Middle School English Courses
Language Arts I
Description
Using a motif of Heroes, Helpers, and Hope, students in the Middle School Language Arts I course will acquire the reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening skills necessary for success in college, career, and beyond. Students will become critical readers and thinkers as they delve into fiction and informational texts within the course. They will also learn to effectively write narrative, informational, and argumentative pieces and present their ideas clearly and cohesively.
Major Topics and Concepts
Segment 1
Reading Comprehension / Informational and Expository Writing / Narrative Writing
- Developing an idea
- Identifying theme
- Plot pattern
- Comparing and contrasting mediums
- Using context clues
- Thesaurus and dictionary skills
- Implicit and explicit meaning
- Finding the main idea
- Writing an effective summary
- Assess internet sources
- Why writers choose words
- Reading informational texts
- Researching and organizing information
- Avoiding plagiarism / citing sources
- Writing an introduction
- Connecting and supporting ideas
- Writing a conclusion
- Revising writing
- Using formal language in writing
- Recognizing point of view
- Identifying the narrator
- Planning narrative writing
- Beginning a narrative
- Writing dialogue
- Writing the body of a narrative
- Using commas
- Writing effective transitions
Segment 1 Advanced
- Novel Study
- Changes in language
- Analyzing major characters
- Mood and point of view
Segment 2
Reading Comprehension / Argumentative Writing / Fiction Analysis
- Novel / Short Story Study
- Analyzing central idea
- Structure and development of texts
- Compare and contrast genre
- Context Clues
- Read various types of fiction
- Spelling
- Interpreting information in various formats
- Formal style
- Poetry
- Figures of speech: personification / hyperbole / alliteration
- Compare themes in different genre
- Greek and Latin word clues
- Implicit and explicit evidence in texts
- Figurative Language: alliteration/ onomatopoeia
- Plot analysis
- Drama development
- Point of view of fiction characters
- Pronoun case: subjective, objective and possessive
- Intensive pronouns
- Inappropriate pronoun shifts
- Vague pronouns
- Multimedia components
- Oral discussions / rules of collegial discussions / adapt speech
- Argumentation analysis
- Restrictive / parenthetical elements
- Support claims
- Delineate an argument
- Trace and evaluate argument
- Distinguishing valid / invalid claims
- Comma usage
- Draw evidence from informational text
- Write argumentation introduction / claims and support / conclusion
Segment 2 Advanced
- Characteristics of drama
- History of drama and its relevance
- Language patterns in historical and contemporary texts
- Mood in drama
Language Arts II
Description
Using a motif of Mystery, Monsters, and Mayhem, students in the Middle School Language Arts II course will acquire the reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening skills necessary for success in college, career, and beyond. Students will become critical readers and thinkers as they delve into fiction and informational texts within the course. They will also learn to effectively write narrative, informational, and argumentative pieces and present their ideas clearly and cohesively.
Major Topics and Concepts
Segment 1
Reading Comprehension / Informational and Expository Writing / Narrative Writing
- Analyzing interactions between ideas in a text
- Identifying theme
- Analyzing how theme develops
- Comparing and contrasting mediums
- Using context clues
- Thesaurus and dictionary skills
- Implicit and explicit meaning
- Finding the central idea
- Writing an effective summary
- Assess internet sources
- Why writers choose words
- Reading informational texts
- Researching and organizing information
- Avoiding plagiarism
- Writing an introduction for informational texts
- Connecting and supporting ideas
- Writing a conclusion for informational texts
- Revising writing
- Using formal language in writing
- Recognizing point of view
- Identifying the narrator
- Planning narrative writing
- Beginning a narrative
- Writing dialogue
- Writing the body of a narrative
- Using commas
- Writing effective transitions
- Identifying active and passive verbs
Segment 1 Advanced
- Origins and elements of the novel
- Analyzing major characters
- Analyzing historical context
- Authors’ style and voice
Segment 2
Reading Comprehension / Argumentative Writing / Fiction Analysis
- Structure and development of texts
- Development of ideas in non-fiction
- Comparison of authors’ presentations
- Figurative and connotative meaning
- Technical language
- Spelling
- Compare and contrast mediums in nonfiction
- Allusions: literary, biblical, mythological
- Compare and contrast fiction to history
- Greek and Latin word clues
- Oral discussions / rules of collegial discussions / adapt speech
- Misplaced and dangling modifiers
- Multimedia components
- Implicit / Explicit evidence
- Rhyme/repetition/alliteration
- Drama plot analysis
- Short story or novel analysis
- Poetry: form and structure
- Contrast of characters in a text
- Misplaced and dangling modifiers
- Argumentation analysis: Claims counterclaims and support
- Write an argument: introduction, claim, counterclaim, transitions, conclusion
- Wordiness and redundancy
Segment 2 Advanced
- Elements of a short story
- Language techniques of authors
- Fiction themes reflection of the historical period
Language Arts III
Description
Using a motif of Innovation, Imagination, and Invention, students in the Middle School Language Arts III course will acquire the reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening skills necessary for success in college, career, and beyond. Students will become critical readers and thinkers as they delve into fiction and informational texts within the course. They will also learn to effectively write narrative, informational, and argumentative pieces and present their ideas clearly and cohesively.
Major Topics and Concepts
Segment 1
Reading Comprehension / Informational and Expository Writing / Narrative Writing
- Text connections
- Identifying theme
- Moving a story forward
- How theme develops
- Comparing and contrasting mediums
- Using context clues
- Thesaurus and dictionary skills
- Implicit and explicit meaning
- Finding the central idea
- Writing an effective summary
- Assess internet sources
- Writer’s voice
- Reading informational texts
- Researching and organizing information
- Avoiding plagiarism/citing sources
- Writing an introduction
- Connecting and supporting ideas
- Syntax and voice
- Writing a conclusion
- Revising writing
- Using formal language in writing
- Recognizing point of view
- Identifying the narrator
- Planning narrative writing
- Beginning a narrative
- Writing dialogue
- Writing the body of a narrative
- Using commas
- Temporal transitions
- Identifying and using verbals
Segment 1 Advanced
- Novel Study
- Historical context
- Analyzing style
- Writing in a different genre
Segment 2
Reading Comprehension / Argumentative Writing / Fiction Analysis
- Central idea in nonfiction text
- Structure and development of nonfiction texts
- Compare and contrast text
- Spelling
- Compare different mediums
- Modern fiction draws on stories/myths
- Greek and Latin Word roots
- Figure of speech: verbal irony/puns
- Figurative/connotative meanings
- Analogies and allusions
- Dialogue propels action
- Points of view in a story creates suspense /dramatic irony
- Compare structure of texts
- Verb form/verb moods
- Presenting information
- Revising written work
- Oral discussions / rules of collegial discussions / adapt speech
- Argumentation analysis
- Restrictive / parenthetical elements
- Support claims
- Delineate an argument
- Trace and evaluate argument
- Distinguishing valid/invalid claims
- Draw evidence from informational text
- Write argumentation introduction , claims and support, conclusion
Segment 2 Advanced
- Poetic forms and structure
- Author’s diction and poetic devices
- Author’s meaning and tone