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English

The English Department at Seattle Academy prepares students for college and life through the practice of essential communication skills. Our curriculum is based first and foremost in writing, and students are asked to practice writing everything from analytical essays to personal narratives, creative pieces to research papers, speeches to expository compositions. Special emphasis is placed on crafting, communicating, and defending arguments utilizing well-chosen evidence, as well as paying careful attention to voice and tone. Additionally, the department also stresses the importance of close reading as a critical skill and as a means of appreciating the world’s literature. Lastly, we ask students to live the Culture of Performance and offer them opportunities to perform their knowledge and demonstrate their skill mastery in class discussion and presentations. Fundamentally, the English Department recognizes and embraces the fact that students come to the study of English with different educational experiences in the humanities; disparate skill sets as readers, writers, speakers, and thinkers; and varying levels of interest in the material. Taking this into account, the English faculty are dedicated to meeting students’ differentiated needs, offering an appropriate level of challenge relative to students’ skills, and providing students opportunities for academic growth, progress, and success, broadly construed. 

Salon Project

The Salon Project requires 10th grade students to research a modern, philosophical thinker, with choices ranging from Emma Goldman to Frantz Fanon. They learn the philosopher’s views on the social contract and the role and relationship between the individual, the community, and the government. Students then apply those ideas to current issues in analytical writing. Finally, they gather on stage in the manner of an Enlightenment Salon and act on behalf of their philosopher - discussing differing perspectives on current controversies.

Photo of Seattle Academy Middle School students presenting in class

Culture of Performance

Students learn to speak confidently and to create presentations that are original, content-rich, and organized. While giving a presentation to the class or during a seminar discussion about a literary text, we ask students to practice combining disparate skills in moments of action.

Photo of Seattle Academy student and faculty discussion and inquiry

Discussion and Inquiry

Students take on leadership roles and help one another understand the ideas, issues, and values reflected in a text or topic through group discussion. They practice how to listen to one another, to make meaning, and to find common ground while participating in conversation. 

Photo of Seattle Academy Middle School Student Problem Based Learning in Class

Problem-Based Learning

Students learn how to apply their abilities and knowledge to the world beyond the classroom. They learn how to think from other perspectives, how to grapple with dilemmas in real-time, and how to solve challenges that real institutions face. By developing traditional literacies within projects that promote problem-based learning, we ask students to consider the past, present, and the future. 

Photo of Upper School Student Speaking in front of classroom at Seattle Academy

Communication

The English department at Seattle Academy aims to prepare students for college and life through practice of core communication skills: reading, writing, researching, presenting, listening, and critical thinking. We want students to operate with confidence in the academic world but also to be able to use the skills and competencies developed through their English education in their everyday lives.

English at SAAS FAQ