ENGLISH Our curriculum is designed to give students a rewarding experience as they grow as readers, writers, thinkers, and speakers. Through collaborative and individual pursuits, students learn how to critically navigate the expanding seas of information and communication while fostering an appreciation for the power of language. We ask, “What is worth reading -- and why?” and we encourage students to answer this question for themselves by exercising choice in projects, readings, and assessments. We explore texts that represent a range of voices and points of view that offer windows into the experiences of others and mirrors into students’ own experiences. Whether they are grappling with Shakespeare or preparing for a visiting Baird Symposium author, our students consider how texts reflect the human condition and how an author’s choice of genre, form, and diction affects meaning. We strive to instill in our students a sense of pride in their written work and give them the tools to make their writing reflect their thinking at its best. Writing assignments range from the critical to the personal to the creative. Through one-on-one conferences, peer critiques, and multiple drafts and revisions, we teach writing as a process; we also encourage students to experiment with language and style through the study of vocabulary and composition. Every English class also provides substantial practice in speaking and listening skills, as these are essential for effective communication. Through Harkness discussions, formal debates, presentations, speeches, performances, and daily conversations, students learn how to appeal to different audiences and build confidence in their ability to think and speak on their feet.
>>MIDDLE SCHOOL Upper Prep English — Windows and Mirrors The goal of Upper Prep English is to teach reading and writing skills through literature in a nurturing environment that encourages students to become comfortable and confident in those areas. Students learn the concepts of plot, theme, setting, and character development through their reading of short stories, novels, non-fiction pieces, and poetry. The focus on reading and writing includes grammar, sentence building, and vocabulary development. Students practice expository, narrative, and descriptive compositions in order to develop clear sentence structure and coherent paragraph development. We introduce and emphasize process writing, and students learn to brainstorm, draft, revise, edit, and publish their work. Spider Web discussions establish the skills necessary to explore and discuss literature as well as the development of active listening and speaking skills. We use various texts, voices, and perspectives to develop and deepen the aforementioned skills.
English 1 — The Ripple Effect Organized around the central theme of exploring one’s identity and its effect on perspective, this English course for students in Form 1 continues to stress the skills of reading and writing. The literary focus is on vicarious experience: the fundamental value of literature. In a range of novels, non-fiction pieces, short stories and poems, students read about individuals who experience adversity to gain a broader perspective of the human experience. Writing development begins with a variety of frequently assigned, organized paragraphs and evolves into larger writing projects, including essay writing. The study of grammar, sentence building, and vocabulary development is coordinated with students’ reading and writing. Spider Web discussions remain central to the growth of skills Kingswood Oxford’s Course of Study 2021-2022 Page 2 of 73
