Encore Junior High School: Traditional On Campus Program

The offices of Encore Education Corporation are closed this week for the July 4th holiday. This week's blog will include the cartoon videos from Encore's virtual interest meeting. We are still enrolling for the fall of 2020. School starts on September 14.

ENCORE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM

Encore's Junior High School program serves grades 7 & 8.

Students that are enrolling the traditional seat-based junior high program are committed to coming to school every school day for a complete bell schedule that starts with nutrition at 8:00 am and ends the school day at 3:15 pm.  Classes for junior high meet daily.

JUNIOR HIGH BELL SCHEDULE:

• NUTRITION: 8:00 - 8:25 am

• HOMEROOM: 8:25 -8:30 am

• PERIOD 1: 8:30 - 9:12 am

• PERIOD 2: 9:16 - 9:58 am

• PERIOD 3: 10:05 - 10:47 am

• LUNCH: 10:50 - 11:20 am

• PERIOD 4: 11:25 - 12:07 pm

• PERIOD 6: 12:58 - 1:40 pm

• PERIOD 7: 1:45 - 2:27 pm

• PERIOD 8: 2:31 - 3:15 pm

Each junior high class is 42 minutes long to hold attention of younger scholars and maintain bell to bell teaching.

Electronic attendance is taken at the beginning of the school day for ADA, then paper attendance is taken throughout the day for operations and discipline.  Encore employed the shorter classes in junior high for second semester of the 19/20 school year and saw a drastic drop in junior high student discipline and an increased rate of productivity in the classrooms.  The time was created to help with junior high attention spans and to make sure that junior high students were experiencing math and English multiple times every school day. 

JUNIOR HIGH CURRICULUM:

As a high school, Encore uses a combination of junior high and high school curriculum.  Using a combination of both curricula starting in the 18/19 school year, Encore shows an almost 20 point jump in state test scores for both English Language Arts and Mathematics for the 18/19 school year.  Encore was excited to see where the 8th grade students in the 19/20 school year would rank with two years of high school/junior high curriculum, but Covid-19 cancelled all state testing for the 19/20 school year.  Junior High students that complete the A-G approved high school curriculum with a grade of "C" or better will have this coursework added to their high school transcripts.

7th grade:

ELA Curriculum - High School course - Grammar through Literature A, High School course - This course helps students learn how to build skills in writing. Punctuation, capitalization, and spelling rules are presented through applications to demonstrate effective writing that can be easily understood. A variety of literature is used to introduce and practice the grammar topics—fiction and nonfiction. Literature is used to assist in the understanding and application of grammar principles.

High School course - Reading and Writing Skills - This course helps students develop the language arts skills and strategies necessary to be successful on tests. This course is divided into five units: Unit 1: Reading Standard 1.0—Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development; Written and Oral English Language Conventions 1.0; Unit 2: Reading Comprehension 2.0—Focus on Informational Materials Unit 3: Literary Response and Analysis 3.0; Unit 4: Writing 1.0—Writing Strategies; and Unit 5: Writing Applications: 2.0 Genres and Their Characteristics.

Teachers supplement the core curriculum to make it exciting and targeted to seventh grade students.  Seventh grade students also read novels throughout the school year based on common core.

Mathematics - High School course - Pre Algebra.  This course is combined with teacher supplements to help fill in grade level blanks over the course of the school year.  This course serves as a precursor to Algebra A. Calculator activities are provided to stimulate student interest and to facilitate the introduction of math concepts including whole numbers, properties and rules of operations, number theory, rational numbers, ratio, proportion, percentage, measurement, statistics and probability, real numbers, and graphing. Students will also study basic algebra principles such as algebraic expressions, polynomials, equations, and factoring.

8th grade:

ELA Curriculum - High School course - Grammar Through Literature B, High School course - In this course grammar rules from Grammar Through Literature A are reviewed. The course uses a variety of literature to review grammar topics and increase comprehension for practical application of the principles. Major concepts of the course include writing complete sentences and paragraphs, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, correct use of modifiers, preparing and delivering a speech, writing a résumé, and completing a job application. Students will complete a research project, compose persuasive, analytical, and reflective essays and responses to literature, and write business letters and thank-you notes.

High School course - Writing Composition: College Writing Practice (A-G approved 5 units) - This course is designed to introduce students to various concepts related to the study of critical reading, writing, and analysis. Students focus on the rhetorical, grammatical, and syntactical patterns of language and the Writing Process, with emphasis placed on how to write with intent and command over purpose, audience, ethos, and message. Each Unit includes concepts that build upon one another; early Units focus on grammar and mechanics, sentence and paragraph construction, etc., and later Units focus on the rhetorical framework (purpose, audience, ethos, message) and how to utilize it when critically analyzing texts or writing their own. Throughout the course, students practice a variety of different types of structured essay writing and by the end of the course, students demonstrate proficiency in drafting, editing, revising, critical analysis, rhetorical structure, and research skills. (Students completing this second semester class with a grade of "C" or better will get 5 high school credits in English on their high school transcripts.)

Mathematics - High School course - Algebra A (A-G approved 5 units) - In conjunction with Algebra B, this course shows how algebraic skills are applied in a wide variety of problem-solving situations and, in seeing the larger picture and in understanding the underlying concepts, students will be in a better position to apply their knowledge to new situations and problems. Students review Pre-Algebra skills (including variables, expressions, order of operations, and equations) and the fundamentals of the language of mathematics. As students’ progress through the course, they will study concepts like sequences and their graphs, independent and dependent relationships, how to simplify and solve equations and functions, monomials and polynomials, factorization, exponential graphs and functions, transformations, slope, how to solve systems, square roots, quadratic equations, inequalities, absolute value, statistics, etc. Much of the course covers abstract relationships and their manipulations, but it also involves algebraic thinking and the application of these skills to word problems and real life situations.

High School course - Algebra B (A-G approved 5 units) - In conjunction with Algebra A, this course shows how algebraic skills are applied in a wide variety of problem-solving situations and, in seeing the larger picture and in understanding the underlying concepts, students will be in a better position to apply their knowledge to new situations and problems. Students have the opportunity to develop and utilize analytical skills, think critically, develop logical thought processes, and make valid inferences. (Students completing these semester classes with a grade of "C" or better will get 5 high school credits in Mathematics on their high school transcripts for each semester with a "C" or better.)

Health Education - (taken with science class)

High School course - Health Education (A-G approved 5 units) - This course covers wellness; nutrition and healthy eating; individual physical and emotional growth and development; gender identity; family and relationship dynamics; domestic abuse; infectious and non-infectious diseases; drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and abuse; consumer and community health; safety and first aid; and environmental health. (Students completing this semester classes with a grade of "C" or better will get 5 high school credits in Electives on their high school transcripts.)

Seat based students for junior high have two multi-subject credentialed teachers teaching their core academic classes (math/science then English/history).  They meet with each of these teachers twice daily.  In general, seat based junior high students will take the following courses to fill their eight class schedule:

JUNIOR HIGH COURSE SELECTION:​

1. Junior High English

2. Junior High History (world history grade 7 and US history grade 8)

3. Junior High Math (pre algebra grade 7 and algebra grade 8)

4. Junior High Science (TCI, Science Alive Integrated Science 7 and Science 8)

5. Junior High English Language Arts Strategies (tutoring and skills class)

6. Junior High Math Strategies (tutoring and skills class)

7. Junior High Elective Class

8. Junior High Elective Class

JUNIOR HIGH NON CONSERVATORY ELECTIVES:

• Junior High Basketball

• Junior High Physical Education

• Junior High ESports / Gaming

• Junior High Performing Arts

• Junior High Expressive Arts

• Junior High Choir

• Junior High Dance Technique

• Junior High Music

JUNIOR HIGH CONSERVATORY ARTS STUDENTS:

For junior high students that have advanced artistic abilities and have auditioned into a conservatory level arts class, they will be enrolled in Encore's High School program for the purpose of arts courses.  This means that the student will have two separate schedules (one for junior high and one for high school) that they will follow over the course of the school day. 

The junior high bell schedule has been created so two junior high class periods fit into one high school class period.  A conservatory level junior high student will take both junior high elective courses to take two high school elective arts courses.  For example:

CONSERVATORY ARTS LEVEL JUNIOR HIGH STUDENT EXAMPLE SCHEDULE:

JUNIOR HIGH SCHEDULE

Period 1 - Junior High Math Strategies

Period 2 - Junior High English

Period 3 - Junior High Science

Period 4 - Junior High Language Arts Strategies

Period 5 - HIGH SCHOOL ELECTIVE

Period 6 - HIGH SCHOOL ELECTIVE

Period 7 - Junior High History

Period 8 - Junior High Math

AND

HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE

A DAY: Period 1 - JUNIOR HIGH CLASS

Period 2 - JUNIOR HIGH CLASS

Period 3 - Jazz/Tap I

Period 5 - JUNIOR HIGH CLASS

B DAY:

Period 6 - JUNIOR HIGH CLASS

Period 7 - JUNIOR HIGH CLASS

Period 8 - Ballet I

Period 9 - JUNIOR HIGH CLASS

#thisisencore #encorehighschool #peteythepirate #CTEcompleters #fashiondesign #costumedesign #hospitality #tourism #recreation #businesshighschool #artshighschool #mediahighschool #entertainmenthighschool #communicationhighschool #educationhighschool #homeschool #hybridschool #highdesertschool #inlandempireschool

Denise Griffin, CEO is the author of this blog for Encore Education Corporation. Part of Encore Education Corporation is Encore High School, a free public performing arts regional high school in Southern California grades 7 - 12. Encore's program is currently taking applications for the fall 2020 enrollment. Encore offers full time, hybrid time, and independent study programs. Encore offers transporation from the Inland Empire and the high desert. www.encorehighschool.com. Where arts and academics grow together. WASC Accredited. Copyright 2020.