As a joyous team of close readers and versatile writers, we model those endeavors for our students as we guide them in honing their attention to, and bravely experimenting within, various literary forms. Both in classroom exchange and in writing instruction, we guide our students to root their ideas in evidence: to open the book, to find the passage, to read it carefully, to respond to it with integrity. In our diverse community, we aspire to reflect and explore the various identities in our midst; we seek to understand ourselves, each other, and our world.
As colleagues, we balance the individual experience and creative autonomy that animate each of our classrooms and the ongoing collaborative refinement of our practices.
Our English classrooms challenge students to think deeply and regularly explore their ideas in writing. We encourage students to confer with us one-on-one during the writing and revising processes so we can provide tailored support and guided practice to individual writers as they develop their own voices.
In grades seven and eight, teachers lay the groundwork of the writing program by introducing foundational skills in literary analysis and persuasive and expressive writing, as well as exploring the elements of usage and grammar. As students advance through the grade levels, they will engage in the ongoing refinement of their skills in writing, reading, speaking, and listening.
