UP English
The goal of Upper Prep English is to teach reading and writing skills through
literature in a nurturing environment that encourages students to become
comfortable and confident in those skills. Students learn the concepts of
plot, theme, setting, and character development through their reading of
short stories and novels that tap into interdisciplinary study across the
disciplines. Grammar and vocabulary lessons are coordinated with
the students' reading and writing. Clear sentence structure and coherent
paragraph development are emphasized as students write expository, narrative,
and descriptive compositions. The idea of process writing is introduced
early in the course as students learn to be skilled editors as well as
capable writers. In the spring they create a poetry booklet and present a
poetry reading to the entire Middle School community. Readings, which
reflect the theme of survival within a community in its broadest global
sense, include When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, Roll of Thunder, Hear My
Cry by Mildred Taylor, and The Giver by Lois Lowry.
English 1
Organized around the central theme of the outsider in society, this English
course for students in Form I continues to stress the skills of reading and
writing. The literary focus is on vicarious experience, the fundamental value
of literature. In a range of novels, plays, short stories, and poems,
students read about individuals who push themselves against adversity and
forge a set of values. Writing development begins with a variety of
frequently assigned small, concentrated, and highly organized paragraphs and
evolves into larger writing projects, many of which are included in the
Creative Writing Portfolio. The study of grammar and vocabulary is
coordinated with students' reading and writing. Readings include Lizzie
Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt, The Miracle Worker by William
Gibson, Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez, and A Step from Heaven by An
Na.
