What is a Good Title for This Class?

[Reefgazer]

Michael Clay Thompson's English program has an all-encompassing high school English program that includes Advanced Academic Writing, Word Within the Word (an extensive vocab and historical word study program), The Magic Lens (grammar study), and a grammar book called Practice.  For various reasons (mainly because I will be supplementing) I would like to list the writing component as a 0.5 credit on the transcript, separate from the rest of the program, for which I would like to award 0.5 credit.  What would you call this second 0.5 credit course that encompasses grammar study and practice, vocabulary, the historical roots of words, a bit of related history, and various language exercises?

Edited May 18, 2020 by Reefgazer

[Lori D.]

Well, I personally would wrap it all up under: "English 10" = 1.0 credit, and save discussion of what the exact scope of the study entailed, and what materials the course was comprised of, for the separate course description. I really don't think colleges care to see in the course title exactly how the English credit was accomplished, and if you get too far afield, it just confuses the admission officer, who might count it as an elective rather than as a critical English credit, and your student appears to be short on required English credits due to the admission officer's assumption based on an out-of-the-ordinary course title.

However, if it is vital for some reason to split it out, what about:

0.5 = English: Advanced Composition
0.5 = English: Grammar & Vocabulary (or, English: Syntax & Etymology) (or, English: Selected Linguistics Studies)

Notice how in all cases, the first word of the title is "English" then a colon and the subtitle, so that there can be no misunderstanding that this was a study of components of English and it counts as 0.5 credit of English.

Just my 2.5 cents worth. 😉 BEST of luck in wearing your administrator's hat! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited May 19, 2020 by Lori D.

[Farrar]

I second Lori. What's the reason for breaking it up? It sounds together like an encompassing English course,  which is much easier on a college to read. If it's genuinely an extra, then I think it can look good to colleges and it's great to make a kid stand out with some unique courses, but it sounds like it was part of the core English credit, but you're breaking it apart, which is bound to confuse.

If it must be its own course... um... The Language of Writing, Grammar and Writing Intensive or Grammar Intensive, Etymology and Grammar... Am I on the right sort of track?

[Reefgazer]

2 hours ago, Lori D. said:

Well, I personally would wrap it all up under: "English 10" = 1.0 credit, and save discussion of what the exact scope of the study entailed, and what materials the course was comprised of, for the separate course description. I really don't think colleges care to see in the course title exactly how the English credit was accomplished, and if you get too far afield, it just confuses the admission officer, who might count it as an elective rather than as a critical English credit, and your student appears to be short on required English credits due to the admission officer's assumption based on an out-of-the-ordinary course title.

However, if it is vital for some reason to split it out, what about:

0.5 = English: Advanced Composition
0.5 = English: Grammar & Vocabulary (or, English: Syntax & Etymology) (or, English: Selected Linguistics Studies)

Notice how in all cases, the first word of the title is "English" then a colon and the subtitle, so that there can be no misunderstanding that this was a study of components of English and it counts as 0.5 credit of English.

Just my 2.5 cents worth. 😉 BEST of luck in wearing your administrator's hat! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Thank you; I did not consider that angle.  My DD had credits for English each year that looked like this:  0.5 Credit for some type of literature and 0.5 Credit for some type of composition.  But DS used a different writing program that taught different skills each semester and so I had 9th grade designated as follows for him:  

0.5 Credit - Ancient Literature

0.25 Credit -High school Composition IA (Description and Impersonation)

0.25 Credit -  High school Composition IB (Thesis)

I don't like nickle and diming the transcript with 0.25 credits, but didn't know how else to indicate differences in what was taught in composition.  Next year in 10th grade, I am switching to a MCT Advanced Academic Writing with the associated vocab and other books, so I was trying to fit that into the general pattern of composition/something else.  But I see now that might now be the best option.

I'm struggling with how to list these on the transcript in a meaningful and descriptive way, but maybe that is over-thinking it and I just need to keep it simple (which I am very bad at, generally).

Edited May 19, 2020 by Reefgazer

[Reefgazer]

2 hours ago, Farrar said:

I second Lori. What's the reason for breaking it up? It sounds together like an encompassing English course,  which is much easier on a college to read. If it's genuinely an extra, then I think it can look good to colleges and it's great to make a kid stand out with some unique courses, but it sounds like it was part of the core English credit, but you're breaking it apart, which is bound to confuse.

If it must be its own course... um... The Language of Writing, Grammar and Writing Intensive or Grammar Intensive, Etymology and Grammar... Am I on the right sort of track?

I explained to Lori, above, why I opted for that, even though I don't like how much I have it chopped up.  The chopping up into 0.5 credit for literature and 0.5 credit for writing worked for DD's transcript, but isn't working for my DS's transcript because it's too choppy, I guess.  But I still feel the transcript is clearer when it's obvious there is both a literature and writing component to it.

[klmama]

I'd probably call it English 10: Grammar and Composition

[Lori D.]

1 hour ago, Reefgazer said:

Thank you; I did not consider that angle.  My DD had credits for English each year that looked like this:  0.5 Credit for some type of literature and 0.5 Credit for some type of composition.  But DS used a different writing program that taught different skills each semester and so I had 9th grade designated as follows for him:  

0.5 Credit - Ancient Literature

0.25 Credit -High school Composition IA (Description and Impersonation)

0.25 Credit -  High school Composition IB (Thesis)

I don't like nickle and diming the transcript with 0.25 credits, but didn't know how else to indicate differences in what was taught in composition.  Next year in 10th grade, I am switching to a MCT Advanced Academic Writing with the associated vocab and other books, so I was trying to fit that into the general pattern of composition/something else.  But I see now that might now be the best option.

I'm struggling with how to list these on the transcript in a meaningful and descriptive way, but maybe that is over-thinking it and I just need to keep it simple (which I am very bad at, generally).

JMO, but "meaningful and descriptive way" really is best for the Course DESCRIPTION document. 😉 Transcript course titles are best kept short and typical, or within range of what will be recognizable to college admissions officers as English credits.

Ideas for keeping a consistency of course naming (and save your details of what was covered in each course for the course description document):

9th grade:   1.0 credit = English 9
10th grade: 1.0 credit = English 10

or:

9th grade:  1.0 credit = English: Intro to Comp. + Ancient Literature
10th grade:1.0 credit = English: Adv. Comp. + Linguistics in Literature

or:

9th grade:  1.0 credit = English: Comp. I + Lit. studies
10th grade:1.0 credit = English: Comp. II + Lit. & Language studies


ETA: In addition to agreeing with Farrar's comment about breaking the 1.0 credit into fragments = confusion for college admission offices, it also quite frankly looks like what is done to cobble together a credit from disparate parts done at different times in different ways for either a remedial student, or as some sort of "credit recovery" for a student who did not get through regular English, and had to come back and finish up part of the credit in a different way. 

I know that's NOT the case with your student -- I'm just saying what it looks like when you fragment what is normally listed on the transcript as 1.0 credit.

Again, I think you can absolutely go into detail on the Course Description document about what was covered and how. That's what that separate document is for.

Transcripts are meant to be:
- a list of the courses
- credits earned
- grades earned
- total GPA and the grading scale used for awarding grades
- plus student/school contact info
- and possibly national test scores (ACT/SAT, AP, CLEP)
- and possibly notation with where credits were earned (i.e., DE at a university or community college; online provider; at home)

That's about it. Make it clear, but succinct, and easy for a college admissions officer to quickly see if your student's high school career checks all the boxes to make them eligible for admission to their college.

Edited May 19, 2020 by Lori D.

[Reefgazer]

9 hours ago, Lori D. said:

JMO, but "meaningful and descriptive way" really is best for the Course DESCRIPTION document. 😉 Transcript course titles are best kept short and typical, or within range of what will be recognizable to college admissions officers as English credits.

Ideas for keeping a consistency of course naming (and save your details of what was covered in each course for the course description document):

9th grade:   1.0 credit = English 9
10th grade: 1.0 credit = English 10

or:

9th grade:  1.0 credit = English: Intro to Comp. + Ancient Literature
10th grade:1.0 credit = English: Adv. Comp. + Linguistics in Literature

or:

9th grade:  1.0 credit = English: Comp. I + Lit. studies
10th grade:1.0 credit = English: Comp. II + Lit. & Language studies


ETA: In addition to agreeing with Farrar's comment about breaking the 1.0 credit into fragments = confusion for college admission offices, it also quite frankly looks like what is done to cobble together a credit from disparate parts done at different times in different ways for either a remedial student, or as some sort of "credit recovery" for a student who did not get through regular English, and had to come back and finish up part of the credit in a different way. 

I know that's NOT the case with your student -- I'm just saying what it looks like when you fragment what is normally listed on the transcript as 1.0 credit.

Again, I think you can absolutely go into detail on the Course Description document about what was covered and how. That's what that separate document is for.

Transcripts are meant to be:
- a list of the courses
- credits earned
- grades earned
- total GPA and the grading scale used for awarding grades
- plus student/school contact info
- and possibly national test scores (ACT/SAT, AP, CLEP)
- and possibly notation with where credits were earned (i.e., DE at a university or community college; online provider; at home)

That's about it. Make it clear, but succinct, and easy for a college admissions officer to quickly see if your student's high school career checks all the boxes to make them eligible for admission to their college.

I think I like the bolded and am going with that; it solves my problem.  Thanks!

[EKS]

How about "Etymology and the Structure of Language"?