Language Arts

Language arts in the Middle School builds on the skills taught in the earlier grades. Students are grouped heterogeneously by grade. Expectations as to the level and quality of student work become increasingly demanding as students mature. The material studied is more complex than previously encountered, and sophisticated responses are expected.

We hope that children will enjoy literature and find their imaginations stimulated. Literature is often theme related, but works may be studied purely for their own literary merit or their relevance to early adolescent interests. From their reading, we expect students to become increasingly adept at generalizing and making inferences. We are particularly interested in universal themes in literature and transcendent truths.

Comprehension is taught in language arts, theme, and science classes, with a different emphasis in each. Each year's all-school theme may bring different titles to the language arts classroom. Students often read historical fiction; for example, during the study of the Renaissance period, each student reads novels describing life in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, or Asia during that era.

Self-selected sustained silent reading takes place in school several times a week. Periodically, students write formal book reports, give book talks, or share their response to their reading in some other fashion (for example, designing and illustrating a book jacket).

Composition is taught in language arts, theme, and science classes, again with a somewhat different emphasis in each. The processes of writing, peer review, and proofreading by students are given great emphasis in language arts classes.

Middle School students are introduced to the formal study of grammar. We use selections of the following texts: Warriner's English Grammar and Composition (1st, 2nd, and 3rd course), The Phenomenon of Language: Tabula Latina by David Florian, and Rules of the Game: Grammar Through Discovery by Page, Guthrie, and Sable.