“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” --Romans 12:2

My goal as the middle school English and Literature teacher at Christ the King is to help renew the minds of your students. I want them to be able to read, think, write, and speak well. The novels, short stories, poems, and plays we read together will hopefully help to fill their imaginations with gripping images and compelling characters. In my class, students will work hard to master their own language through grammar and writing. Ultimately, I want your students to leave my class being more free to ponder the truths of the world and weigh them against the messages being daily communicated to them in this increasingly noisy culture. I hope and pray that some truth they encounter in my classroom will lead them closer to Truth Himself. Please reach out to me with any questions or concerns you have throughout the year!

Why Diagram Sentences?

Diagramming sentences helps students to master grammatical concepts. It allows them to visually see the structure of a sentence, and to begin recognizing patterns in types of sentence structures. Being able to see these patterns is not only helpful when it comes to employing those structures in your own writing, but is also a good in itself.

Why Read and Memorize Poems?

The study of poems allows us to revel in the joy of clever word-play, perfectly chosen literary devices, and the rhythm and meter of carefully-placed words. Memorizing poems by heart gives students something beautiful that they can return to over and over again without having to look it up or find it in their notes. Poetry stretches our minds and opens our hearts to the beauty of language.

Novel Lists

6^th Grade

Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell

Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis

7^th Grade

The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Pearl, by John Steinbeck

8^th Grade

The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Mr. Blue, by Myles Connolly

The Chosen, by Chaim Potok