English

The junior-high English classes continue the development of vocabulary acquisition, grammar concepts, writing skills, and the analytical study of literature. The curriculum begins during the summer when students read books from a list provided. Throughout the year, the students read literature collectively within their class, but also engage in independent reading projects based on self-selected texts by diverse authors. The writing component in junior high interweaves all areas of the English curriculum. Formal assessments in writing include essays in response to literature, persuasive writing, research-based assignments, paragraph-length responses to reading, blogging, and creative writing. The English curriculum reinforces grammar concepts through weekly lessons and quarterly assessments. For grammar, the students study the following concepts: parts of speech, agreement, complements, capitalization, punctuation, phrases, clauses, and sentence diagramming. In addition, the students work from NoRedInk, for individualized content and adaptive practice and assessment. For vocabulary, the students engage in interactive and customized vocabulary training through an online program called Membean. During training, they are introduced to new vocabulary and through adaptive reinforcement software, Membean is able to customize the learning process for the students. The vocabulary assessments are based on the student’s individualized word list. 

In seventh grade, the class collectively reads several short stories and novels, including “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, the poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, “Ball Hawk” by Joseph Bruchac, Someone Like Me by Julissa Arce, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost, Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. 

In eighth grade, the class collectively reads the following: “Where There’s a Wall” by Joy Kogawa, “Poem 479” by Emily Dickinson, “Becoming Joey” by Paul C. Gorski, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, “What to Say Upon Being Asked to Be Friends” by Julian Talamantez Brolaski, “Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 43” by Elizabeth Barret Browning, Free Lunch by Rex Ogle, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, and self-selected nonfiction articles and books in preparation for research writing.