Beyond the Text: How We Approach Language Arts in Junior High

When we curate English Language Arts for our Junior High* learners at Sunnyside, we look at it as much more than a subject concerned with reading, writing and grammar. Those foundations are important, but there is also a lot that children can explore through language, especially as they grow older and begin forming their own views about the world.

We try to bring elements of a liberal arts approach into our Language Arts sessions. What interests us about this approach is the way literature and language can be studied alongside history, society, politics and human behaviour. We don't necessarily have to study these as separate subjects to make those connections. A good piece of literature, an article or even a discussion can bring several of these ideas together.

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For instance, while reading Animal Farm, there is plenty to discuss about power, leadership, influence and persuasion. Works such as The Metamorphosis and Born Free bring in different themes and perspectives for children to explore. We also use news articles and other media, where children look at how information is presented, why certain words are chosen, what the writer is trying to convey and sometimes what is left out. We explore the author's purpose, tone and the different ways language is used to influence how something is understood. The reading material is quite varied, and that is intentional. We want children to encounter different kinds of writing, ideas and ways of looking at the world.

Reading is only one part of the work. We spend a fair amount of time on discussions and reflective writing because having an idea and being able to explain it are two different things. Children may have strong opinions, but putting together a convincing argument, finding evidence to support it or considering a different viewpoint takes practice. We use thinking routines to help them observe, question and examine their own thinking. We also introduce approaches such as Claim, Evidence and Reasoning (CER), which give children a structure to organise their thoughts and explain their conclusions. An important part of this is also learning to listen to others, question interpretations and disagree respectfully. We want children to become comfortable expressing their own views while remaining open to the possibility that someone else may see things differently.

Alongside this, we have sessions that involve games, puzzles and other language challenges. Taboo, charades, Describe and Draw, six-word stories, lateral-thinking puzzles and grammar escape rooms are some of the activities we bring in. Describe and Draw, for instance, is a simple exercise where one person describes an image and another tries to draw it based only on those instructions. It is interesting how much this little exercise can tell us about communication. Being clear about what we want to say, giving the right amount of information and making sure the other person understands us are all things we tend to take for granted. These activities also involve problem-solving, working together, trying different approaches and learning from mistakes. There is quite a bit of thinking involved, even when children are simply enjoying a game.

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There is a good amount of rigour in the work we do. Reading literature that requires careful interpretation, writing with clarity, building arguments and participating in discussions all demand effort, patience and practice. But we also believe that children in Junior High should continue to have opportunities to play, experiment, work with one another and enjoy the process of learning. We don't see a reason why academic expectations and enjoyable learning experiences cannot go together.

This is one small glimpse into our Language Arts curation at Sunnyside. The materials and activities may change as we go along, depending on the learners and what we want to explore with them. But the larger intention remains the same. We want children to develop strong language skills, certainly, but also learn to make sense of what they read and hear, think for themselves, express their ideas with clarity and engage thoughtfully with different perspectives. These are abilities they will need not just in their academic journeys, but also as they navigate work, relationships and their place in society.

After all, language is something they will use long after they have finished studying it as a subject.

Junior High* - Grades 9&10