Language Arts/English

Language Arts K: K¹² PhonicsWorks™ is our own unique early reading program, which prepares your student to become an independent reader, using a kit of magnetized letter tiles and a variety of activities. Handwriting Without Tears provides gentle instruction to help your student print letters correctly. Plenty of read-aloud literature kindles the imagination while building comprehension and vocabulary. The emphasis is on classic literature—fairy tales, fables, folktales, poems—including many works that embody exemplary virtues, such as The Frog Prince, Beauty and the Beast, The Velveteen Rabbit , and tales by Beatrix Potter.

Language Arts 1: K¹²’s advanced PhonicsWorks™ program helps students become confident, independent readers and spellers. Handwriting Without Tears focuses on careful practice at a pace that matches your student’s development of fine motor skills. Students progress from writing words and sentences to writing a paragraph; in addition, they learn basic rules of usage and syntax. By working with analogies, students develop test-taking and critical-thinking skills. Literature lessons focus on classic folktales, fairy tales, fables, and poetry.

Language Arts 2: Students practice writing as a process: prewriting, writing a draft, revising, proofreading, and publishing. Students learn basic rules of usage, grammar and mechanics. Wordly Wise builds vocabulary, analogies continue to develop critical-thinking, Handwriting Without Tears helps students develop printing skills. Exercises in public speaking helps students build confidence. Guided reading lessons offer new challenges: greater length, more complex content, and new vocabulary with an emphasis on classic literature and nonfiction works.

Language Arts 3: Students write a narrative, a report, letters, poetry, and more. They continue to study grammar, usage, vocabulary, spelling, handwriting and analogies. Students learn to give effective oral presentations. They also develop literary analysis and comprehension skills. Works read include Greek and Norse myths, "William Tell," and episodes from Black Beauty . Students read works of nonfiction, as well as four novels (such as Charlotte’s Web, Little House on the Prairie , and Henry Huggins ). A test preparation program prepares students for standardized tests.

Language Arts 4: Students practice writing as a process as they write a report, a book review, a persuasive essay, poetry, a news article, and more. They enhance their written competence with more study of vocabulary, spelling, and sentence analysis. Students learn to identify and analyze character, plot, theme, and setting. The emphasis is on classic literature, including Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver’s Travels, and Pollyanna ; legends of King Arthur; and folktales from many lands. Students read works of nonfiction, as well as four novels (selected from a long list of such classics as The Cricket in Times Square, My Side of the Mountain, and Sarah, Plain and Tall ). A test preparation program prepares students for standardized tests.

Language Arts 5: Students practice writing, from planning to proofreading, as they write a memoir, an editorial, a research paper, a business letter, and more. Vocabulary, spelling and sentence structure and mechanics continue to be a focus. Students analyze, compare, and creatively respond to a variety of works. The emphasis is on classic works, including tales of Robin Hood and St. George; selections from Don Quixote and Shakespeare’s The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream ; "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"; and Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Students read works of nonfiction, as well as four novels (selected from a long list of such classics as Pippi Longstocking, Call It Courage , and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe ).

Intermediate English A: This is the first in a sequence of courses for middle school students (grades 6–8). The program helps develop students’ written and oral communication skills, and is designed to give students the essential building blocks for expressing their own ideas in standard English. Students write a variety of compositions in genres they will encounter throughout their academic careers, including: compare-and-contrast, persuasive, how-to, and research essays. Frequent exercises and regular practice in usage and mechanics help students absorb the rules so they can confidently apply them in their own writing. Students will read short stories, poetry, drama, novels, essays, and informative articles. The course sharpens reading comprehension skills, engages readers in literary analysis, and offers a variety of literature to suit diverse tastes.

Intermediate English B: The second in a sequence of courses for middle school students (grades 6–8). The program helps develop students’ written and oral communication skills, and is designed to give students the essential building blocks for expressing their own ideas in standard English. Students continue to practice writing essays in various genres. They learn to examine their own writing with a critical eye, paying attention to ideas, organization, structure, style, and correctness. Students analyze syntax and diagram sentences in order to understand how words, phrases, and clauses function in relation to each other. The course takes students on a voyage of imaginative exploration through many beloved literary classics as well as some less-familiar works. Students come to appreciate the writer’s craft as they consider the feelings, thoughts, and ideas of characters, and make connections between literature and life.

Literary Analysis and Composition: This college-preparatory English course is designed to improve students’ written and oral communication skills, and to strengthen their ability to understand and analyze literature. Students write literary analyses, descriptive essays, and persuasive speeches. In order to understand the writer’s craft and techniques, students examine model essays by both student writers and published authors. In language study, the course offers practice in new skills as well as regular reinforcement of skills already studied. Students read short stories, poetry, drama, novels, autobiographies, essays, and famous speeches. The course guides students in close reading and critical analysis of classic works of literature, and helps them appreciate both the texts and the context in which they were written.