English Language Arts K-5

Jack R. Merchant, Ph.D., a Fulbright Scholar with over 15 years of teaching experience, teaches all the classes in our English Language Arts program for primary school students.  The program focuses on reading, writing, and grammar skills and is designed to reinforce the curriculum offered in Seattle schools. 

In the reading comprehension portion of the program, Dr. Merchant guides students through short fiction and nonfiction readings, each of which emphasizes a particular skill.  For example, in one lesson students might learn how to analyze the plot of a story, in another to identify the author’s purpose of a reading, and in a third to distinguish between the main idea and details in an essay.  Students apply each reading lesson independently through the leveled (A-Z) books and exercises they are given to work on at home.

Grammar instruction is also part of our primary school program. Students are provided a level-appropriate grammar workbook, from which they are instructed and given weekly assignments.  The grammatical concepts covered in class are reinforced through writing.  Dr. Merchant guides students through the three genre of writing emphasized in their schools: Informative/Explanatory, Narrative, and Opinion/Argument. Students are also encouraged to practice writing through genre-focused lessons and integrated writing assignments based on in-class readings or take-home leveled books. 

Our K-5 English Language Arts program enhances that of the school classroom, allowing children to improve their skills and excel with confidence.

While our Program for Advanced Readers mirrors aspects of the English Language Arts program, the reading comprehension component is augmented through the use of the Jacob’s Ladder Reading Comprehension Program.  Dr. Merchant guides students through a process of inquiry, which moves from lower order skills (basic literary understanding) to higher order skills (critical analysis and synthesis).  The readings for this program come from three genres: short stories (including fables, myths, short stories, and essays), poetry, and nonfiction.  The program organizes tasks into six skill ‘ladders’, each of which focuses on a different skill-set.  Readings are followed by questions organized by ladder grouping.  Students ‘climb’ these ladders by answering lower-level questions prior to advancing to higher-level questions.  At Think, advanced readers are introduced to and guided through this program on their journey toward becoming critical readers.  Along the way they learn concept development skills, predicting skills, and literary analysis skills.