Reading & Writing Program

The Pre-Reading & Writing Series is designed to help K-2nd grade students learn the fundamental building blocks of the English language. These classes are designed to build students’ reading fluency, comprehension, and beginning writing abilities. Students will learn key phonics skills including vowel sounds, blending, rhyming, and decoding longer multisyllabic words. They will also learn the basics of writing, including capitalization and punctuation rules. This series is for students who are building their reading decoding and comprehension skills as well as learning how to write down their ideas. Throughout the course, students will read targeted leveled readers to help them build up their decoding skills and stamina. They will also read non-fiction and early children's stories and chapter books to help expose them to a variety of different books and stories.

The Developing Reading & Writing Series is designed to help 4th-6th grade students think more critically and intentionally when reading and writing. Students will continue to read and write across genres, but will learn how to craft longer arguments, stories, and reports using key organizational pieces to ensure clarity and comprehension. Students in these classes will continue to master syntax and grammatical strategies to help improve the overall flow of their ideas. This series is designed for students who have already started writing longer, more complex responses and are now looking to build upon and hone those skills. Throughout the course, students will read a variety of fiction and non-fiction works and learn how to more critically engage with each of them beyond summarizing.

The Emerging Reading & Writing Series is for 8th-10th grade students who already possess a solid grasp on analytical thinking and writing and are ready to immerse themselves into synthesizing ideas. Students will continue to read and write across genres while learning how to use varied and unique evidence from a variety of sources to build a more nuanced argument. Students in these classes will continue building their advanced syntax and punctuation abilities to help them develop their own voice and style as they write. Throughout the series, students will learn how to approach fiction and non-fiction with a more critical lens, so they can then use what they learn to craft a larger overarching argument using multiple and varied sources. This series will build upon the skills developed in the IRW series, allowing for students to write more critically.

The Beginning Reading & Writing Series is designed to expose 2nd-4th grade students to various types of reading and writing and help students master the basics of the writing process. This includes learning how and when to use topic sentences, building writing stamina, learning the basic parts of speech like nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, learning how to use evidence and explanation to support their ideas, and building key vocabulary and grammar skills. This series is designed for students who have already started writing and are working on writing more complex responses and reading more complex fiction and non-fiction. Throughout the course, students will read works of fiction as well as various types of non-fiction including almanacs, National Geographic chapter books, early children’s novels, graphic novels, and more.

Intermediate Reading & Writing Series is designed to immerse 6th-8th grade students in the analytical world and introduce them to the idea of synthesis. Students will continue to read and write across genres, but will learn how to craft clear claim statements, find more nuanced evidence, and better explain their thinking. Students in these classes will start to tackle more advanced syntax and punctuation to help them develop their own voice when writing. This series is designed for students who have already started writing and thinking analytically. Throughout the course, students will learn how to approach fiction and non-fiction with a more critical lens, and then craft a longer response as to how those individual strategies or literary techniques are used to create a larger meaning or takeaway.

The Advanced Reading & Writing Series is designed for 10th-12th grade students who are ready to start reading and writing for AP, IB, and other college level courses (such as running start classes). Within these classes, students will read more advanced non-fiction as well as literature while learning how to craft both timed and untimed written responses. The focus of these classes is to help prepare students for college level writing and expose them to the timed essay style they will see on the AP and IB exams. This series is designed for students who are taking an IB, AP, or running start class or will be in the near future. Throughout this series, students should expect to delve deeply into literary and non-fiction texts, think analytically, write effectively and concisely, and synthesize their ideas into a coherent essay all in a timed setting.