English

The principal goals of the English Department at Cathedral High School are to teach reading and writing in the various forms in which they appear. We encourage students in class discussion to arrive at ideas independently, to share them with their peers, and to evaluate them. Classes favor a student-centered approach in which speaking, listening, and notetaking skills can be developed. In teaching reading at an advanced level, we believe that a student should approach a text on his or her own terms, but that we can supply the tools, and require their use, for comprehension, analysis, and synthesis. In choosing texts we recognize our pluralistic society and increasingly international environment.

In teaching writing we encourage students to write for real audiences, about real subjects, and that they should recognize and nurture their own voices. Students learn to write by reading, by writing, and by talking about their work with teachers and fellow students. Grammar and usage are taught functionally, in context, with occasional formal instruction.

Students have an opportunity for additional challenges by enrolling in the Cathedral College Early Admission Program.