LANGUAGE ARTS

Every major writing project is intentionally designed around My City School's Four Pillars of Instruction. Students engage in hands-on experiences that provide authentic content to write about, incorporate visual thinking and planning strategies to organize ideas, strengthen verbal expression through discussion and vocabulary development, and ultimately produce a polished written piece that reflects multiple rounds of revision and refinement.

Writing is a collaborative and iterative process. Throughout each assignment, students work one-on-one with learning specialists multiple times during the drafting and editing process to receive individualized feedback on organization, voice, grammar, structure, and clarity.

  • Solidifying vowel sounds for reading and spelling

  • Crafting well-formed sentences

  • Writing sequence and how-to paragraphs

  • Exploring connections between fiction based reading and creative writing

  • Learn about the power of persuasion through writing and discussion

Grades 4-5 Foundations of Language
Grades 6 - 8 Communicating clearly

  • Use structured word inquiry to improve reading accuracy, vocabulary development, and spelling

  • Develop reading comprehension strategies including visualization, clarification, and making predictions and inference

  • Produce multiple writing assignments using a draft, edit, and publish process and discover a unique voice

California Common Core Standards (CCCS)

Grounded in CCCS for ELA/Literacy, our program ensures that students are working within the parameters of grade level expectations, while also strengthening and solidifying individual foundational needs.

Our goal is for every student to leave My City School with the confidence, strategies, and independence to successfully access and analyze challenging texts throughout high school, college, and beyond. Many of My City School’s graduates have continued to excel as writers, participating in writing competitions, pursuing advanced English coursework, and continuing their studies in college with aspirations of becoming educators, writers, and professionals who rely on strong communication skills.