English Literature & Composition course and exam if they meet the prerequisites

 

 

The Social Studies courses required for all students at Assabet Valley are a two-year United States history sequence, world history with a geographical approach, and government and society. We also offer challenging electives for students who wish to pursue social studies in more depth. Through this curriculum, and considering each student's individual needs, students will be prepared to undertake the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, to enter the world of work, and to pursue higher education.

 

With the adoption of a four-year social studies requirement, we envision that the required and elective courses will align with the National Common Core Standards.