English

Lower School Language Arts Philosophy

The goal of the Language Arts Program in the Lower School is to open and enrich young minds and to promote learning across the curriculum. Strong reading skills are developed through various sequential and structured reading programs and exposure to classic children’s literature. The use of a balanced reading program includes the development of phonemic awareness, strong decoding skills, vocabulary, comprehension strategies, and the attainment of fluency. Students are taught to be critical, purposeful, and careful readers, thinkers, and writers. Written work also stresses clear, neat handwriting, increasingly accurate spelling, and the use of appropriate rules of grammar and punctuation. In addition to their writing, students in the Lower School have a rich tradition of oral communication. Assemblies often feature class presentations of plays, poetry, music, and skits, as well as professional presentations by guest speakers. Beginning in Second Grade, boys participate in the annual Spelling Bee, and beginning in Third Grade, boys also participate in the school-wide Lyman B. Tobin Public Speaking Program and the Betty Jean Johnson Poetry Contest.

Browning's insistence on literacy has followed me throughout my life."

Hervey A. Connell '57

Middle School English Philosophy

The Middle School English curriculum concentrates upon the interrelated study of grammar, literature, vocabulary, and composition. This program provides the student with a method for developing skills in two key areas for academic success: writing and critical reading. The student is encouraged to read with understanding and feeling and to recognize in the experience of literature his common bond with all humanity. Reading selections include modern works and classics chosen to promote the enjoyment of literature. The study of grammar and vocabulary forms an integral part of Middle School English. With a competent command of grammar and a growing vocabulary, the student will be able to meet the increasing demands for good, clear communications skills, both written and oral.

Upper School English Philosophy

The English program is based on two assumptions. The first is that mastery of one’s own language is essential to an individual’s personal development; he must be able to express himself clearly, communicate with and persuade others. The second assumption has three parts: that the experience of great literature allows us to enlarge our experience of and ability to deal with the world we live in, that contact with the best thoughts of the best minds can be a source of wisdom and delight, and that the individual can better appreciate his own values and those of his culture if he is familiar with the process by which they have evolved.

No Upper School English program can possibly provide students with all the instruction in language and literature that they will ever need. Properly understood, education is a life-long process. An effective English program equips the student with the skills he will need to pursue formal study and to continue the self-educational effort which marks and makes the well-rounded individual.