Fifth grade English works in tandem with fifth grade social studies to create an integrated study of language arts and history. With myths, stories, and ancient civilizations as the focus, students consider the following essential questions:

What makes a good story?

• How does exposition impact a story?
• How do we determine the theme of a story?
• How does the protagonist’s central conflict help us determine the climax of a story?
• What makes a true friend?
• What makes a hero?

For language arts, students practice close reading skills, strategies for vocabulary development, and effective presentation techniques. Writing focuses on developing an argument through the use of evidence and analysis. In addition, grammar is taught as a fundamental part of the writing process, and students regularly address these skills within their written work. In conjunction with the ancient civilizations curriculum, students read a selection of articles and short stories including “What is a Myth?,” "The Dog of Pompeii," “The All-American Slurp,” and "Ho-ichi the Earless." Students also read three novels, Same Sun Here, Bamboo People, and a retelling of The Odyssey.

Sixth Grade English explores identity, empathy, and the power of language. In becoming critical readers and expressive writers, students will better understand who they are and discover who they want to be. Our work is guided by six thematic questions:

• How do we define who we are?
• How does the history of our families and culture impact our present?
• How do the different parts of our identity combine to make us who we are?
• How does society shape our experiences in the world?
• How do differences in power and privilege influences our relationships?
• How can we use our voices to advocate for justice and enact change?

Through exposure to a variety of texts including poetry, short stories, novels, graphic novels, and informational texts, students learn to read critically for details, recognize figurative language, and interpret developments in plot, character, setting, and theme. In class discussions and activities, students use textual evidence to support their own thinking and evaluate classmates’ ideas. Texts include New Kid, This Book is Anti-Racist, The Crossover, Harbor Me, The Best At It, Lucky Broken Girl, The Parker Inheritance, As Brave as You, Kira-Kira, Lily and Dunkin, When You Trap a Tiger, Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish, and various short stories and poetry.

Students will build skills in both analytical and creative writing. Within each form, writing instruction emphasizes increasingly complex and varied sentence structure as well as careful word choice. With guidance, students will revise and edit their own writing as well as that of their peers, paying close attention to organization, style, and the proper grammar, usage, and mechanics of the English language. In addition, students will acquire and utilize new vocabulary through close reading as well as careful study of the vocabulary text, Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop Level B.

7th Grade English explores the following essential questions:

• • How can stories be told?
  • Who gets to tell their stories?
  • What power does telling a story have?

Together, we will analyze a variety of texts (poetry, short stories, and novels), reading critically for author’s purpose, figurative language and symbolism, and developments in conflict, characterization, setting, and theme.

We will read a variety of texts, historically including the novels The Outsiders, House of the Scorpion, To Kill a Mockingbird, Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, plus one more Human Rights themed novel for Literature Circles; various short stories; various poetry; and non-fiction texts.

Through class discussions and a variety of writing prompts, students will continue refining their ability to construct strong arguments supported by well-chosen textual evidence. This will be structured throughout the year with short, informal journal entries and reflections, formal paragraphs and essays, and interdisciplinary and artistic options. We will continue to build appropriate and sophisticated vocabulary and grammar choices in writing as well.

Vocabulary-building and grammar knowledge units will be yearlong, consisting of stand-alone lessons and practice opportunities through various assessments and writing prompts. Practice will be both in class through mini-lessons and discussions, as well as through the online IXL program.

We will build on communication and listening skills through class discussions, Socratic seminars, and speeches and presentations. Because of the demanding and sensitive nature of the topics we will be studying, we will present specific and targeted instruction on constructive questioning skills by seeking understanding first, assuming best intentions, and building empathy.

Essential questions guide the English 8 curriculum:

• Testing our mettle: How do we show resilience?
• What does it mean to be human?

Through literature, writing assignments, and discussion, eighth graders consider these age-old questions, seeking to understand more about themselves, others, and characters in our texts. Novels typically include A Separate Peace, Of Mice and Men, A Gathering of Old Men, and Half Brother. In addition, students study other genres, which may include short stories, non-fiction, poetry, vignettes, and drama (Romeo and Juliet, “Thunder on Sycamore Street”). The program emphasizes a formal approach to writing via structured paragraphs and multi-paragraph essays, with special attention to word choice, sentence structure, provable root sentences, effective transitions, introductions, and conclusions. In addition, students write poetry, practicing creative writing techniques such as the use of brevity, figurative language, line breaks, and various style of rhyme and repetition. Eighth graders further develop communication skills through leading discussions, presenting their writing and delivering speeches. Literature and writing components are supplemented by continued study of grammar, usage, mechanics, and vocabulary.

The theme for English 9 is “Finding Your Voice” which we will explore through both internal and external lenses as we examine not only how our unique voices are shaped, but also how our voices can create change in the world. Throughout the year, each student will be challenged to find, use, and expand their voice, as well as to examine the voices of the authors we study. This course features a variety of active speaking opportunities including seminar-style discussions, group presentations, formal speeches and debates, dramatic vignettes, and impromptu speeches. Writing projects include formal analytical essays, short stories, journal-style creative writing, position pieces, and poetry. Because knowing ourselves as learners is as valuable as the learning itself, students will frequently self-reflect on their progress as readers, writers, speakers, and critical thinkers throughout the duration of the course. Readings will include a variety of classic and modern short stories and poetry, choice reading books, and longer key texts such as Night, The House on Mango Street, and A Raisin in the Sun. Through long-term projects, students will learn executive functioning skills such as back planning, chunking, and time management. A required part of this course is attending office hours in order to foster students’ interpersonal communication and self-advocacy skills, as well as to personalize their learning experience in this class.

English 10 is the second year of a two-year sequence that introduces the fundamentals of close reading and literary analysis by examining different literary genres. English 10 picks up where English 9 ends and thematically focuses on "Speaking Your Truth." To that end, English 10 is guided by the following four essential questions:

• Who do you want to be?
• What choices do you have to make?
• How do you express yourself?
• Where does that take you?

This year, we will build upon the reading, writing, and discussion skills established in 9th grade. Students will write personal responses and a variety of analytical essays; we take a process-oriented approach that equips students with pre-writing, writing, and editing strategies to tackle different types of writing. Building upon the discussion and public speaking skills developed during the 9th grade, students will take more leadership in group discussions. The texts in English 10 expose students to different voices and possibilities about how individuals understand themselves within their respective worlds. Overall, we hope that students become increasingly comfortable with ambiguity and come to appreciate a variety of stories.

As a junior or senior year English course, AP Language and Composition focuses primarily on American non-fiction texts. The course undertakes a rigorous study of rhetoric and argumentation, mirroring the content and level of assignments found in introductory college-level composition courses. Students respond directly to a wide variety of American readings from the early years of democracy to contemporary life: letters, speeches, essays, novels, short fiction, articles, and image-based texts. In addition to the chief emphasis on non-fiction and political rhetoric, other anchor texts for the course include Fast Food Nation, Just Mercy, and The Things They Carried. The course addresses the essential questions of the American experience: What is the American Dream of success, and have all groups had an equal opportunity to pursue it? What are the philosophical underpinnings of American social and political thought, and how do Americans approach and respond to conflict in these realms? In the fall, students delve into the elements of rhetoric that authors use to influence their audiences: the classical rhetorical appeals, tropes, schemes, tone, syntax, diction, imagery, and symbolism. Spring work includes mastering the formal elements of argumentation and the researched synthesis argument essay on an issue of controversy in American society. Students use these understandings and close reading habits to improve their own writing through emulation and adaptation. The end goal is for students to use the lens of rhetoric to comprehend and evaluate any text by analyzing language with critical precision. The College Board notes that the course “cultivates the reading and writing skills that students need for college success and for intellectually responsible civic engagement.”

View the College Board AP English Language and Composition Course Description

AP English Literature and Composition is designed to provide students with a college-level approach to reading, writing, and critical analysis in advance of the National Exam in May. Students will examine a wide range of genres and periods, ranging from Antiquity to the 21st Century, in order to consider how and why authors create meaning in various texts. They will read poetry, prose, drama and satire, as well as philosophical works and literary theory in order to provide insight into questions of textual production, authorship, theme, and symbolism. Students will be asked to consider how certain topics, such as identity, power, trust, love, oppression, isolation, and struggle are interpreted by authors in different cultures and time periods. Moreover, they will be encouraged to reflect upon how these universal ideas relate to their own lives. Through their writing assignments and projects (including a longer research paper), members of the class will get the opportunity to engage with broad questions by means of close analysis. In other words, they will use their interpretations of specific texts as a way to think about universal dilemmas.

View the College Board AP English Literature and Composition Course Description.