Language Arts
In the language arts program at Sussman Middle School, we develop a curriculum to build students’ reading, writing, listening, and communication skills to become proficient readers, writers, and thinkers in today’s world. Below is a quick overview of the topics and curriculum each grade level focuses on.
6th Grade
Reading: Short Stories, Biographies, Poetry, Critical Reading, Novels
Language: Personal Narrative Essays, Poetry Writing, Literary Essays, Research
7th Grade
In English 7, teachers elaborate on the following instruction:
- Nonfiction using ERWC units
- Science Fiction using The Giver novel by Lois Lowry
- Poetry using various poets along with creative writing embedded
- Realistic Fiction using the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
8th Grade
Critical reading, writing, and thinking using fiction and non-fiction, with a focus on the 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)