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Grade 6
Grade 6 instruction focuses on helping students make the critical transition to middle school. Classes emphasize middle school expectations for vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. Core topics are active reading strategies for non-fiction texts, advanced grammar concepts (such as the perfect verb tenses and using verbals like gerunds and participles), and critical thinking in essay development. Students learn how to apply the principle of adequate development of a paragraph using evidence and logical reasoning. Writing instruction also focuses on alternative ways to organize paragraphs given the essay's purpose.
Grade 7
Students join a class that prepares them to meet and exceed the expectations of Grade 7. In addition to enabling students to apply advanced drafting and revision techniques, instruction gives students the skills essential for writing timed essays. Students learn advanced grammar skills, paragraphing and essay organization, and word choice strategies.
Students are introduced to logical reasoning exercises to sharpen their critical thinking in essay writing and STEM projects. These exercises include inferences, relative positioning, sets and constraints, and out-of-the-box algebra word problems.
Grade 8
Grade 8 provides students with the reading comprehension and writing skills they will need to succeed in high school. This is an accelerated ELA program to fill gaps in students' learning and take their comprehension and communication skills to the ninth-grade level. Unlike most Grade 8 classes, this course emphasizes rigorous vocabulary building typically at the Grade 9 level. Students learn advanced grammar, critical thinking and problem-solving concepts, and the writing skills needed for exceptional essays, research papers, and exam essay questions. The course includes STEM writing principles. Reading comprehension focuses on the types of advanced passages -- such as history, physical science, and social science --that prepare students for high school classes. Students also receive instruction in note-taking and annotating reading passages. The course is ideal for students who will enroll in honors, AP, or IB courses in high school.
