The general goals of the English curriculum at RAD are to foster language skills—including writing, reading, speaking skills, and critical thinking skills—in the areas of grammar, analysis, problem solving, self-expression, and comprehension.

Reading is the priority in first grade. Students are immersed in a print-rich environment to facilitate development of oral language skills, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and the awareness of print materials as sources of information and enjoyment. They use listening and speaking skills to participate in classroom discussions, use a variety of strategies to read new words, and develop an understanding of character, setting, main idea, and story sequence through examining a variety of texts. They increase vocabulary and comprehension strategies by reading age-appropriate materials across the curriculum. Students begin to communicate ideas in writing and become independent readers by the end of the year.

Reading continues to be the highest priority in second grade. Students participate in classroom discussions, utilize a combination of reading and comprehension strategies, and further increase vocabulary. They identify main ideas, make and confirm predictions, and write stories, letters, and simple explanations. Simple grammatical principles are applied to writing, and information is located using reference materials. By the end of the year, students will read with fluency and expression.

The emphasis in third grade is on learning about words, reading with fluency and expression, and developing comprehension strategies. Effective communication skills will be practiced through the use of group activities and brief oral reports. Students will plan, draft, revise, and edit stories, simple explanations, and short reports. In addition, information from print and non-print sources will be used and gathered. The student will write legibly in cursive by the end of the year.

Previously developed reading and writing skills provide, in fourth grade, the foundation for an increased emphasis on content throughout the curriculum. Students use text organizers, summarize information, formulate questions, and draw conclusions to demonstrate reading comprehension. They read classic and contemporary literature selections by a variety of authors, continue to increase communication skills in large-and small-group settings, and plan, draft, revise, and edit narratives and explanations. Information resources and word references will be used routinely while writing.

In fifth grade, students will read texts in all subjects and will acquire information enabling them to answer questions, generate hypotheses, make inferences, support opinions, confirm predictions, compare and contrast relationships, and formulate conclusions. Literary appreciation will continue. Presentations will be prepared utilizing online, print, and media resources to prepare presentations to enhance communications and learning skills. Students will plan, draft, revise, and edit writings to describe, to entertain, and to explain.