Courses

English 6-8

The English 6, 7, and 8 courses are aligned to the Next Generation ELA standards. Students will participate in Amplify ELA’s rigorous, text-centered lessons, engaging in a researched, comprehensive curriculum that continues to build the skills, background knowledge, and vocabulary emphasized in our K-5 Core Knowledge Language Arts program. 

The Amplify ELA digital platform provides six levels of embedded differentiation and assessments, allowing all students access to grade level content and skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Amplify’s units support the NYS Culturally Sustaining Educational Framework, and the diverse reading repertoire of reading and writing experiences speak to a variety of backgrounds and lived experiences, preparing middle school students for the NYS 6-8  English Language Arts assessments. Students engage in multimodal lessons that emphasize interactive vocabulary instruction, close reading of a wide variety of text types and genres, and daily writing activities. 

The core ELA program for grades 6, 7, and 8 consists of six multimedia units. Four or five of the units are focused on complex literary texts and one or two are Collections units based on primary source documents and research. Each grade also provides two or three immersive learning experiences called Quests, a dedicated Story Writing unit, and a poetry unit. Each grade level provides for a year’s worth of instruction. Students at Shaker Middle School will follow Amplify’s 180 Day Pathway, allowing for flexibility in unit selection based on student needs. 

Fiction:

• Novels

• Short Stories

• Poetry

• Myths

• Drama

Nonfiction:

• Memoir

• Biography

• Historical texts

• Articles

• Primary Sources

Multimedia:

• Images

• Videos

• Audio Recordings

• Digital Books

• Interactive Apps

Decoding

Decoding focuses on developing foundational reading skills for students who benefit from additional support with word recognition and fluency. Instruction emphasizes phonics, syllable patterns, word structure, and strategies for decoding unfamiliar words. Students also practice reading fluently and accurately to support overall comprehension. This course uses structured, explicit instruction and guided practice to help students become more confident and efficient readers.

English Foundations

An English class based upon NYS standards that focuses on building reading, writing, speaking, and listening  skills. The instruction is differentiated based upon students’ literacy abilities and IEP goals. The student- teacher  ratio is 15 to 1.