During the summer students in grade 7 and 8 read selected texts for their course work the following September. This course uses a variety of literary forms to develop critical reading, writing and speaking skills and to encourage enjoyment of literature. Students read selected short stories by such authors as Poe, Thurber, Parker, Hughes, and Ferre, the novels House on Mango Street, Dandelion Wine, and To Kill a Mockingbird, Shakespearean and modern sonnets, and the plays The Diary of Anne Frank , A Raisin in the Sun and The Miracle Worker. In conjunction with their reading, students practice narrative and expository writing, examine the function of the parts of speech, and improve the breadth and accuracy of their vocabulary. This course stresses the appreciation and understanding of literature through the careful consideration of a number of literary works including A Midsummer Night's Dream, Great Expectations, Inherit the Wind, Jane Eyre, Kindred by Octavia Butler, and a poetry anthology.
Students write analytical, personal, and creative essays based on their study of literature.
Vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics are studied throughout the year, with particular emphasis given to sentence structure, mechanics, and usage.