Top Row: Blair Fils, Trip Hubbard, Andrew Cotten, Anna Beth Goodson, and Julie Garrett

Bottom Row: Sara Martin, Cara Speegle, Anna McCain, and Anne-Carter Finch

Not pictured: Kristin Musso

 

 

 

 

We know that reading is one of the most fundamental skills students learn.  We hope to balance the "unconscious delight" students have experienced with past reading with a growing critical appreciation for a variety of texts.  We know that students' experiences with fiction and nonfiction will help to define their reading habits for years to come, and we will engage students with texts that are both meaningful AND culturally significant.

 

We know that the ability to write is closely related to a student's ability to read, and we also know that writing can be a great outlet for self-expression. We plan to teach your child to write for enjoyment and reflection as well as to analyze texts more critically. We will focus on the importance of audience and purpose, and we will engage students in a variety of writing tasks that explore different facets of the writing process, from early topic selection and thesis formulation to the end stages of editing, revising, and publishing.

 

 

We know that the ability to speak clearly and meaningfully involves practice, and we will work to engage students through various speaking opportunities.  We acknowledge that public speaking anxiety is real, and we will help students learn to manage these fears.  Beginning with small group discussions and progressing to whole-class presentations, students at all grade levels will have a variety of opportunities to become better speakers.

 

 

We know that students who use language well have a better chance of success in college and beyond.  We will focus on how English works in its different contexts (formal, informal, standard, and nonstandard usage), and we will focus on how the different rules for usage (grammar) govern how English is used in different contexts.