Language and Literacy

The ERWC is an integrated reading, writing, and oral communication curriculum that employs an inquiry-based, rhetorical approach. It is designed to inculcate the strategies, abilities, and habits of mind of fluent academic readers and writers through rhetorical analysis of compelling issues and interesting texts. Building deep conceptual understandings that transform how students read, write, listen, speak, and think, the curriculum is intended to help students transfer their literacy skills to new situations and increase student agency. Developed by teachers for teachers in a continuing collaboration between high school and university faculty, the ERWC modules have been edited and revised according to feedback from practicing teachers in classrooms across CA, Washington (WA), and Hawaii. New emphases in the third edition are transfer of learning; greater variety of literary and informational texts and writing and speaking tasks; and the inclusion of integrated and designated English language development and features from Universal Design for Learning, including student goal setting and formative assessment.

This professional learning is intended to be an active experience providing hands-on practice with the ERWC curriculum. These rich, adaptable resources, developed by a collaborative group of CSU and high school faculty and specialists, are designed to help students develop the academic literacy skills necessary for success in college and the world of work. Aligned with the California Standards for ELA and ELD, both courses at grades 11 and 12 are approved to satisfy the “B” English subject requirement for UC and CSU admission. High schools may opt to offer the grade 11 course, the grade 12 course, or both. The modules for grades 9-12 with integrated and designated ELD may be integrated within existing ELA and ELD courses at those grades.

• Receive access to online curriculum materials and professional books.
• Identify features of effective ERWC classrooms as reflected in the ERWC assignment template and key principles.
• Become familiar with ERWC pedagogy and key concepts, including integrated and designated ELD.
• Investigate rhetorical reading, writing, and inquiry processes.
• Explore ERWC course design—including module overviews that identify learning goals, rhetorical concepts, ELA and ELD standards, and culminating tasks—to make decisions about modules to teach in their classrooms.
• Examine specific modules.
• Select modules to teach and begin planning for implementation.

• Free A-G approved 11th and 12th grade English course
• Available in print and digital formats, allowing for effective use in face-to-face, hybrid and fully online settings
• High-interest topics such as immigration, mental illness and social media usage explored through a wide range of texts (e.g., Othello, The Distance Between Us, The Things They Carried)
• Inquiry-based approach supports students in becoming flexible, adaptive and reflective thinkers and communicators
• Integrated Universal Design for Learning (UDL) creates equity for students with disabilities, general education students and English learners

• Free professional learning for California high school teachers
• Access to a community of educators to share ideas and resources

• Students are better prepared for college coursework and post-secondary success
• Students are empowered to express themselves through academic discourse and extensive writing
• Students who took the ERWC in grade 12 scored higher on a standardized test than similar students taking other English courses (Fong et al., 2015).