ENGLISH COURSES English 7
English 8
Middle School Creative Writing
The Seventh Grade course is a crucial first year of English at Windward. We aim to teach our students the essential habits of academic life—from note-taking and time management skills, to strategies for effective reading comprehension and the fundamentals of analytical writing. The course offers students an opportunity to develop literary analysis skills through exposure to a variety of textual genres and perspectives. Seventh Grade English focuses on moving the students beyond a rudimentary understanding of plot and characterization and learning to recognize, discuss, and write about broader thematic ideas. We do this through text-based discussions, frequent writing work, and collaborative assignments. Students develop critical thinking skills, learn to craft persuasive paragraphs incorporating textual evidence in support of a clear thesis, and give voice to their individual ideas.
The Eighth Grade English curriculum emphasizes skills and academic habits that will provide a foundation for students when they transition to the Upper School. The course stresses literature, writing, and discussion skills. Students are exposed to a wide variety of increasingly difficult texts as they refine their close reading and analytical skills. Formal writing is a cornerstone of the course; we emphasize the structure and conventions of academic writing, beginning with individual paragraphs and moving on to full-length essays. In these compositions, as well as some creative pieces, students are encouraged to view writing as a process through which ideas become more refined and language more precise and sophisticated. Vocabulary work focuses on broadening students’ lexicon, helping them understand words’ denotations and connotations while also reinforcing principles of usage in sentence and paragraph construction. As in all Windward English courses, we stress an individualized approach in the classroom, seeking to hone each student’s particular strengths.
Workshop participants engage in fun writing projects in a variety of different genres, including poetry, memoir, and creative fiction. Students have the opportunity to explore their own ideas, as well as new genres of writing. Students share work and learn from the ideas of their peers.
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English 9 Close and critical reading, writing, speaking, and listening are the emphases of Ninth Grade English. Students will carefully examine fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama, acquiring confidence with the text itself as a means of understanding. Discussion topics range widely, from how to read closely and develop an annotation style, to considerations of character growth, themes, and narrative voice. From discussions spring writing topics through which students exercise and hone their writing skills. Analytical writing assignments, moving from the paragraph to the full critical essay, stress structure, organization, focus, the use of supporting data, and clarity of expression. In fact, students study concepts of grammar and usage with an eye toward their function within formal writing. Yet the course also provides opportunities for writing creatively and reflectively, as students become more aware of their own voices, perspectives, strengths as learners, and processes as writers.
