English Language Arts
In keeping with current research in language arts and the New York State language arts curriculum, the English Department believes that the essential purpose of language study is to enable the student to make meaning from and through spoken and written communication. Further, we believe that students become skilled in reading, writing, speaking, and listening through the integrated practice of these activities in a literate environment, and that skills are best acquired and developed through a process approach.
Although we recognize that the teaching of discrete skills will not necessarily add up to effective writing or reading, we do not believe that the converse is true. Writers do need to know and utilize the rules of correct, effective writing, and readers read more efficiently if they understand and utilize a wide range of reading skills.
Students in all required English classes are expected to complete assigned summer reading prior to the first day of the class. The summer reading is the first required reading of the course, and students will be responsible for quizzes, discussion, essays and tests on these books in much the same way that they are responsible for other material assigned during the course itself.
