Middle School Division - Language Arts has two components—literature and composition.
The middle school literature component has been vertically aligned with the high school English courses. This means that the students are reading prose and poetry that will introduce them to authors and genres that they will study in the years to come. Sixth, seventh and eighth grade literary selections are chosen to complement the students’ work in social studies. There are summer reading requirements as well.
Some of the novels students are reading include The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. The Devil’s Arithmetic, Esperanza Rising, The Outsiders, To Kill a Mockingbird, The House on Mango Street, and Tom Sawyer.
The composition component includes instruction and practice in writing essays (expository writing). Students also write poetry and short stories. As they write, they work to strengthen their grammar, punctuation and spelling skills.