Shehnaz Hirji (center) is a WISE Co-Coordinator

Woodlands High School realized that some seniors were opting out of the WISE Program, because they felt unprepared to complete a WISE project. Their solution? Build the skills necessary for WISE in the younger grades. Last year, Woodlands launched English WISE 9, which is designed to eradicate some of the fears (e.g. journal writing, the presentation, time management) that prevent students from participating in WISE during their senior year.

Cultivating WISE at an earlier grade also increases awareness of, and interest in, WISE.

“Interest in WISE is growing,” said Elizabeth Huber, Woodlands staff member. “The introduction of WISE 9 last year helped get awareness out among students.”

A project-based, hands-on course, English WISE 9 is a prerequisite to WISE that serves to introduce high school freshman to WISE core values and prepare them for their senior WISE experience.

Course Description

Woodlands currently has three English WISE 9 classes, 2 regular and 1 honors section.

In the course, 9th graders have a WISE experience—from journal writing to the presentation—in a collaborative group setting. Students are given a class topic and are then free to explore their interests within that broad topic, using their individual strengths to put together a group WISE project. WISE 9 students also get the opportunity to sit on a WISE panel and be an evaluator during the senior WISE presentations.

“We wanted to give 9^th graders a vision of WISE,” said Shehnaz Hirji, who teaches an honors section of the English WISE 9 course.

Literature is also a part of the English WISE 9 curriculum. Students recently read William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.

How Do Students Elect to Participate?

Participation in English WISE 9 is optional. All students are informed about the new WISE course as 8^th graders. If they are interested in taking a project-based English course over learning in a traditional classroom during their freshman year of high school, they can sign up to take English WISE 9. There are no requirements for students to be included in the course.

The Next WISE Stepping Stone: Social Studies WISE 10

Students who took English WISE 9 at Woodlands High School can now choose to continue their WISE preparation in Social Studies WISE 10.