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Individualized Language Arts Instruction
Individualized reading, language arts, spelling, writing and vocabulary curriculum meet or exceed state standards and assure students achieve academic goals. Students are assessed and placed in our adopted, literature-based reading program according to their individual reading and comprehension level.
Selected traditional and Montessori reading materials reinforce academic concepts and prepare students for traditional programs and testing. Hands-on Montessori materials support learning of grammar, language mechanics, spelling, and vocabulary. Traditional instruction, and workbooks reinforce learning and provide practice. Book reports, subject area projects and problem-based collaborative learning challenges give students opportunities further develop written and oral communications skills and prepare for middle school.
Encinitas Country Day School faculty use various authentic, classroom and computer-based assessment methods to monitor student progress, oversee student success and provide accountability. Standardized, nationally and locally-normed tests are administered each spring in all grades.
At Encinitas Country Day School students build extensive useful vocabularies for speaking and writing, strengthen grammar skills, enhance writing skills for a wide variety of purposes and audiences; and develop critical thinking skills through extensive reading and analysis of great literature.
English courses include writing strategies that teach students to write clear, coherent, and focused essays, fictional narratives, research reports, summaries, and responses to literature. Discussions of literary works cover plot and setting, characterization and conflict, imagery and details, theme and universality. Reaching far beyond simple skill development, the ECDS Middle School English program helps build character through reading, discussion, and analysis of the struggles and choices that challenge us all.
Encinitas Country Day School offers introductory conversational Spanish as a special program for lower school students. Our Language Lab provides a Montessori prepared environment for learning Spanish and computers for supervised access to Rosetta Stone online accounts for fourth and fifth grade students. Middle School courses include Spanish I and II. As the school moves into the upper grades, options for American Sign Language, Mandarin Chinese, and French will be added.
Lower School students have weekly instruction in basic conversational Spanish, introducing them to the richness and beauty of foreign language and culture. Students are immersed in Spanish through fun, interesting, and interactive ways, including Montessori hands-on activities, bilingual literature, language games, and cultural activities. Classes emphasize all four domains for acquiring language (speaking, reading, writing, and listening) to each student’s individual ability.
ECDS offers up to four semesters of foreign language for middle school students. Spanish I and II courses continue the four language skills introduced in the lower school (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), with an emphasis on oral communication and listening comprehension. Upon completion, students are able to perform monologues and dialogues, make descriptions, ask questions, and express simple opinions.
