Language Arts Update: March 2026
Grade 6 (Cilla)
Interpreting texts and writing literary analysis
The culminating project this semester is a literary analysis essay for the novel One Crazy Summer.
Last month we began identifying and discussing thematic topics that appear as we read the novel together. This month we are learning how to make a persuasive case for our interpretation of these themes in particular passages, in the form of a body paragraphs.
Color-coding example body paragraphs according to the components in a typical body paragraph has helped students learn how to organize their ideas and use evidence from the text. Students are generating ideas as they annotate, using a graphic organizer/annotation template aligned with the elements in a body paragraph (see photo). After completing several of these for different passages, they will be ready to compose a thesis statement and outline their essays!
Grade 7 (Lisa)
Seventh grade is deep into their poetry and figurative language unit. Beginning late January, we read poems by famous Black poets in order to understand the literary concepts of tone and mood. Work by Langston Hughes, Audre Lorde, and Maya Angelou challenged students to consider what the writer or narrator of a text might be feeling, and how the work made the students themselves feel.
In particular, “Rifle” by Rudy Francisco left an impression. See Francisco perform his poem here. What tone shifts do you notice? How does the poem make you feel?
Students are now studying figurative language using song lyrics from contemporary performers. We’re noticing how concepts such as metaphor, personification, allusion, and hyperbole help convey a lyricist’s tone and, in turn, create a stronger mood in their audience.
We watched G Flip’s cover of “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift, and then students worked together to conduct a deep lyrical analysis of the song's figurative and poetic language. From personification in the title to Shakespearean allusions, there’s a lot there!
The dinosaurs and I attended middle school in the early 1980s. Can you identify the kinds of figurative language used in these titles from a few top pop songs of the era?
“Maneater”
“Hungry Like the Wolf”
“Love is a Battlefield”
“Manic Monday”
“Hurts so Good”
Simile
Oxymoron
Personification
Hyperbole
Metaphor
Grade 8 (Lisa)
What do gelato, colossal ruins, glorious art, and turtles (??) have in common? They all feature in an eighth-grade Rome memoir this spring.
Each year, it’s a pleasure to coach our students as they dive into the Trevi Fountain of their Roman memories and come up with a shining anecdote to share. This assignment is a culmination of much of what they’ve learned over their three years at Explorer West: how to craft a compelling narrative using “show, don’t tell” principles, be intentional about what big message or theme they’d like their audience to take away from their work, and focus on making sure their unique voices shine.
Here is a peek at what you’ll be able to read in the hallway after spring break!
...Lucille turned on some melancholy music and leaned out the window while I flopped down on the bed. Eventually, after my tears had slowed a bit, I went to go look out the window with her. The view from our window had become something I truly loved.
“I got two euros on that turtle to make it up!” I exclaimed.
“Bet” replied West. Before I knew it I had already started gambling… on a turtle. I was in Rome… and I was betting on a turtle… to climb a rock.
I felt an emotion I never knew existed. It was a sort of mixture of being awestruck, shocked, inspired, staggered, and utterly stunned with a touch of nostalgia and maybe pride?