Emphasis on Language

The language arts program at Wakefield Country Day School is taught in a reinforcing, incremental way. Each student receives two periods of instruction per day in an English curriculum that includes vocabulary, grammar, composition, and literature.

Foreign languages are also integral to the curriculum. It is not uncommon for a graduating Wakefield Country Day School student to have completed four or five years of a modern foreign language as well as four years of Latin or two years of Greek. Conversational Spanish begins in pre-school. This introduction to foreign language, along with such traditional annual festivities as International Day, Classical Day, and the Medieval Banquet, help focus on the history and culture of western civilization.

In the seventh grade, students begin formal foreign language study by taking Latin, and in the eighth grade, they begin their study of Spanish or French. The foreign language program at Wakefield Country Day School includes not only intense study of the written and spoken word, but also immersion in literature and history.

Wakefield Country Day School's curriculum excels at English language and literature. Letters from graduates attest to the fact that the rigorous program at Wakefield helps make the demands of college easier. Scores achieved by Wakefield Country Day School students on the verbal section of the SAT's are consistently high.

The study of literature starts in the early grades, and offers reading in great works of poetry, fiction, and drama. In addition, each student is required to read during the summer and to report on at least four books chosen to complement his literature course during the academic year.In the eighth grade, students delight in concentrated study of the ideas, drama, poetry, and myths of ancient Greece and Rome. This is followed in ninth grade by a study of general literature and an introduction to philosophical thought. In the tenth grade, the students study American Literature and in eleventh grade, British Literature. Finally, an extensive survey of world literature is conducted in twelfth grade.

In the prep school, students spend about an hour each day reading and discussing the great literature of the western world. A rigorous study of grammar is combined with intense concentration on vocabulary, which includes a thorough knowledge of etymology.

Wakefield Country Day School offers a cohesive composition curriculum in the prep school to further improve each student's writing skills. All Wakefield Country Day School prep school students participate in several challenging writing projects. Each year, Wakefield Country Day School students garner numerous awards in regional writing competitions such as the Samuel's Library Christmas Contest and the Virginia Latin Essay Contest.

The drama program is a dynamic supplement to literary studies. Most students participate in at least one of the several plays produced. Plays frequently involve the music and art departments and often reflect works studied in class, such as Sophocles's "Antigone," Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and the delightfully successful "Hobbit."

The Curriculum | Emphasis on Language
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