Reading+ Writing
Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader
Reading for pleasure is more likely to determine whether a student does well at school than their social or economic background. What's more, programs are most effective when introduced earlier — to be a good reader, all you need to do is practice. To be a good writer, be a good reader.
At Principia, we empower our students to take control over how they read. Our lessons include elements of reading, writing, vocabulary, and public speaking. Throughout our sessions, students engage with several different texts (fiction, nonfiction, verse) through independent reading and guided analysis.
Our activities aim to foster a love of writing, and our lessons target specific reading comprehension and analytic skills. In creative exercises, we encourage our students to tell the stories they want to tell. Students spend time not just writing, but also critiquing, revising, and reflecting on their writing with instructed guidance.
Learn more about our instructors here!
Here are examples of topics we cover:
AP English Literature
AP English Language
Academic Essay Writing
Writing Competitions
Reading Comprehension + Writing (all levels)
Debate (Argumentative Writing)
Research Writing
Fiction / Non-Fiction / Personal Essays
Looking for writing contests in general? Bookmark our Writing Contests page for an up-to-date list.
SAMPLE BOOK LIST
1984 by George Orwell
To Kill a Mockingbirg by Harper Lee
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Moby Dick by Herman Meville
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Emma by Jane Austen
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Scat by Carl Hiaasen
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
World Without Fish by Mark Kurlansky
The Giver by Lois Lowry
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
