Grades 6-8

Clintonville Academy students enter the middle grades with an internalized system of language processing strategies used to cope with hanging social interactions. As students progress through these years, they broaden their understanding and application of language processes and communication strategies.

Reading and interaction to literature is emphasized. Student at this stage experience a diverse sampling of texts. Students begin to develop individual criteria for reading and responding to a wide variety of literatures. Different genres and text structures are presented. Students begin to refine their comprehension and interpretation techniques as they use them in increasingly complex situations. Students are presented with many opportunities for critical thinking. This curriculum has helped our eighth graders to consistently score at the tenth-grade level or above on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.

Middle school students use writing to develop and express ideas for various audiences including self, teachers, parents, peers, and public audiences. As students write for various purposes, they begin to realize that writing is not only an essential skill for conveying information and ideas but also a valuable learning tool. Students at this developmental stage experiment with many different structures that prepare them for the more complex project that will be assigned to them in high school.