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

Reading 7

Reading 7 is an Academic Intervention Service (AIS) for seventh graders who need extra assistance in language arts. Students included typically score well below grade level on the i-Ready reading diagnostic assessment, are at risk of scoring at Level I or II on the NYS ELA assessment and are recommended for inclusion by their 6th or 7th grade English or Reading teacher. Students enrolled in Reading 7 meet for an extra block of instructional time to receive remediation.

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.