English

Here you will find important English department documents and links to teachers' pages. Your teachers may place specific information on their pages - be sure you check both!

Background

There are two categories of literature in the Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) curriculum: core literature and supplemental literature. Core literature is required reading for all students at a grade level, and supplemental literature is approved for optional use by teachers as it aligns with their learning plan for the year. All students at a grade level read the same required core literature, but they will likely read different supplemental literature. Over the past few years, we have heard feedback from teachers, administrators, students, and alumni that the literature on our current core list no longer reflects the demographics, interests, and culture of our students. In response to this feedback, we initiated a core literature adoption.

The adoption team consisted of two English teachers from each comprehensive high school, one English teacher from Robertson, one English teacher from each junior high and middle school, one English teacher from Vista, and one high school Teacher Librarian. Two Instructional Coaches and the Director of Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) participated as non-voting members. 

After two years of intensive reading and discussion, the committee put forward a list of recommendations, which were unanimously approved by the School Board on March 9, 2022. To see the presentation that was made to the board, click here.   The new novels are:

Seventh Grade

• New Kid, by Jerry Craft

• Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai

Eighth Grade

• I Am Malala (Young Readers Edition), by Malala Yousafzai

• Real, by Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard

Mrs. Woolbright served on the committee that recommended the new books. In addition, Ms. Parke, Ms. Sheaffer, Mrs. Hu, and Mrs. Woolbright wrote curriculum for the new novels, along with teachers from Horner and Centerville, and trained English teachers districtwide at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year.

The previous core novels (Seventh grade: The Giver, The Pearl, Anna of Byzantium, and Much Ado About Nothing; eighth grade: The Outsiders, Whirligig, Chasing Lincoln's Killer, and A Midsummer Night's Dream) remain available and may be taught as supplemental literature.

Book Recommendations:

• Hopkins Good Reads--A list of books recommended by teachers and students.
• Recommend a Book (Students: Log in to your district Google account to access this Google Form.)