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Our language arts program is inspired by
the principle that the best way to learn is by doing. Students are
required to keep regular journals, to read and respond to certain
literature, and to work on individual projects. While such elements as
grammar and vocabulary are important to our program, they seldom take
the center stage in our classes. Instead, classes center around themes
or styles of projects, such as nature writing or how to write a
children's book, and frequently end with a finished piece of writing
such as a series of journalism articles, a short story, or the rough
draft of a novel. Discussions and workshops are valuable parts of these
processes, and students are always encouraged to seek out their own
ideas and to find better ways to express them.
The language arts program treats reading and writing as skills that
students will use for the rest of their lives. One goal is to create in
each student a love and habit of both reading and writing, with an
emphasis on the students' own ideas and interests. At the same time, we
pay attention to the development of basic skills in comprehension and
mechanics. Students learn grammar, spelling and style in large part by
editing their own work with peers and with the help of their teacher.
In addition to a student's choice of reading material, the curriculum
includes a wide variety of short stories, novels, essays, plays, myths,
poems and biographies. These works introduce students to a range of
literary traditions from around the world.
Students are assigned many writing projects, both in response to, and
also independent of, the readings. Some typical homework assignments
include: writing and responding to short stories, poetry, and essays.
