Middle School English | |
| The English program of Pike Creek Christian School is built on four pillars: reading, grammar, vocabulary, and writing. The foundation supporting these pillars is the Word of God. Students are taught to evaluate their world from a biblical perspective as they receive a cross-curricular preparation for the demands of high school reading and writing. | |
Course DescriptionSixth grade is transitional for students, who will find the reading approach similar to elementary school but with sixth grade expectations. Heath Publishing’s I Touched the Sun is our reading book, and its high-interest themes will cement reading comprehension strategies for students. In vocabulary, the Sadlier-Oxford program level A challenges students to master meanings, pronunciation, parts of speech, synonyms and antonyms. Grammar instruction focuses on basic sentence grammar, punctuation, and the various uses of nouns and verbs supported by the A Beka Book’s God’s Gift of Language C. The largest change in expectations is in writing. Students will complete an extensive research paper project on a topic from American History.
Seventh Grade increases expectations in the area of reading. Heath Publishing’s Gold level themes Becoming Myself and Survival guide students into the world of reading as literature study, expanding on concepts such as theme, plot, and character and introducing conflict, foreshadowing, and symbolism. Students will read the novels The Call of the Wild and Tuck Everlasting as part of this study. Vocabulary is from the Sadlier-Oxford program level B, and grammar in the next A Beka offering, Grammar and Composition I. Writing is developed in the cooperative Science Fair project with elements for both English and Science classes.
Eighth grade reading begins with a Heath Gold level collection Adventures and Adventurers, then goes into a series of book studies: a Christian biography, the classic American novel To Kill a Mockingbird, and a novel of social responsibility near the end of the year. Increased expectations also await students in the Sadlier-Oxford vocabulary program level C and in the A Beka offering, Grammar and Composition II. The writing project is participation in the National History Day competition, demanding outlines, summaries, process papers and annotated bibliographies. Finally, the year ends with an interactive poetry writing unit.
Last updated: 02-Nov-2011 10:26 AM | Teachers |