5th/6th Literature & Writing Comp.: English Language Arts (1st Semester Year 2)

Writing Goals:
*IEW Units 1 & 2 - Students will learn how to create "keyword outlines" and develop this skill into creating their own outlines. From there, students will be able to take their outlines and begin creating paragraphs.
*IEW Unit 3 - Students will be able to organize a story through one, two, and three paragraph essays. During the essay writing process, students will be introduced to multiple "dress-ups" (who/which, quality adjectives, strong verbs, "-ly" words, because, wwwasia) that will strengthen their writing skills and make them better writers. We will be using fiction for this section of the class.
*IEW Unit 4 - Students will learn how to create a report using a single source. During this part of the course, we will be focusing on nonfiction information. This could include an author's background, the time period, or a major event from one of our books.
*IEW Unit 5 - Students will learn how to write paragraphs using pictures as their guide. Being able to look at an image and then describing what they "think" is happening in story form trains students in the art of event description. This helps significantly increase their ability to write narratives, research papers, essays, and journalism.
*IEW Unit 6 - Students will be able to organize their work into easy-to-understand outlines from multiple types of texts. (We will be using our fictional novels for this unit.) This semester we will be focusing on one, two, and three paragraph references and outlines.

Reading Goals:
*Create a love, or at least an appreciation, for reading literature.
*Students should be able to recognize, analyze, and understand the five basic elements of a story: conflict, plot, setting, character, and theme.
*Students will be able to present and communicate their ideas regarding the books they've read and share their opinions in a Socratic seminar.

As a lifelong learner, I too am always striving for growth. After years of using the IEW curriculum, I decided I wanted to share what I had learned with others and became a registered instructor with IEW. (Link for verification: https://iew.com/events-classes/instructors/find-accredited-instructor/330449) I have also been a tutor (teacher) for a local classical co-op, studied through literature seminars, and attended practicums to enhance my own reading and writing knowledge. 
I am also a certified TESOL/TEFL/EYL teacher, professional writer, beta reader, proofreader, editor, and homeschool mom. I have a love for the English language (I have a BA in English to prove it), the smell of new books, and transferring ideas from mind to paper. My goal is to promote a love of learning while offering a safe and fun environment. I truly have a passion for reading and writing and would love to share my knowledge and experience with your children.  

Because this is a semester-long course, students will have homework every week. This could include reading and/or writing practice.

Worksheets, handouts, and links to outside programs (such as Kahoots or Quizlet) for homework will be posted on the classroom page.

*Assessments will be given in the form of feedback, review games, and comprehension checks throughout the semester.
*Writing will be assessed throughout the course through submitted homework. 
*Reading comprehension will be assessed weekly based on the student's participation and comprehension of the week's literary analysis topics. There may also be homework assigned for our literature study (varies depending on the reading for the week).

1 hour 40 minutes per week in class, and an estimated 2 - 4 hours per week outside of class.

Booklist for 5th/6th Grade 
Book 1: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (REVISED BOOK: The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland) 
Book 2: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
*Short stories and poems for year two will be posted on the classroom page.