English English The English curriculum integrates literature and composition, stressing students' commitment to reading and writing by developing both creative and analytical skills. When students see a connection between literature and their own lives, it sparks their interest in reading and writing. Students engage in the text and experiment with the different conflicts and choices that the characters confront, providing them with invaluable opportunities to make more conscious choices about who they are and who they want to become. Through their writing, they reflect on their discoveries and voice their emerging sense of self. Class discussions provide a forum for students to share their ideas with a peer group that is exploring the same questions and issues. These discussion-based classes allow students to refine listening skills, sharpen critical thinking, practice oral expression, and learn to give and accept criticism constructively. But literature also provides an opportunity to explore disparate cultures and lifestyles in a variety of social and historical settings. Students are exposed to a wide variety of literary works: myths, poetry, drama, fiction and non-fiction. Critical thinking and creativity are stressed through a variety of projects that use writing as a thinking tool as well as a means of self-expression. Revision is a crucial part of the writing curriculum; it allows students to improve the content, clarity and style of their writing with the support of a peer audience, written feedback from the teacher, and one-on-one student-teacher writing conferences. At each grade level, the writing process and a structured sequence of lessons hones vocabulary, writing mechanics and organizational skills.
Sixth grade students explore literature by reading a variety of short stories, plays, poems, and novels. Class texts have included The Misfits by James Howe, The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis, The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, and Jack by A.M. Homes. Activities in literal and inferential comprehension accompany the reading of each text. In class discussion and writing, students experiment with new topics, techniques and skills. As discussants, students formulate and express their ideas in class. As writers, students develop their ideas in increasing detail and length as they gain an in-depth understanding of the writing process. Additionally, students develop vocabulary skills through a formal study of Greek and Latin roots and refine their grammar and punctuation skills in mini-lessons. Laptop computers are used for note taking, word processing, Internet research, and PowerPoint presentations.
In seventh grade, students encounter more demanding texts that make use of sophisticated stylistic and thematic devices such as allegory and irony. Some of the readings include To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Monster by Walter Dean Myers, Animal Farm by George Orwell, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. For each text, students are expected to explore supplemental related readings that provide a more in-depth exploration of the themes in the reading material. Likewise, students are required to demonstrate greater length, complexity and abstraction in both narrative and non-narrative writing. Laptop computers are used extensively for note taking, composition, editing, Internet research, PowerPoint presentations, vocabulary lessons, and publication of their work on TrevorNet. Structured lessons and the revision process address writing mechanics, grammar and spelling.
Eighth-grade students concentrate on formal literary analysis of classic adult literature. The readings include works such as Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie, We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie. Discussions and writing activities demand new levels of abstract thinking and inferential reasoning, and students work on substantiating their generalizations and conclusions with textual evidence. Essay assignments are longer and more varied. Organizational skills are reviewed with emphasis on paragraph structure and transition sentences in both timed and untimed essay writing. Laptops are an integral part of the curriculum: in addition to word processing and Internet research, students use various technologies to write daily reflections and generate discussion topics and ideas. Weekly or bi-weekly vocabulary lessons are given, and students continue their review of writing mechanics.
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Note: Curriculum is fluid and ever changing. Trevor Day School reserves the right to change its courses and the content of these courses. It should also be noted that policies, practices, and procedures may change during an academic year This page was last
updated on
Tuesday, August 29, 2006 3:18 PM
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