MKA prides itself on fostering strong analytical reading and writing
skills. The Upper School English program combines traditional and
progressive approaches to the study of literature and writing. A good
writer is a good communicator, and effective communication is a key to
successful learning and living. The ninth and tenth grade core courses
focus on developing students' analytical writing skills, including
active sentences, focused paragraphs, and coherent essays as primary
target areas. Linguistic precision, grammar, and mechanics of the
writing are emphasized. In addition, these courses expose students to a
variety of significant literary classics that act as both models for
writing and a means for students to develop a more sophisticated
approach to literary analysis.
The varied junior and senior electives allow for choice among
specific, focused courses that provide opportunities for in-depth
learning about periods, epochs, writers, and genres. These electives
engage students in rigorous, college-preparatory study that expands and
stretches horizons in both writing and literary analysis. Elective
opportunities range from 19th Century American Literature to Literature
of Character and Choice, and from The Art of Poetry to Shakespeare. Advanced Placement classes are offered in language and Composition as well as English Literature. In the eleventh grade, students receive
formal feedback on their writing progress as part of the Writing
Challenge program, and students use the results of this rubric-based
assessment to set individual writing goals.
