Students will work on a wide range of language skills including daily instruction and practice in vocabulary, grammar, and spelling. We will also hone our skills in the important areas of proofreading and dictation. Formal and informal assessment will be done regularly to qualify student growth.
Throughout the school year, students will read a wide range of literary genres including short stories, drama, nonfiction, poetry, and novels. We will engage in both seasonal poems and assorted poetry from around the world, along with poetry circles and a project. Our study of drama culminates with the inclusion of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, Julius Caesar, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which will be read and acted out in groups in class. Along with our literature textbook (an anthology of short stories), students will read five books over the course of the year, and each novel will include multiple language arts-based activities. Literature Circles will round out our reading experience.
The four main writing genres — narrative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive — will be the main focus in writing assignments. We will do several research papers throughout the year, which will include topics such as Famous African Americans or Notable Women in History. These research papers will require use of the internet and information obtained from the library. In conjunction with this, students will learn how to do bibliographies and citations. These will be long-term assignments designed to reinforce and encourage time management skills and improve study skills. Students will also write an essay based on interviewing one of their grandparents — always a highlight assignment!
Throughout the year, students will have the opportunity for public speaking through presentations of reports/projects. In addition, students will take part in a ‘formal’ debate, based on age-appropriate current events.