Our English program develops students who can write with understanding and grace, who can read and understand what they have read, and who have begun to understand the lessons of life to be learned through acquaintance with the great characters of literature. Our goal is understanding, which cannot be rushed or quickly produced. To that end, we have divided our program into four parts: the studies of grammar, vocabulary, writing, and literature.
Department Members
Mrs. Dawn Durain
Mr. Emanuel Pentecost
Mrs. Elizabeth Schwartz
Grammar
We teach grammar thoroughly at every grade level because this study is fundamental
to a real understanding of reading and writing our beautiful English language.
Fads come and go about whether to teach grammar. We have found, however, that
while students need no instruction in current slang and colloquialisms, they
do need to be taught the higher and harder language of literature—the
only one of lasting value.
Vocabulary
Each week we devote some time to vocabulary study because many reading and
writing difficulties come directly from not knowing what words mean. Moreover,
since vocabulary knowledge is so important on standardized tests like the
SAT, regular drill gives students experience in the form and content of test
questions. Finally, careful use of words stems directly from our respect for
the Word, God’s agent in creation.
Writing
The seventh and eighth grades continue the program begun in the earlier grades:
to produce correct and interesting sentences; to understand the paragraph
as a unit; and to produce reports and essays with clear organization.
Literature
Our literature choices emphasize—but are not limited to—the classics
of Western civilization, chiefly those written in English. We choose works
of proven and lasting value because we believe exposure to things that are
true, honest, pure, lovely, and of good report will help our students recognize
those things, or the lack of them, in whatever literature they encounter.
Students learn to analyze these works for content, form, style, and theme.
In literary analysis, we insist on careful, thorough, open-minded reading,
and we insist that students produce evidence for their opinions from the text
itself, not from some disconnected imaginings.