SCS Curriculum
Reading and Language Arts
English Department Philosophy:
Since research indicates that girls and boys develop language skills at different rates, the English department maintains all-girl classes through grade eleven to promote developmentally appropriate expectations for reading, discussion, and writing. However, to prepare students for a co-ed experience in college and beyond, the seniors choose among coordinated English electives at both St. Catherine’s and St. Christopher’s. Class time is dedicated to close reading of texts and articulating ideas about those texts, and much of the drafting and revision work occurs during class to emphasize writing as a process. Furthermore, the curriculum is designed to offer students experiential learning opportunities, from innovative use of technology to create stories and presentations to interdisciplinary projects that require independent research.
Lower School Language Arts Philosophy:
Language is the basis for all communication and the heart of the human experience. This belief is the foundation for the Language Arts program at St. Catherine’s Lower School. By creating a love of reading and expression through oral and written language, we cultivate a love of learning.
The Lower School provides the foundation to reading and writing success using the following key areas: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary Development, Comprehension, Literature Appreciation, Spelling, Handwriting, Grammar, and Creative, Expository, and Research Writing. Teachers use whole group, small group, and individual instruction to reach each student. At the earliest grades, students are exposed to a variety of genres, learn to appreciate diverse writing styles, and are immersed into an integrated phonics, word study, and whole language reading program that continuously encourages the love of reading for pleasure and information gathering. The language arts program engages our girls as readers, writers, and speakers so that the writing process and content reading are integrated. Through writing, speaking and examining literary works, students learn to find their own unique voices.
Because literature has the power to transform, challenge, and inspire, the English and Language Arts department seeks to cultivate students’ understanding of and appreciation for the written and spoken word so they develop into life-long readers and effective communicators. At each skill level, the program is designed to build language skills, expose students to diverse points of view, and provide writing opportunities in various modes. The curriculum supports the department’s philosophy that graduates should possess clarity of expression, multicultural awareness, intellectual curiosity, and human empathy.
Since research indicates that girls and boys develop language skills at different rates, the English department maintains all-girl classes through grade eleven to promote developmentally appropriate expectations for reading, discussion, and writing. However, to prepare students for a co-ed experience in college and beyond, the seniors choose among coordinated English electives at both St. Catherine’s and St. Christopher’s. Class time is dedicated to close reading of texts and articulating ideas about those texts, and much of the drafting and revision work occurs during class to emphasize writing as a process. Furthermore, the curriculum is designed to offer students experiential learning opportunities, from innovative use of technology to create stories and presentations to interdisciplinary projects that require independent research.
Lower School Language Arts Philosophy:
Language is the basis for all communication and the heart of the human experience. This belief is the foundation for the Language Arts program at St. Catherine’s Lower School. By creating a love of reading and expression through oral and written language, we cultivate a love of learning.
The Lower School provides the foundation to reading and writing success using the following key areas: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary Development, Comprehension, Literature Appreciation, Spelling, Handwriting, Grammar, and Creative, Expository, and Research Writing. Teachers use whole group, small group, and individual instruction to reach each student. At the earliest grades, students are exposed to a variety of genres, learn to appreciate diverse writing styles, and are immersed into an integrated phonics, word study, and whole language reading program that continuously encourages the love of reading for pleasure and information gathering. The language arts program engages our girls as readers, writers, and speakers so that the writing process and content reading are integrated. Through writing, speaking and examining literary works, students learn to find their own unique voices.
Goals:
- Students will develop the reading skills necessary for comprehension, for locating information, for analysis of stylistic and literary devices, and for enjoyment.
- Students will read a variety of literature with an emphasis on diverse voices, through which they may extend their personal experiences and grow in understanding.
- Students will work to achieve precision and clarity of expression in both writing and speaking.
- Students will develop grammar skills and techniques of effective composition.
- Students will write and speak in different modes, including personal, creative, and analytical.
- Students will gain appreciation of the English language.
- Students will develop critical thinking skills and communicate independent thought.
- Students will use various media and technological resources to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
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Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
