6th Grade
Sixth grade ELA is a two-part class. Students receive instruction twice per day from an ELA teacher, once for Reading and once for Language Arts. In the Reading classrooms, students read and understand a wide variety of literary and informational texts. Learners will focus their study on the thinking required to make meaning of a variety of genres. Readers Workshop is an important part of the reading curriculum. In the Writing classrooms, students will engage in Writing Workshop. Students will learn how to craft effective communication while adjusting for purpose and audience. Learners will reflect on their own reading and writing processes throughout the year, as well as continue to develop their ability to prove their understanding of text through written response.
Year at a Glance
| Grading Period |
Framework |
1st Grading Cycle
|
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Fiction and Non-Fiction |
| Writing Focus: Narrative (personal or imaginative) with the Writing Process |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
| 2nd Grading Cycle |
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Informational, Expository, and Persuasive |
| Writing Focus: Expository (interpretation) |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
| 3rd Grading Cycle |
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Drama (paired texts) |
| Writing Focus: Expository (letter writing) |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
| 4th Grading Cycle |
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Poetry (paired texts) |
| Writing Focus: Expository and Narrative |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
5th Grading Cycle
|
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Persuasive/Media Literacy |
| Writing Focus: Persuasive (Letter Writing) and Research (Infographics) |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
| 6th Grading Cycle |
Reading Focus: Novel Study/Literature Circles with Thematic Links |
| Writing Focus: Literary Response (Lit Circles) and Research /Presentation (Infographics) |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
7th Grade
The seventh grade Reading course teaches essential comprehension skills and strategies while students read closely and cite evidence from grade-level fiction and nonfiction to support an analysis of what the materials say. Students apply skills they learned in earlier grades to comprehend and analyze more challenging text. This includes learning about how authors try to influence readers and then find reasons to support their ideas.
The seventh grade Language Arts course provides a balance of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills. Students will progress through the writing process as they plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish their own specific piece of writing. These writing types include responses to literature, expository and narrative texts. Students are required to draw upon and write about evidence from literary and informational texts.
Year at a Glance:
| Grading Period |
Framework |
1st Grading Cycle
|
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Fiction and Non-Fiction |
| Writing Focus: Narrative (personal or imaginative) with the Writing Process |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
| 2nd Grading Cycle |
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Informational, Expository, and Persuasive |
| Writing Focus: Expository (interpretation) |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
| 3rd Grading Cycle |
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Drama (paired texts) |
| Writing Focus: Expository (letter writing) |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
| 4th Grading Cycle |
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Poetry (paired texts) |
| Writing Focus: Expository and Narrative |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
5th Grading Cycle
|
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Persuasive/Media Literacy |
| Writing Focus: Persuasive (Letter Writing) and Research |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
| 6th Grading Cycle |
Reading Focus: Novel Study/Literature Circles with Thematic Links |
| Writing Focus: Literary Response (Lit Circles) and Research Paper/Presentation |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
8th Grade
Eighth Grade Language Arts is designed to involve the student in applying reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing skills in an independent manner through meaningful interdisciplinary tasks. Students will continue to develop an appreciation for literature through the study of literary elements in classic and contemporary selections. Emphasis is placed on moving from the literal to the abstract in the students’ critical thinking skills and in the use of language. As students develop critical reading and writing skills, they will make important life connections through the variety of material they study. As students encounter a variety of text structures and multi-media, they will be able to see how these different things connect to one large idea and see how these large ideas connect across other content areas being studied. Each student will be required to engage in activities and assessments that require critical thinking skills and that meet rigorous academic expectations. Students will engage in literary analysis based upon the core literature books. Writing will be in the Writer’s Workshop format and will consist of the following types: narrative, expository essays, persuasive, summary, descriptive, response to literature and research.
Year at a Glance
| Grading Period |
Framework |
1st Grading Cycle
|
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Fiction and Non-Fiction w/Thematic Links |
| Writing Focus: Narrative (personal or imaginative) with the Writing Process |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
| 2nd Grading Cycle |
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Informational, Expository, and Persuasive w/Author’s Craft/Voice/Purpose Links |
| Writing Focus: Expository (interpretation) |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
| 3rd Grading Cycle |
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Drama (paired texts) w/Thematic Links |
| Writing Focus: Expository (letter writing) |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
| 4th Grading Cycle |
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Poetry (paired texts) w/Thematic Links |
| Writing Focus: Expository and Narrative |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
5th Grading Cycle
|
Reading Focus: Blended Genre Focused on Persuasive/Media Literacy w/Author’s Craft/Voice/Purpose Links |
| Writing Focus: Persuasive (Letter Writing) and Research |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
| 6th Grading Cycle |
Reading Focus: Novel Study/Literature Circles with Thematic Links |
| Writing Focus: Literary Response (Lit Circles) and Research Paper/Presentation (PSAs) |
| Language and Word Study: Revising and Editing/Vocabulary |
