From the moment we began to speak, English has been a part and is a part of our everyday lives. English is a simple “Hello” or “How are you?” to a friend or neighbor. We hear English as students and have taken English ever since preschool or kindergarten. As we grow older and continue to go to school, we have learned more advanced words to enhance our vocabulary and improve our writing. Gary Wilson a high school teacher of 20 years, and an English professor at Collin College, believes that a student’s spelling ability helps their reading ability. “Research undertaken in the last 30 years proves that spelling instruction—and student’s enhanced spelling abilities–improves reading ability, as it builds a learner’s knowledge of the alphabetic system as it is used in reading.”

In careers or passions such as theatre, the script’s text is vital to telling the story in the correct context. Some of the best moments on stage in theatre history have come from the text of the script. For example, in Shakespeare, the grammar can change the whole meaning of the author’s intention for the character. For example, the use of periods and commas. A comma in Shakespeare means a breath before the next word; however, a period indicates a new thought.

From Pre-K to elementary, from middle school to high school, some students will choose to attend college after high school. Being in Frisco ISD means students at Frisco High School qualify for Collin College Dual Credit. Dual Credit allows students to take classes before they go to a university or go to Collin College. It enables students to receive hours back when they begin college. It also gives students the opportunity to see and learn how different high school English is from college English. Claire Brandon, interviewed Gary Wilson, on what he expects students to know by the time they complete his class. “I expect my dual credit English students to be able to read texts critically (including film), successfully analyze these texts from a variety of meaningful, deep, and thoughtful perspectives, and understand and focus topics and argue these topics clearly, logically, and insightfully in persuasive essays that require their own analytical commentaries as well as the use of scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles.”

For more information about Frisco ISD Dual Credit, go to https://www.friscoisd.org/departments/dual-credit/home.