The English Department

The Berkshire English Department teaches students to read critically and appreciatively and to write clearly and expressively. We keep close watch over our students’ progress by assigning, evaluating and returning at least one formal paper each week. Our students gain additional writing practice through frequent quizzes, short reading responses and journal entries. We teach grammar in both formal and performative senses; we have our students review etymology and vocabulary in a structured manner; and we review strategies for standardized tests. Paying attention to the traditional building blocks of communication while engaging our students in web research, online discussion sites and interactive presentations, we prepare them for the varied demands of college and life.

While reading important works of literature in a thoughtful manner, our students can develop a more informed and compassionate perspective toward the larger community. Much of this literary territory is canonical: three out of four years feature a Shakespeare play; and Catcher in the Rye, Oedipus the King, Huckleberry Finn and The Canterbury Tales are staples in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth form curricula, respectively. Yet Berkshire’s English curriculum also includes contemporary texts from a wide variety of American and international voices, and our pedagogical methods are informed by current theories and practices. Our fundamental assumption is that by working with language, literature and ideas in a dynamic fashion, students will develop their abilities not simply to communicate, but also to think and reason critically. By stressing the relationship between writers and readers, we make our students more aware of the multiple aspects of communication in a complex world. Requirements: Four years of English, including English VI are required for graduation.