English/Language Arts

An overarching target for all Lower School students is to become fluent, highly competent, and independent readers. Immersed in a language-rich environment, children begin learning the fundamentals of reading and writing as soon as they arrive in Threes. As they progress through Pre-K and Kindergarten, our early reading and writing program includes a careful balance of skill development through letter recognition and formation, phonics, word study, spelling, handwriting, and exposure to age-appropriate books.

Students often work in small groups to maximize progress and the program is customized to their needs and level. Students enter school with different experiences in reading and reading readiness; therefore, the program is customized to challenge each child at the appropriate literacy level. Reading specialists work with classroom teachers to provide optimal reading instruction for all students.

As students become fluent readers, their work shifts to the study of literature and the reading of informational texts in science and social studies. They read a wide variety of genres: fiction, nonfiction, folktales, historical fiction, dystopia, biography, short stories, myths, legends, and poetry. Books are read and analyzed (both through discussion and writing) for content and theme, for the effective use of language, and for character development. These studies are reflected through the numerous genre-based writing projects each student takes on: personal memoir, persuasive writing, poetry, research writing, and the five-paragraph essay structure. Students also work on higher-level decoding and phonics skills, including dictionary usage, root-words study, mechanics, and grammar.