Students examine the uses of language as they read works by authors such as Margaret Atwood, Louise Erdrich,
William Shakespeare, Joshua Bennett, and Toni Morrison, as well as selected nonfiction texts. They learn to gather
evidence from texts and incorporate it into written and oral responses, write argumentative, informational, and
narrative modes among others, and research and present findings around a current issue. Grammar instruction
includes sentence formation, usage, and mechanics; and students develop vocabulary skills through a variety of
methods.