English Skill-Builder

In this course, students strengthen their English fundamentals as they prepare for academic success in Middle School English and Humanities. The course enhances students’ abilities in reading, writing, and speaking. It focuses significantly on refining mechanics, broadening vocabulary, and boosting organizational skills, all crucial for analyzing literature and improving writing proficiency. Students delve into the basics of the writing process, parts of speech, and elementary paragraph formation to sharpen their writing. They practice annotation and learn to identify relevant evidence to back their textual analyses. They also explore a variety of literary devices, studying the stylistic choices of authors to apply similar techniques in their own compositions. Upon completing the course, students will be well-equipped to excel in Middle School English and Humanities.

Completion of this course requires regular access to a laptop or desktop computer with working microphone and webcam, as well as a reliable internet connection.

This Fixed-Paced course incorporates a blend of synchronous and asynchronous elements. Students and teacher meet live via zoom on a regular weekly schedule. In addition, students complete coursework including guided readings, interactive videos, text and video-based discussion threads, problem sets, individual and collaborative projects, and so on. While these activities are time-flexible, teachers sequence them with weekly deadlines to help students keep on track and encourage and support the development of productive time management skills.