Upper School Literature Program

The main objective of the Literature class is to teach students that reading is a pleasurable and worthwhile activity while also instructing reading comprehension, critical thinking skills, vocabulary, and literary concept skills. Teachers carefully select novels from an extensive collection with consideration to areas of student interest and reading competency. Teachers also look to peers, advisors and outside sources (reading lists from local public and independent schools) when choosing books. If a title is needed for a particular class, it is added to the literature collection. Instruction of a novel is individualized for each class in which it is taught. A novel can be taught differently from teacher to teacher and from year to year depending on the needs of the class. While challenging to new teachers, this allows for flexibility within the program and gives teachers the freedom to develop lessons and curricula that not only address the individual needs of their classes, but enhance the program as well. Advisors as well as veteran teachers are available to share ideas and resources with newer teachers.

The Literature class is a continuum of instruction for students ranging from our beginning readers to our most sophisticated readers with classes that meet each day for forty minutes of instruction. For older students with weak decoding skills there is a Technology Literature class available that utilizes books on tape and instructs students to use the technology as a learning tool.

Various oral and written exercises are utilized to assess comprehension and retention of the reading material. Homework and class activities are geared to foster critical thinking skills and help students garner as much insight and information out of a book as possible and both independent and class work are structured guide students and spark discussions.

Higher levels of Literature classes are formally assessed through tests and quizzes as well as written essays. Students at all levels are informally assessed and gradually eased into test-taking as they become more skilled. This allows students to foster an appreciation of literature and gain confidence in a more comfortable environment. Flexibility within the literature schedule also allows for the development of more challenging literature classes as the year progresses.

Literature classes address the whole child and thus fit closely with the overall philosophy of the school. Issues of friendship, and problem solving addressed in Literature classes transcend into daily life. Students discuss and analyze morals and ethics through the characters in novels and can analyze and compare and share their own actions and feelings within a safe environment. “Coping With” units also provide a forum with which to read about and discuss difficult topics, such as ‘loss’, within the class.

The Literature department is continually working to develop a database of information on books as well as increasing literature resources (commercial reference books, teacher curricula, as well as new titles). In addition, a social skills training curriculum is being developed which will be implemented later this year and continue on an ongoing basis through Literature classes.