Language Arts
In the Language Arts program at Doty Middle School, we implement a CCSS-aligned curriculum to build students’ reading, writing, listening, and communication skills to become proficient, critical readers, writers, and thinkers in today’s world. Essential standards like determining a theme/central idea of a text, finding/citing text evidence to support summaries/inferences, analyzing a speaker’s argument, claim and/or information, and writing summarizing and argumentative essays have been identified by grade levels and guide instruction. Below is a quick overview of the topics and curriculum on which each grade level focuses.
6th Grade
Reading: Short Stories, Biographies, Poetry, Argumentative/Nonfiction Text, Novels
Language: Personal Narrative Essays, Argumentative Essays, Research, Grammar
7th Grade
Critical reading, writing, and thinking using fiction and non-fiction, with a focus on UC’s ERWC program.
8th Grade
Critical reading, writing, and thinking using fiction and non-fiction, with a focus on UC’s ERWC program.
Methodology
In order to best educate our students, our middle school curriculum includes the following teaching methods and tools:
- Collaborative group discussions
- Technology integration in the classroom
- Dramatic presentations
- Socratic seminars
- Cross-curricular units with social studies and science
- Writing workshops and seminars within the classroom
- Critical reading, using annotation skills such as the C.A.T.C.H. or Read With a Pen methods
- Citing evidence using the R.A.C.E. method
- Writing critically, using textual evidence
- Apply rules of English grammar in writing
- Nurturing a lifelong love of reading through introduction to different genres
- ERWC units (Expository Reading & Writing Course) written by CSUs to create environments of nonfictional study that will serve the purpose of all subject areas across the board (7th-8th grade)
- Balanced Literacy and Lucy Calkins units of writing (6th grade)