Middle School English & Language Arts Department

Through participation in frequent teacher-guided literary discussions, sixth grade students will develop their fluency in reading while becoming critical and analytical readers, who are able to comprehend, apply, interpret, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate various genres of literature. The Making Meaning program is a classroom-tested reading curriculum that combines the latest comprehension research with support for students’ social and ethical development. The program uses nonfiction and fiction read-aloud books to teach students nine different comprehension strategies while they learn to read and think at a high level. Making Meaning’s unique dual academic and social focus encourages students to work together, appreciate others’ ideas, disagree respectfully, and take responsibility for their own learning and behavior.

Language Arts
Sixth grade students will add to a repertoire of strategies that allow them to vary genre, style, and convention in order to write for real and varied purposes. The Being a Writer program is a yearlong writing curriculum that combines two decades of research in the areas of writing, motivation, and learning theory with social and ethical development. The program has two goals: to develop the creativity and skills of a writer, and to cultivate the social and ethical values of a responsible person. It uses high-quality trade books for genre immersion and author studies, and each-to-teach minilessons to reinforce the skills and conventions taught in the program. The lessons integrate writing instruction, regular community-building elements, and guided partner work to develop in students a sense of autonomy, belonging, and competence. Their writing will become more coherent and organized within paragraphs and in the connection of paragraphs.

Communication
Through participation in informal discussions, formal speeches, and class debates, sixth grade students will become critical and analytical speakers, listeners, and viewers.