6^th Grade ELA – This course is designed to meet State Standards.  An emphasis will be placed on effective writing and reading across genres. Each student will be required to participate in group, partner, and independent activities that meet rigorous academic expectations. Instruction will focus on reading comprehension, writing (narrative, argumentative, informational, explanatory), language conventions, vocabulary development in meaningful contexts, public speaking, literary response/analysis, and research skills. Students will study various text genres including short story, novel, drama, poetry, & non-fiction.

  7^th grade ELA - This course is designed to meet State Standards. The curriculum addresses Reading Standards for Literature and Informational Texts, Writing Standards (including informative/explanatory writing, argumentative writing, and narrative writing), Speaking, Listening, and Language Standards. Activities are skill-based and structured to promote higher-order thinking skills. Collaborative groups are designed to give each student a special task while creating opportunities for interaction and the sharing of understanding and knowledge.

 8^th grade ELA - This course is designed to foster critical reading, writing, listening, speaking, and thinking skills in students. An emphasis will be placed on effective writing across genres. Each student will be required to participate in group, partner, and independent activities that meet rigorous academic expectations in line with State Standards. Students will apply literary analysis to novels read in class as well as novels read independently. Instruction will focus on reading comprehension, writing (narrative, argumentative, informational/explanatory), language conventions, vocabulary development in meaningful contexts, public speaking, literary response/analysis, and research skills.  Students will study various text genres including the short story, the novel, drama, poetry, and non-fiction.