English Language Arts
At Seth Low, we are dedicated to empowering student success by strengthening proficiency in literacy through reading, writing, speaking, and listening. These essential skills are carefully cultivated to lay a strong foundation for future academic achievement and long-term success in the real world. Our approach integrates school-wide academic vocabulary, while providing targeted reading interventions and enrichment opportunities tailored to meet the unique needs of each student. By fostering these skills, we aim to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
Class Structure
Each ELA class is designed with a purposeful structure that promotes student engagement, growth, and mastery of essential skills:
Independent Reading: Students immerse themselves in culturally responsive and relevant texts that reflect diverse perspectives, broadening their understanding and fostering a love for reading.
Independent Writing: Students are encouraged to explore their creativity and refine their writing skills, evolving into sophisticated, independent writers.
Study: Teachers model and introduce new concepts and strategies to deepen students’ comprehension, helping them build a solid foundation of critical thinking.
Create: Students have the opportunity to apply and practice these newly acquired skills, reinforcing their learning through independent work.
Beautiful Words: This is a time for students to share impactful ideas and reflections, cultivating a classroom community centered on thoughtful expression and dialogue.
WIN Periods
Each student actively participates in WIN (What I Need) periods, where they receive personalized instruction tailored to their individual needs. During these sessions, students are supported in building their academic vocabulary through the SERP Word Generation curriculum, which strengthens their language skills. For students requiring additional support, targeted reading interventions such as Phonics for Reading or Rewards are provided, ensuring that all learners receive the tools they need to succeed and thrive academically.
Core Texts
Each grade level engages with thoughtfully chosen, culturally responsive core texts that promote critical thinking, empathy, and a deeper understanding of diverse perspectives. Our curriculum blends the comprehensive HMH Into Literature program with teacher-created, novel-based units, ensuring a dynamic and engaging learning experience that caters to the varied interests and needs of our students.
Grade 6
Class Novel: Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
Book Club Choices: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, Paolo Santiago and the River of Tears, The Lightning Thief, and Charlie Hernandez & the League of Shadows
Short Stories & Poems: The Boatman’s Flute, The Prince & the Pauper, excerpt from The Breadwinner, Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, Vanquishing the Hungry Chinese Zombie
Nonfiction Texts: Fears & Phobias, excerpt from Into the Air, Running into Danger on an Alaskan Trail, A Schoolgirl’s Diary, Speech to the Young: Speech to the Progress
Grade 7
Class Novel: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
Book Club Choices: Maze Runner, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Uglies, Scythe, The Giver, Land of the Cranes, Other Words for Home, Red, White & Whole
Short Stories & Poems: Heartbeat, Icarus’ Flight, The Flight of Icarus, Thank You Ma’am, Monster, All Summer in a Day
Nonfiction Texts: Women in Aviation, Not Everything it Seems
Grade 8
Core Texts: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Short Stories & Poems: The Tell-Tale Heart, Monkey’s Paw, A Christmas Carol, Hanging Fire, Summer of His Fourteenth Year, Bronx Masquerade
Writing Skills Development
Through a writing process that emphasizes feedback and revision, students are given ample opportunities to practice and refine a diverse array of writing styles, including:
- Comparative Writing
- Argumentative Writing
- Narrative Writing
- Informative Writing
- Expository Writing
Programs
In our ELA classes across grade levels, we utilize a diverse range of programs designed to support and enhance student learning. These programs include:
- HMH Into Literature
- iReady
- Google Classroom
- Learning Ally
- SchoolNet
- Phonics for Reading
- Rewards
- Stari
- Word Generation
- Soapbox