"Books are divided into two classes: the books of the hour and the books of all time." - John Ruskin (1819-1900) English art critic. The Connetquot School District is committed to providing students with a comprehensive approach to literacy development in grades 6 -12. Our goal is to help students grow into literate individuals who actively use reading, writing, listening and speaking to gather, analyze, and communicate information and ideas effectively, as well as think creatively and draw independent conclusions. We help students use literature to understand their world and themselves and to help them articulate their thoughts clearly, both orally and in writing. In the Connetquot School District, students at every grade level will read literature, both fiction and non-fiction, that will challenge and engage them; listen to and participate in class discussions and activities that will expand their understanding of the texts; and complete assignments intended to improve their analytic and writing skills. To meet the demands of the new Common Core Standards, our challenge is to gradually and methodically increase text complexity for individual students by practicing close readings of selected informational and narrative texts, from which they can draw evidence-based conclusions.