Academics: Reading

Sixth and Seventh Grades
Reading classes help each student to meet his/her reading potential. Students are taught strategies for reading independently, critically, interpretively and analytically. Comprehension, fluency and vocabulary acquisition are stressed.

Students practice a variety of before, during, and after reading strategies for informational and narrative texts. How to read textbooks is emphasized. Students are taught active reading strategies such as previewing, questioning, predicting, visualizing, making inferences, synthesizing, and connecting. In addition, these nonfiction reading strategies are taught: identifying the main idea, subtopics and supporting details, parts of a book, types of nonfiction, identifying fact versus opinion and bias.

Opportunities are provided for students to self-select reading material to read independently. Students develop habits of mind that enable personal and interpersonal connections with a variety of reading materials. Students are shown how to activate prior knowledge in order to help clarify, predict, and connect with the text.

Note taking skills are practiced throughout the year. Students also learn proper steps for doing research. Each student will show his/her knowledge of a researched topic by sharing facts with classmates in an oral presentation.