Language Arts

Language Arts classes include a reading comprehension writing program that enables students to express themselves accurately in written form. Using strategies from The Writing Revolution, students develop the skills needed to write clear, linguistically-complex sentences, and well-organized paragraphs and compositions. The writing strategies and activities for writing sentences, paragraphs, and compositions are applied systematically during structured writing time and integrated into the instruction of all content areas. 

In Language Arts class, students read novels and informational text at their listening comprehension level to develop critical thinking skills and increase vocabulary acquisition. Students access audio books for independent reading and teacher led  whole class novels. In this way students develop their deep reading skills; the array of sophisticated processes that propel comprehension,  that includes inferential and deductive reasoning, analogical skills, critical analysis, reflection, and insight. Teachers directly and explicitly teach active reading strategies to facilitate greater comprehension, including determining Importance, drawing Inferences, activating prior knowledge, asking questions, monitoring comprehension and meaning,  and creating mental images. Students develop vocabulary knowledge, crucial to comprehension,  through novel study and root word analysis.