English Language Arts
Success in school and in life is determined in large part by competence in language. As a significant means for developing students' abilities to use their minds well, language is a central factor in learning for all students and in all disciplines.
The Middle School ELA curriculum, through its study of grammar and a wide variety of literary and non-literary works, seeks to ensure that our graduates have a solid grounding in these essential language skills.
The study of grammar continues to play a key role in Grade 4. Parts of speech (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, prepositions) are examined in more detail. The importance of accurate spelling and correct punctuation is emphasized.
Students read for information as they collect and interpret data, facts, and ideas from a variety of texts. Unfamiliar words are decoded using syntactic (grammar) and semantic (meaning) cues.
A more critical approach to reading is developed, as students make inferences and draw conclusions from the various texts they read.
Their reading now also takes on a more literary quality, as students identify the literary elements, such as setting, plot, and character, of different genres. They start to appreciate more fully how the author uses devices, such as simile, metaphor, and personification, to create meaning.
The students’ writing skills are similarly expanded. They have the opportunity to write a variety of compositions, in a mixture of styles, targeted at different audiences.
Grade 5 sees the students taught by a specialist ELA teacher. Texts from a wider range of genres (historical fiction, lyric poetry, science fiction, myths, free verse poetry, fables, plays, to name but some) are studied in more depth. The students analyze and interpret, draw conclusions and make judgements.
They likewise practice writing in a variety of styles - narrative, persuasive, descriptive, reflective, humorous.
The study and analysis of grammatical structures continues, as the children write more complex sentences, and use their increased vocabulary in appropriate contexts.
Writing Haiku and studying the poems of Robert Frost are just two examples of how poetry plays a central role in Grade 6. They are introduced to verse written in iambic pentameter, as well as poetry written in free verse. The students examine poetic elements, such as repetition, rhythm, and rhyming patterns, in order to interpret poetry.
Classic drama is also studied as the students analyze the structure of plays.
Alongside their more literary studies of symbolism and personification, students are invited to identify missing, conflicting, unclear, and irrelevant information in a variety of texts. They fine-tune their ability to distinguish between fact and opinion, and to identify information that is implied rather than stated. They are able to compare and contrast information about one topic from multiple sources.
In Grade 7, classic works of American Literature are introduced, as the students continue to develop their critical and analytical skills.
These skills include being able to compare motives of characters, causes of events, and importance of setting in literature to people, events, and places in their own lives. Examining works of literature within their social and cultural context further enhances their understanding and appreciation.
The students work on demonstrating their comprehension and their response to reading through activities such as writing, drama, and oral presentations.
As students enter their final year of Middle School, the Grade 8 students have an excellent grounding in English grammar. There is a continuing emphasis on being able to express oneself correctly, and use complex sentence structures to convey meaning effectively, alongside an appreciation of the appropriate register to be used.
The range of texts studied range from epic poetry to e.e. cummings, from Edgar Allan Poe to Maya Angelou. Aristotle’s theories on drama are also examined, as the students encounter works ranging from morality plays to those of Shakespeare.