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The English department’s program helps students develop their writing ability and appreciation of good literature. The curriculum covered in grades 7–9 builds a foundation for advanced study by exploring increasingly complex issues in reading and writing. Students learn about literature by responding to it in personal, imaginative, and critical writings as well as by participating in oral work—discussions, dramatic readings, and analytical presentations. At every level, the program stresses independent critical thinking and rewards clear expression of that thinking. In addition, students are encouraged to become compassionate, responsible, and moral individuals by examining the attributes of model characters and grappling with the imperfections of flawed ones.
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English 7 |
2000-0 |
| Full year —
Grade 7 |
This course helps students to understand character by focusing on traits such as selflessness, loyalty, determination, and courage. The course emphasizes critical reading and character analysis by studying works such as Freak the Mighty, The Call of the Wild, Animal Farm, A Raisin in the Sun, The Pearl, Our Town, and short stories. While analytical writing assignments require students to use specific details to support topic sentences, personal writing assignments ask students to relate their own lives to the texts. Students also analyze and write poetry and learn the basics of grammar by identifying the parts of simple sentences. |
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English 8 |
2100-0 |
| Full year —
Grade 8 |
This course seeks to deepen understanding of character by exploring how characters try to live up to ideal codes and how the outer does not always reflect the inner self. Reading material includes poetry, short stories, Cyrano de Bergerac, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Romeo and Juliet. Students write analytical papers in which they use direct quotations from the texts to support their claims. They also write poetry and personal reflections that encourage them to connect literature to their own lives. Grammar study, building on the foundation of the seventh-grade program, emphasizes the functions of phrases and their punctuation, as well as pronoun–antecedent and subject–verb agreement. |
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English I |
2200-0 |
| Full year —
Grade 9 |
This course introduces students to two generative texts that form the foundation of Western literature: the Bible and Homer’s Odyssey. Students read additional poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that relate thematically to these core books. The writing program includes personal, imaginative, and analytical assignments. In particular, students learn to create and defend an argumentative claim with textual evidence and detailed explanation. Students build on the grammar concepts learned in the seventh and eighth grades by studying clauses, punctuation, and pronoun usage. |
Creative Writing
Workshop
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2300-1 |2300-2 |
| Two identical semesters —
Grades 8 and 9 —
Meets 3 times per cycle |
This course encourages students in a friendly, supportive workshop setting to find and develop their own creative voices. Students learn to use vivid detail and expressive language through the process of writing poetry and fiction. The class explores how well-known poets and writers use different styles and techniques. Students experiment with these styles and techniques in their own writing through in-class exercises and individual presentations. |
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(from the 2007-2008 Curriculum Guide)
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