Middle School English I
Middle School English I is designed to strengthen core language skills while building confidence and independence in reading and writing. Students grow in a supportive environment where progress happens step by step.
Throughout the year, we will focus on quality literature that is both engaging and accessible, helping students build strong habits while also thinking about characters, choices, and themes through a biblical lens. Students should begin to ask good questions about what they read and to start forming thoughtful responses.
Along the way, we build foundational skills that will support them in the years ahead: reading stamina, vocabulary, grammar, and clear writing. We want students to grow in confidence, feel comfortable with key concepts, and develop skills that will prepare them for more advanced work in the future.
Weekly, cumulative vocabulary instruction is integrated into the course as students work with high-frequency Latin and Greek roots. By focusing on clear, concrete meanings, students learn how words are built, improving both comprehension and word-solving skills.
Grammar and sentence construction are key priorities. Students practice writing clear, varied sentences, develop strong paragraphs during the first semester, and expand into structured multi-paragraph essays in the second semester. Writing emphasizes steady improvement rather than perfection.
Class time is active, engaging, and collaborative. At-home learning is supported by CENSOVA, which offers immediate feedback, guidance, and clarification, helping students feel prepared and confident.
Resources and Materials:
Censova Middle School English I: A login code will be emailed to the student before the start of class. The Censova resource fee must be paid before classes begin. This includes weekly short stories and poems, vocabulary practice, grammar skill review, and writing with unlimited interactive support.
Novels:
(Please refer to the ISBN Number to ensure your student has the correct edition. Students need to own a copy of the novel as they will be annotating in the text as they read. They will also need to bring their copy to class.)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Puffin Modern Classics) by Mildred D. Taylor (Author).
ISBN: 978-0140384512
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (Young Reader's Choice Award - Intermediate Division) by John Boyne (Author)
ISBN: 978-0385751537
The Secret Garden: by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Author)
ISBN: 979-8396718807
The Witch of Blackbird Pond: A Newbery Award Winner by Elizabeth George Speare (Author).
ISBN: 978-0547550299
A Wrinkle in Time: (Newbery Medal Winner). by Madeleine L'Engle (Author).
ISBN: 978-0312367541
Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls (Author)
ISBN: 978-0440415800
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien (Author)
ISBN 978-0618260300
Materials: Students will need a 1 ½ inch 3-ring binder, 6 dividers to go in the binder, and index cards on a removable ring. We recommend a multicolor pack of erasable pens. You could also use erasable colored pencils. You need at least 5 different colors (not black or blue)
We suggest students have access to an ESV version of the Bible.
Students will also need to have an email address that they can access for Censova submissions. Parents will receive information regarding this as the school year approaches.
Categories: English
Target Levels: Grade 6; Grade7; Grade 8
Edith Irazarry
Tuition and Class Schedule by Academic Term:
Tuition and Fees
Tuition Fee: $750.00
Censova Resource Fee: $199.00
Paid Security Guard Fee for Safety of Students: $35.00