READING
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Language development is a continous process which contributes to the growth and develpoment of the individual as well as his or her understanding of the world. The language arts curriculum for the middle school is an ongoing development of the elementary [rogram. Reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing - intergral parts of the communication process - are simultaneously taught and performed.
An important example of the ongoing development of communication skills is the middle school writing folder. The writing folder id designed to show the development of the student's ability to communicate effectively using structure, organization, and conventional grammar. The folder approach utilizes a scoring process through performance criteria in the areas of meaning, development, organization, language expression, and conventions. The folder contains not only a scored sample of elementary performance in writing, but also dated and scored samples representing student work form the middle school years. Writing skills are to be evaluated in meaningful, realistic contexts in order to get a true picture of each student's growth.
Students are also introduced to several literary forms: the novel, the short story, poetry, and drama. Appropriate literary terms are discussed to encourage a lasting apprecaition of literature and its structures.
