English

The 5th grade English program develops students' language arts abilities through intensive reading and writing workshops. Students read excellent, developmentally-appropriate works together as a class that amplifies the grade theme To Be Compassionate — novels like Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg and Restart by Gordon Korman, in addition to short stories, personal narratives, and poetry — and participate in a robust independent reading program that will help them join Thayer’s community of readers. A focus of the program is to have students reading for enjoyment and sharing that joy with other students and teachers. Differentiated instruction and student choice are further reinforced by literature circles and book clubs. Writing assignments vary from creative to expository and are often coordinated with work in other disciplines. True to the writing workshop format, students enjoy a lot of time during class to write and develop their narrative, descriptive, and expository skills. Within the context of their own writing, students develop their understanding of proper punctuation, capitalization, and spelling rules, while also being introduced to the parts of speech. Exposure to roots, prefixes, and suffixes, be they Greek or Latin, aids student vocabulary development and works in tandem with the 5th grade’s Latin program.

The 6th grade English program encourages a love of reading, instills appreciation of language, and develops students' abilities to express themselves through different genres and styles. Throughout the year, students will engage in independent reading. Our program ensures that students have choice, time, and access to books that we hope will ignite or maintain their enthusiasm for reading. The 6th grade English curriculum shares interdisciplinary units with history and is a component of the grade theme To Inspire: Nature and Civilization. As a class, shared core texts include: D’Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, The Giver by Lois Lowry, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydi, and Nate Powell, and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. Throughout the year, students will be exposed to and practice four main writing styles: summary, narrative, persuasive, and analytical. Consistent practice with paragraph writing will eventually lead to multi-paragraph essay composition. Additionally, students learn the significance of the cyclical writing process which includes planning, drafting, revising, and publishing. Students will explore the eight parts of speech and demonstrate their mastery through creative writing.

The 7th grade English program exposes students to a variety of literary genres and develops each student's ability for self-expression. With their writing, students learn the importance of revision as they sharpen their word choice and phrasing in various descriptive, narrative, and analytical compositions. Grammar study builds on the parts of speech students were exposed to in 6th grade, introducing complements, phrases and clauses, and specific comma rules. Literature includes Refugee by Alan Gratz (summer reading), The Arrival by Shaun Tan, Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle, Flying Lessons & Other Stories, King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender, and Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Students will be introduced to different types of student-led discussions (the Harkness method, a Socratic seminar, a fishbowl discussion, etc.), through which they will learn to work collaboratively towards deeper conversation and greater understanding. The literature, in addition to various discussions and writing assignments, supports further understanding of the grade theme (To Rise: The Individual and Society).

The 8th grade English program widens students’ experiences as writers, readers, and speakers of English while preparing them for the expectations of humanities in the Upper School. After a quick review of 7th grade material, students study more abstract levels of grammar and usage that are applicable to their speech and writing, including specific lessons on the various phrases and clauses needed to write effectively. Literature includes Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (summer reading), “This I Believe” essays, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Night by Elie Wiesel, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Building on their experience and the skills they developed in 7th grade with student-led discussions, expectations for preparation, engagement, participation, and critical thinking are appropriately heightened. The literature, in addition to various discussions and writing assignments, supports further understanding of the grade theme To Contribute: Citizenship and Leadership.