English GRADE FIVE | GRADE SIX | GRADE SEVEN | GRADE EIGHT The English program aims to develop each student's love of reading and appreciation for all forms of verbal expression. By guiding the students through diverse reading, writing and speaking experiences, the curriculum refines their sensitivity to language usage, hones their analytical skills and fosters their creative facility to master the different methods of self expression. The curriculum is skill based and developmentally sequenced to meet the needs of middle school students from fifth through eighth grades. Progressing from grade to grade, the students are gradually exposed to more challenging reading experiences, ones that require greater skills of abstraction and inferential reasoning. Literary terms are introduced at appropriate points. Writing activities are also planned to build on the skills required to compose unified and well reasoned expository essays. Attention is also devoted to composing personal, reflective pieces in the various forms of poetry and prose. Throughout the program, each student maintains a personal writing portfolio.
A.	Fifth Grade In fifth grade, students extend their skills to read longer works of literature as they continue to be exposed to different types of reading experiences. In addition to the works being discussed and analyzed in class, students are required to read at least four novels independently and to compose reports based on their individual readings. The focus is to encourage them to develop their critical reading skills and to enhance their understanding of plot and setting, their appreciation of theme and their insight into characterization. Students are led to refine their appreciation for the language of the text and for its contribution to the meaning and beauty of the work. There are significant poetry units, as well, in which students are encouraged to compose their own work as they appreciate the creativity of others. At the same time, students continue to develop their skill at expository writing as they concentrate on paragraph development, leading to the introduction of the well developed essay. They are introduced to different strategies of formulating topic sentences, of supporting and developing their ideas, of forming transitions from one idea to the next. They, of course, continue to work on their writing mechanics and on their sensitivity to word choice; they are encouraged to find their voices and to articulate themselves in gracefully styled prose. Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson, Harper Trophy Shadow of a Bull, Maia Wojciechowska, Aladdin Paperbacks Momo, Michael Ende, Puffin Press The True Confessions of Catherine Doyle, Avi The Pearl, John Steinbeck Holes, Louis Sachar, Farrar Straus, Giroux Writer's Choice: Grammar and Composition, Glencoe/McGraw Hill Literature, The Reader's Choice, Glencoe/ McGraw Hill Wordskills, McDougal, Littell Selected poetry, short stories, and articles Videotapes for reaction essays and creative writing
B.	Sixth Grade Students continue to be challenged to read more complex literary works composed from a variety of points of view. Readings are selected to represent different genres of literary activity: novels, short stories, drama, poetry, articles, and essays. Class discussions and assignments emphasize close textual readings, leading to an appreciation of the meaning and beauty of each work. Students continue to concentrate on the elements of theme, conflict, characterization, language use, setting and organization. In their own writing, students practice the elements of the formal essay; they are provided with a variety of opportunities to develop their understanding of the different types of rhetorical strategies. They experiment with reaction and analysis essays as well as with the more personal narrative form. The students are encouraged to develop their individual imaginative visions; there are ample activities involving descriptive free writing, as well as opportunities for poetic expression. Students are led to understand that their thoughts must be expressed well in order to be fully appreciated. In this context, they continue to refine their mechanics, to find their voices, and to perfect their writing styles. Prentice-Hall Literature - Copper I Robot, Isaac Asimov, Bantam My Brother Sam is Dead, Collier & Collier, Scholastic Tales of the Greek Heroes, Roger Lancelyn Green, Puffin Classics The Little Prince, Antoine de St. Exupery, Harvest Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech, Harper Trophy Writer's Choice: Grammar and Composition, Glencoe/McGraw Hill Wordskills, McDougal, Littell Selected poetry, short stories and articles Videotapes for reaction essays and creative writing
C.	Seventh Grade As the students develop their critical reading skills, the complexity of the reading selections intensifies. The works continue to be chosen to represent varying points of view, as well as the different literary genres. Class discussions and home assignments are designed to stimulate the students' personal responses to the texts and to provoke independent thinking and analysis; the emphasis remains on developing each student's ability to construct accurate meaning from a close and faithful reading of the text. Students continue to study the elements of literary technique, and literary terms are reviewed through each of the reading units. Students continue to concentrate on theme, characterization, conflict, language use, setting and narrative organization. In their own writing, each student is encouraged to refine his or her personal writing style to develop the personal voice to express ideas and to articulate feelings. There are varied opportunities for students to express themselves imaginatively and to shape their internal worlds through language use. Students are introduced, as well, to more complex rhetorical strategies as they develop their skills at writing the expository essay; they continue to work on developing and supporting their ideas and on maintaining the unity and coherence of their focus. Prentice Hall Literature - Bronze The Chosen, Chaim Potok, Ballantine Maus I, Art Spiegelman, Pantheon Books The Island on Bird Street, Uri Orlev, Houghton Mifflin Co. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Ernest Gaines, Bantam Inherit the Wind, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, Bantam To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, Warner Books Writer's Choice: Grammar and Composition, Glencoe/McGraw Hill Wordskills, McDougal, Littell Selected poetry
D.	Grade Eight The reading selections continue to be geared to reflect the appropriate level of complexity for the age group. In addition, the readings are selected and grouped thematically to address age appropriate concerns regarding the individual, community, the demands of socialization, as well as other relevant and compelling themes. Once again, students are urged to relate immediately to the text, to read independently, actively and critically. Through class discussions and assignments, students begin to address more subtle literary concerns regarding the structure and esthetic elements of the work, as well as the nuances of style and point of view. The writing sequence continues to encourage the students to cultivate their own personal styles, their own voices, and to emphasize the importance of accurate and appropriate language use. There are varied opportunities for students to express themselves imaginatively; students continue to refine their skills at composing the expository essay using different rhetorical strategies. Portfolio projects are extended to include self evaluative essays describing a student's progress as a writer during the course of the year and across the different types of writing experiences. Prentice Hall Literature - Silver A Separate Peace, John Knowles, McDougal Littell Lord of the Flies, William Golding, Perigee Books Annie John, Jamaica Kincaid, Farrar, Straus, Giroux Maus 1, Art Spiegelman, Pantheon Books A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry, Vintage Paper Backs Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare, Washington Square Press Writer's Choice: Grammar and Composition, Glencoe/McGraw Hill Wordskills, McDougal, Littell Selected poetry

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