English

Fifth & Sixth Grades - Humanities/English

The fifth and sixth grade Humanities/English program is a two-year cross-disciplinary humanities program that incorporates social studies and language arts. Interdisciplinary activities are  frequently co-planned with art and drama teachers, and sometimes with teachers of science, math and technology.

There are five main objectives of the language arts curriculum:

• to promote an appreciation of literary forms, and an appreciation of literature as a reflection of the lives and values of the different historical periods studied in social studies;
• to develop writing as a powerful means of expression in a variety of modes, including reflective, poetic, fictional, and expository;
• to develop strong speaking and listening skills;
• to strengthen understanding and thoughtful reflection in reading; and
• to develop and refine students’ use of conventional writing mechanics and vocabulary.

Literary pursuits provide the context through which these objectives are met.  The writing process involves finding topic and personal voice, developing the ideas, as well as drafting, revising, editing and publishing.

Literature is selected to reflect the lives and values of different cultural groups. Over the two-year period, fairy tales and folk tales, myths and bible tales, legends, short stories, plays, novels and poems are studied. During the study of Ancient China and the Silk Road, the readings may include The Magical Monkey King, A Single Shard, Arabian Nights, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, and The Bedouin's Gazelle. For the study of Ancient Cultures, the readings may include poetry, The Adventures of Ulysses, D’Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, Tuck Everlasting and The Giver.

Concurrent with thematic studies, work in spelling, grammar and vocabulary development is assigned. Emphasis in grammar is on basic parts of speech, sentence structure, capitalization and punctuation.  Word studies focus on etymology, spelling and definition of words learned through context, dictionary and vocabulary books.

Seventh & Eighth Grades

Required

Seventh Grade
Finding Ourselves in the World: Seventh grade English is interdisciplinary with the 7th grade social studies course of the same name.  It is a transitional course, including some young adult literature, such as The House on Mango Street, as well as introducing more adult literature, like George Orwell’s Animal Farm.  All of the major literary genres are read—novel, poetry, short story and plays— and the forms analyzed.  Students read African, Latin American, Chinese, Caribbean and Chicano literature as well as some English classics.  Writing includes informal responses to literature, essays, as well as a wide range of creative responses: modern play versions of Romeo and Juliet, poetry modeled on work of Neruda and other Latin American poets, and memoir modeled on The House on Mango Street.  In the culminating unit, students read Walter Dean Meyer's Handbook for Boys, analyze the life lessons and create a short story of their own.  Formal study of spelling, parts of speech and vocabulary—both from literature and from classical roots—is also included.  Texts include English Workshop and Vocabulary from Classical Roots.

Eighth Grade
Find That Theme!/Coming of Age: Many of the works in this course are thematically related to the social studies curriculum topics. Students are asked to analyze the material in terms of growth, process, and evolution of character, and to explore the literature for thematic content and literary style. Therefore, they need to work to become sophisticated readers who look up vocabulary words, take notes, and question what is not easily understood. Organization of time and materials is essential. Essays are assigned on a regular basis, and all students are expected to participate actively in class discussions of the reading. Grammar and vocabulary continue to be assigned weekly. The research process is introduced after the winter break with a thesis paper due toward the end of the semester.  This paper can be an exploration of some aspect of an author whom we have read or any post-World War I American writer's works. Or students may choose an historical, cultural, scientific or social issue that they have investigated or wish to learn more about.  This is an opportunity to pursue a passion, but this must be a thesis paper with documentation. The expectation is that essay writing skills have been internalized in seventh grade so that revision of essays is now an option rather than a requirement.

Materials

Skills: The English Workshop - grammar text; Worldly Wise - vocabulary text
Literature: Our Town, Inherit the Wind, The Glass Menagerie, All My Sons, A Raisin in the Sun, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Portable Dorothy Parker, Dragon Wings, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye
Additional Reading: Materials from short story and poetry anthologies and periodicals are also included:
The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader, Other Voices, Other Vistas, Women and Fiction
Film: Documentaries and films related to authors or themes will also be shown.

Creative Writing 

Seventh Graders only (Fall/Spring)
Creative writing focuses on opportunities for students to apply their vast imaginations to various forms and genres if poetry and prose. There will be "imagineering" activities that involve writing to music, using trigger videos for ideas, creating their own life philosophies, using the Broadway show Wicked as a jumping off point for creative writing, Writer's Notebooks, and free-writing. Writings will be, with student permission, published in a literary magazine regularly.

Eighth graders only (Fall/Spring) 
This class is designed to help students explore and refine their individual creative voices. The class covers many forms of writing including fiction, poetry and memoir. Often the class serves as a workshop where students can present their pieces and receive feedback from their peers, enabling them to revise and polish their work. The class also discusses such topics as brainstorming, character development, description, point-of-view, dialogue, setting and figurative language. By the end of the year, students should expect to have completed several polished pieces as well as many shorter exercises.