Creativity, Choice and Student Voice: The Strength of Grade 6 Reading and Writing at St. Margaret’s

St. Margaret's grade 6 reading and writing classes work closely together to foster a love of learning and prepare students for the remainder of their academic journeys.

By Ryan Wood

As part of a comprehensive English curriculum, all Middle School students at St. Margaret’s enroll in two yearlong English classes in grade 6—one devoted to reading, and one devoted to writing.

As students prepare for more advanced texts and writing as they continue through Middle School, Upper School and into college, the decision to turn the grade 6 English curriculum into two full-year courses was made several years ago to more thoroughly nurture those skills. The classes are taught by two longtime St. Margaret’s teachers—Owen Beitner for grade 6 writing and Rebecca Tufo for grade 6 reading.

“Being able to communicate is so important, for (the students’) sake and the world’s sake,” Middle School Principal Mike Allison said. “To be able to write with clarity and purpose that they’re learning with Owen is amazing … and the ability to read and synthesize and understand material with Rebecca in the reading class, allows them to be better citizens and better people and they’re going to be able to make a huge impact because of their ability to do those things.”

This film shares more about the grade 6 reading and writing curriculum, how the two classes collaborate and how it builds a love of learning and nurtures important skills that benefit students for the remainder of their academic journeys at St. Margaret’s.