English Language Arts

Four students with teacher at table working on guided reading

The English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum encourages growth in all students as readers, writers, listeners and speakers. Through integrated lessons, children make connections between reading, writing, vocabulary and spelling -- while acquiring strategies like selecting relevant facts, formulating thought-provoking questions and organizing knowledge to meet specific goals. Rich and diverse literature, targeted to different reading levels, allows students to acquire fluency so they may read with adequate speed, accuracy and expression.

Elementary School

The elementary ELA curriculum is built on the principles of a balanced approach to literacy, incorporating essential components of modeled, shared, interactive, guided and independent reading and writing. Using a repertoire of research-based literacy practices, the language arts curriculum actively engages the minds of students with a range of spoken, written and electronic texts. The elementary language arts program also encourages the use of specialized discourse strategies, such as literature circles, to expand upon the principles of the balanced literacy approach.

Middle School

The middle school ELA curriculum focuses upon important skills and strategies grounded in cognitive learning theory. The curriculum includes essential skills and content, planned learning tasks, and structured units in a dynamic, language-rich environment. Resources include a diverse mix of classics and contemporary literature, both narrative and informational, which build reading, writing, and vocabulary skills. Cooperative learning activities are also implemented to engage students in a variety of listening, speaking, and writing tasks.

High School

The high school ELA curriculum focuses on reading a variety of literary genres in fiction and nonfiction, centering on techniques of research, rhetoric and analysis. The writing program includes a wide variety of expository, persuasive, narrative, analytical and descriptive writing. Formal assignments include article reviews, a research-based paper, informational and creative pieces, prose analyses, poetry analyses and expository essays. Library research projects, which form the basis of oral presentations and essays, are also an important part of the language experience in high school English. Carefully selected resources span American and world literature study, helping students understand the impact of internal and external conflicts, cultural identity, personal relationships and the exploration of self. Readings also include contemporary essays that evaluate the ironies and paradoxes in society.

2022 Summer Reading

Click on the title below to access the Summer Reading List for that grade level.

Elementary

Entering Grades 1-3 Recommended Summer Reading List
REQUIRED Entering Grades 4-5 Summer Reading Reflection Post Card
Entering Grade 4 Summer Reading Lists
Entering Grade 5 Summer Reading Lists
Click here for some strategies you can use to encourage your elementary child to read at home.
Reading A-Z (RAZ Kids) will also support your children both in and outside of the classroom. Students using the program will have access to ebooks matched to their reading levels and quizzes for each text. Click here to log in to RAZ Kids.
Lexia Core5 Reading is also available over the summer. Students can use the online program to sharpen their literacy skills. Click here to log in to Lexia.
Click here for a family guide to using Lexia Core5 Reading at home.

Middle School

High School

Optional Summer Skill Practice for PWHS students. Click on your "Class of" Canvas page listed below and select a green link titled "Click here for Summer Skill Practice." Here, students can access English and Math Summer Skill Builders that focus on key topics that each include an Introduction, Review and Practice, Review and Practice Answers, and a Self-Assessment.

Class of 2023 (Entering 12^th grade)
Class of 2024 (Entering 11^th grade)
Class of 2025 (Entering 10^th grade)
Class of 2026 (Entering 9^th grade)

If you are having difficulty finding and acquiring a text for summer reading, please click here to email Nancy Aiken in the Curriculum Department.