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Sixth Grade English offers a comprehensive exploration of writing and literature that deepens and extends the Fifth Grade focus on thoughtful and reflective engagement with a range of literature through guided discussion and written expression. The fall begins with a unit on personal narrative writing where students study mentor texts from Breakfast on Mars and 37 Other Delectable Essays. They develop active reading, discussion, and writing skills through a structured process of drafting, revising, and feedback, while also working on spelling fluency with Spelling Connections. In the winter, students dive into Nowhere Boy, analyzing themes of belonging and friendship, further expanding their vocabulary, and honing their analytical writing by crafting well-organized paragraphs. The spring term shifts focus to the human experience through the teleplay “Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” and the novel Inside Out and Back Again. Students reflect on themes of resilience, compassion, and community, culminating in five-paragraph essays that showcase their critical thinking and literary analysis skills.

The Fifth Grade English curriculum provides students with opportunities to become more critical readers and writers. They engage different genres of literature that focus on a range of themes, including but not limited to identity, social inequalities, and the power of relationships. Through small group and whole-class discussions, students practice constructive dialogue with their peers while also developing their ability to annotate as they learn how to thoughtfully articulate insights and observations about a literary text. They become more confident in various modes of expressive, analytical, and imaginative writing assignments that emphasize prewriting, drafting, and revision. The spelling curriculum deepens and expands a word-specific knowledge base that is fundamental to meaningful communication. The course texts are Wonder, The Birchbark House, Esperanza Rising, and The Pants Project.

The Eighth Grade English curriculum increases the emphasis on critical reading, analytical writing, and clear communication through the study of literature, vocabulary, and writing. Persuasive writing skills and literary analysis are interwoven throughout the various units, as are creative and visual projects and opportunities for speaking in front of a group. Using the course texts—When the Emperor Was Divine, Maus I & II, The House on Mango Street, The Burial at Thebes, Things Fall Apart, Macbeth, and The Great Gatsby—the goal of the course is to develop and nurture critical thinking and writing skills through student-centered discussions and analytical writing.

The Seventh Grade English curriculum blends vocabulary development, analysis, grammar, and creative writing. Students write several essays over the course of the year, both expository and creative in nature, in which content and syntax are critically analyzed. Another element of the curriculum is the accrual of sound study habits and self-discipline. Our study of grammar begins with a review of parts of speech and the elements of a sentence and continues to extend the study of punctuation, including commas and semicolons. Students grapple with the theme of identity: coming to terms with who they are, the community they live in, and the identities of those around them. The literature studied and texts utilized are Animal Farm, Of Mice and Men, The Poet X, and Ghost Boys.

The Ninth Grade English curriculum spurs students to consider the salient issues of the day—inequality, conflict, and injustice—through the lens of literature; by so doing, they apprehend the human condition and begin the process of tracing society’s flaws back to the corresponding defects in our all-too-human nature. This journey attempts to engender empathy and awareness while imparting a global perspective. Using the course texts—The Odyssey, Lord of the Flies, The Merchant of Venice, and Song of Solomon—the goal of the course is to help produce compassionate, informed, articulate, and effective exponents of critical thought and positive change.