Brooklyn private independent school

Upper School English Innovates: New Courses, Peer Writing Support

Upper School English Innovates: New Courses, Peer Writing Support

Our Upper School English program continues to evolve to meet the interests and needs of our students!

A new ninth-grade course, “Literatures of Community,” speaks to the powerful theme of community and our obligations to each other, and the tenth-grade elective, “Voice and Style,” is now a course that all students get to experience. The Writing Center continues to provide robust peer-to-peer coaching, emphasizing writing as an iterative process that includes non-evaluative feedback.

To learn more about these developments, hear from Upper School English teacher Madeline Clapps:

Can you share insights into the Upper School English Department's philosophy and the thinking behind replacing Myths and Legends with Literature of Community, and making Voice and Style a required course?

"The English faculty regularly reassess its curriculum to ensure that it is meeting the needs of our students. I've been teaching “Myths and Legends,” a course that focuses on the individual and the hero’s journey, since I started here, and a number of us started to wonder recently if, in this unique historic moment, whether an emphasis on community and our obligations to each other feels more relevant. We saw an opportunity to reshape this ninth-grade course to incorporate this powerful theme.

When the English department created the tenth-grade elective, “Voice and Style,” we wanted to help students to find their own voice. The course builds on the literary analysis skills from ninth grade, and provides students with a solid foundation with regard to writing mechanics and style. We decided to make it a required course in part because it was so popular among students, and because it feels so important for students to find their own voice in the age of artificial intelligence!"

What are some examples of assignments in Voice and Style?

The first essay is a three-part character sketch of someone the student knows, which asks them to be highly observant of the people around them: how do they speak? How do they move? Then, we have a "rant" assignment that allows students to express themselves freely on a topic they’re deeply passionate about. Then there’s the "experience" essay, which gives them the opportunity to explore and write about a new experience, helping them to see their own lives as “stories.”

Tell us about the formation of the writing center, and the benefits of peer-to-peer coaching:

The entire philosophy of the writing center is to encourage non-evaluative feedback. I tell our student writing coaches that they are not subject matter experts, they are expert readers. They narrate the experience of the reader and ask the writer questions to get them talking through their ideas. We’re shifting the culture so that students, as writers, understand writing as a collaborative and iterative process.

How do these curriculum developments help students navigate the world of AI and develop discernment around these tools?

In the face of AI, my focus on positive classroom relationships and respect for the writing process becomes even more important. When we place an emphasis on multi-step writing, with a lot of thinking and evidence-gathering, we encourage students to understand the value of writing beyond just the final product. The more I can create a positive, trusting relationship with them where they feel they can be honest and communicate with me, the less likely they are going to seek out an AI tool to use as a crutch.