Archive

First year international students take this class in addition to ESL Writing and Grammar Class. Students begin the year by completing Level 4 Focus reading and skills textbook, and advance to reading historical fiction, plays, poetry, and essays at their instructional reading level. They learn vocabulary words from their reading and from a comprehensive textbook, Vocabulary in Use. It is the goal of this class to provide ESL students with the practice and skills they will need to comprehend materials being read in mainstream or ESL Bridge class the following year. Evaluations include regular quizzes and tests, as well as placement and cumulative testing using the Cambridge Michigan English Placement test.

The seventh-grade course blends vocabulary development, analysis, grammar, and creative writing. Students write several essays over the course of the year, both expository and creative in nature, in which content and syntax are critically analyzed. Another element of the curriculum is the accrual of sound study habits and self-discipline. Our study of grammar begins with a review of parts of speech and the elements of a sentence and continues to extend the study of punctuation, including commas and semicolons. Students grapple with the theme of identity; coming to terms with who they are, the community they live in and the identities of those around them. The literature studied and texts utilized: The Last Cuentista (summer reading), Ghost Boys, Little Worlds, Animal Farm, Of Mice and Men, Citizen, Poet X, Vocabulary Energizers and Writing and Grammar.

Language Acquisition and Development (LAD) is designed to strengthen students understanding of language, and to reinforce their skills in the areas of reading fluency, reading comprehension, word attack skills, vocabulary recognition and usage, grammatical concepts, and other rudiments of language. Throughout the year, students will study short stories, articles, short essays, and other literature to deepen their understanding of the material and be able to analyze, interpret, and converse constructively about what they have read. Vocabulary words will mostly derive from the context of assigned reading, and punctuation and grammar will complement reading-based coursework. Assessments will include a variety of informal writing assignments, creative projects and quizzes.

The eighth-grade curriculum increases the emphasis on reading, writing, and communication through the study of literature, vocabulary, and grammar. Persuasive writing skills are interwoven with the literature. Learning how to write the five-paragraph essay is emphasized as a major component of the eighth grade curriculum. In the fall, the students are introduced to the genre of tragedy and the heroic ideal. Throughout the year, the study of literature and development of writing skills are supplemented with grammar and vocabulary work. The study of grammar begins with a brief review of the parts of speech and the verb types, followed by the study of commas and sentence types. Expansion of student vocabulary is achieved through the use of the book, Vocabulary Energizers II. The literature studied and texts utilized include: Brown Girl Dreaming, Things Fall Apart, House on Mango Street, Antigone, When The Emperor Was Divine, Maus I & II, Macbeth, and The Great Gatsby.

The sixth-grade humanities curriculum covers ancient cultures spanning the Fertile Crescent to the Roman Republic, and explores themes of systems of control and governance, inventions and discoveries, and varying examples of human expression. As a course that spans both History and English, 6th grade humanities also provides a foundation for academic writing, with a focus on grammar and sentence structure, as well as expanding vocabulary. Creative and analytical writing assignments help to connect the history and English curricula. By the end of the year, 6th graders will develop a thesis and defend it with textual evidence. The literature studied and texts utilized: Holes, Hatchet, God-King, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, I am Malala, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Julius Caesar, and Spelling Connections.