English Language Arts
The Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) Pacific is committed to providing a rich and varied experience with literacy, both spoken and in print. Key to this commitment are programs that require a lot of reading and writing, learning about genres, authors’ voice, and working with standard English conventions. Our ultimate goal is for students to understand the meaning of the written and spoken word, and to use a variety of skills and strategies that build a sense of what the author or speaker is saying. School Year 2003–2004 starts the full implementation phase of English Language Arts across all grade levels and the re-adoption of current support materials that are based on content standards. A three-tiered approach to standards is used  for our Pre–K population. The adopted National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) materials are used for grades K–3. The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) uses a five-strand approach that was developed for grades 4–12. This approach includes reading, writing, speaking-listening-viewing, conventions-grammar/usage, and literature. The adopted materials for high school include “Elements of Writing” and “Language of Literature.”  High school students may elect to take Advance Placement (AP), Literature and Composition, speech and drama, journalism, yearbook, and Honors English for grades 9 and 10.
DoDDS Pacific strives to develop the habit of reading and writing by engaging the learner in a wide variety of diverse literature. Non-fictional text affords opportunities for students to interpret content. Elementary school classrooms depict our youngest students working in an environment rich in signs, symbols, words, numbers, and art. Learning environments convey that print has meaning.  At a middle or high school, students may be seen analyzing and interpreting primary and secondary resources such as public documents. This allows them to make practical applications in today’s global society.
DoDDS Pacific Literacy Project