Upper School Language Arts Program

Students generally are not enrolled in a language arts program until their final year at Eagle Hill. This program is designed to help students develop the skills necessary to transition successfully into a more traditional school environment. Over the course of the year, students are taught how to become more independent and active learners, and are exposed to a variety of assignments less remedial in nature and more typical of traditional middle and high school classes. The language arts class meets for 80 minutes each day. Skills emphasized in the language arts class include upper level comprehension skills, literary analysis, vocabulary development, and composition tasks such as creating a character analysis, a book critique, a persuasive essay, etc. The process of proofreading and revising written work is also instructed, as are grammatical and mechanical skills. In addition to the language arts class, students enrolled in the language arts program take a science, history, and math class. In addition to these core academic classes, students also are enrolled in a small group tutorial class, which provides on-going remediation and teaches students how to access support in a resource room setting. Students in the language arts program are graded and receive report cards three times a year. In addition to quizzes and tests, students also take mid-term and final exams. Study skills and strategies are reinforced throughout the language arts program, helping students to integrate the skills they previously learned in study skills class across the curriculum.