Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade ELA is a time for reading and writing.  The students polish the grammar and mechanics skills that they have already developed, and learn many new ones as well.  Even though we do a great deal of reading, both in our Literature books and novels, most of the focus is on writing.  In addition to book assignments, the students write several essays throughout the year.   Most of these in the form of monthly book reports, which encourage reading activity outside of the classroom.  The students also write poetry, and do other creative projects, such as a media project (7th grade) and a research paper (8th grade).  The students also learn a great deal of vocabulary; in addition to what's found in literature, they learn 20 new words and definitions nearly every week, equaling about 700 new words each year!  Weekly vocabulary quizzes are given, as well as a unit test every five lists.

Various genres of literature are also studied throughout the year.  We review poetry, short stories, myths, legends, folk tales, non-fiction, and plays.  In addition to their monthly book outside of class, each grade reads two to three novels together each year.  The first is a summer assignment, which is tested on the second week of school.  The second is read in  December, and the third just before Easter.   Each book is followed by a unit test, which, like other unit tests, counts twice (quizzes count once).

This year, we have implemented midterm exams in each subject, which covers the first half of the year.   The final exams will cover the second half.  Those grades, along with any end-of-the-year projects, will be averaged for one final assessment grade.  We are doing this, not only to cover material more completely, but also to help  alleviated the stress of cumulative final exams.

The NYS Standards and curriculum are covered as completely as possible to prepare students for both high school and the 8th grade NYS ELA exam, which is held in January.  The ELA curriculum is well-supported by other classes, including Religions, Science, and Social Studies, where essays and readings are part of the classroom experience. 

We also plan at least two or three field trips each year to support what we are studying, such as attending plays,  or visits to museums and exhibits. 

Our monthly school newspaper, Panther Press, offers students the opportunity to expand their writing skills by covering subjects of personal interests, school events, anything they find worthy of reporting.