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

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 major event from one of our books.

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.

There are two comprehensive writing checkpoints during the course: week 6 and week 13. Writing will also 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.