Next, students read and write poetry to understand the power of word choice and poetic devices. They also critique how authors address the voices of marginalized populations, especially within historical texts. Students engage in a deep study of characters to discover how authors create complex, interrelated, and dynamic figures through writing. The course begins with the classic Of Mice and Men. The 8th grade English course centers around voice. The course underscores the natural interconnectedness of reading, writing and language usage. A 66-word story forces students to be highly selective in word choice.

For example, a description of a person challenges students to build a unifying dominant impression through showing details. In addition to analytical writing, creative writing assignments target key skills. Grammar lessons ask students to induce patterns in syntax, identify those patterns in mentor texts, and apply those patterns to create variety and impact in their writing. Students also compose a variety of their own poems in response to those they study. Toward the end of the year, a concentrated poetry unit focuses on the voices of immigrants to build empathy and perspective. Students identify literary devices in action in the poems, which often supplement the whole class texts thematically or connect to our studies in grammar and writing. A long and rich list of vocabulary words are drawn from the whole-class literature, and students learn their meanings before they encounter them in their readings. This work culminates in a substantial analytical essay to prove a thesis of their own creation. The heart of the course centers on a thematic and critical study of To Kill a Mockingbird, in which students track eight themes, including outcasts, race, gender and status. The course begins with the study of ten multicultural coming-of-age short stories, culminating in a comparison essay on a thematic similarity between two stories. The seventh grade English course focuses on building students’ analytical skills through close readings, discussions, Socratic circles, and writing. This course serves as a foundation for both English skills and academic habits. Throughout each unit, grammar concepts are introduced, practiced, and applied in all of their writing. With this novel, students explore messages of empathy and resilience and examine word choice and character development. Toward the end of the year, students read Counting by 7s, in which the protagonist overcomes personal challenges with help from a surrogate family.

After processing and digesting the craftsmanship demonstrated by notable authors, students apply their understanding by crafting their own creative writings. Students read pieces that illustrate character development, figurative language, irony, symbolism, conflict, and imagery. The short story and poetry units that follow focus on specific literary devices that authors use to enhance literary themes. With this text, students practice defining vocabulary words in context in addition to using textual evidence to support their claims.

As the year begins with The Giver, students explore this dystopian novel and question the necessity for choice and emotional capacity in humans.

Sixth grade English exposes students to structured writing, literary discussions, and a wide variety of genre readings.

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