Article of the Week: Nonfiction Comprehension, Vocabulary, & Analysis (5th-7Th)
What's included
1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hours per weekHomework
1 hour per week. Students must read each article before attending class.Assessment
Post-class quizGrading
Grades by requestClass Experience
US Grade 4 - 7
Texts lexile range from a 750-1000 (5th-7th grade reading level) and include topics from history, science, as well as other disciplines. Through the exploration of high-interest nonfiction texts, students will learn new academic vocabulary, analysis skills, practice incorporating textual evidence, work with annotation skills, paragraph writing, and more! Articles are read OUTSIDE of class each week. Post-class quizzes are provided each week. Each quiz is given on google forms and includes multiple choice as well as constructed response questions. All texts will be provided in a PDF format. I post articles about 5 days before the class. If you enroll and do not see this week's schedule, please message me before class. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR LEARNER HAS TIME TO READ THE ARTICLE BEFORE ENROLLING. Schedule: 1. Warmup writing prompt or discussion question 2. Vocabulary study 3. Discuss Nonfiction Article Components 4. Notice and Note (Surprising information, questions, emotions) 5. Comprehension discussion and quote analysis Schedule Week 1 Animal Ethics/Animal Testing Week 2 "Can She Be Saved" (Animal Poaching) Week 3 Modern Folklore (Types of Textual Evidence) Week 4 Anne Frank" Article (narrative nonfiction) Week 5 "Malala" Article (comparison) Week 6 "Worked to the Bone" (Child Labor Laws) Week 7 "How Candy Conquered America" Week 8 "The Snake that Eats Florida" Week 9 "Should Stores Be Allowed to Spy on You?" Week 10 "Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?" Week 11 "Is This True?" Week 12 "Your Phone Could Ruin Your Life" Week 13 "Pros and Cons of Gaming Week 14 "Parkour" Week 15 "Why Ancient Greek Mythology is Still Relevant Today" Week 16 "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" Week 17 "Whispers from the Grave" (Nonfiction and Poetry Connection) Week 18 "Alcatraz" PARTICIPATION: Students may choose to keep cameras on or off as long as they briefly verify themselves with me at the beginning of the class (per Outschool policy). I do expect participation in this class. We cover quite a bit of material and it is essential that students discuss and understand the material. Being active participants helps them do so. MISSED CLASSES If your student misses a class, a recording will always be accessible on the classroom page. The PowerPoint lesson and notes are always available as well. Do note that learners that leave and then come back (i.e. pausing a subscription) may not be able to see my posts if I posted anything while they are away. Reach out to see if you missed anything. Recordings are unfortunately unavailable for weeks that your learner does not attend AND if they have not been present for a live class (Outschool Policy). REFUND POLICY If your student is not able to attend in person but stays enrolled, refunds will not be issued. This is because the student can still access the materials, recordings, and receive feedback for assignments. I do provide refunds for emergency situations. If you have a tech or Zoom issue, contact Support and mention the Happiness Guarantee.
Learning Goals
Through the exploration of high-interest texts, students will learn new vocabulary, analysis skills, annotation skills, comprehension, fluency, paragraph writing, and more!
CLOSE READING
Close Reading is a skill that is required in order to discover more than an author’s message and what was said. In this course, we begin to concentrate on how an author conveys, persuades, evokes, and so on. In understanding a writer’s talent and craft, we improve our own ability to convey, persuade, and evoke.
The following is a list of some of the devices and concepts that we will be focusing on:
∞ Finding patterns in a text through annotation
∞Analysis, including, for example, the author’s development of theme or tone through imagery, diction, syntax, choice of details, point of view, author’s use of figures of speech and sound devices
∞Noticing language choices: Students understand how writers and speakers use specific words and sentences to move the thoughts, emotions, and actions of readers and listeners.
WRITING
Writing is a process. Learning to write is a process. The only way to learn how to write well is through writing and writing and writing some more. Part of the process is revision. These two activities are imperative to a good writer. Students will be able to:
∞ Write well-developed and solid paragraphs
∞ Use facts, quotations, and paraphrases as support for a stated position
∞ Write thesis statements powerful enough to dictate the direction of the paper
∞ Analyze, not simply summarize
∞ Develop a voice
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Articles do not have any explicit content. They are appropriate for middle schoolers and are science/history/world events based. Many articles are from Scholastic, Nat Geo, or other reputable and unbiased sources.
3rd Party Sites: Google Docs (writing assignments), Google Forms (quizzes). Students will not be providing emails. I will send students a Form link and they will take the quiz (no emails required).
All texts are appropriate for the middle school grade level. Sensitive material and themes, such as racism, prejudices, tragedy, oppression, diverse cultures, etc., are handled with an unbiased approach.
Pre-Requisites
Students should be reading at least at a beginning 5th grade reading level
Supply List
All materials will be supplied
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
All materials will be provided
Teacher expertise and credentials
Indiana Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
Master's Degree in English from University of Southern Indiana
In my classes (brick and mortar and Outschool), I work with all levels of students (IEP students, general education, and high-ability students). My goal as a teacher is to foster critical thinking and communication skills in order to help your child achieve their goals and become more proficient readers, writers, and critical thinkers. More than that, I encourage students to fall in love with learning.
Experience/Education:
-Brick and Mortar Teacher for 7 years (current)
-Outschool Teacher for 3 years (current)
-BS in Education (Reading/English 3-12, Gifted Education 3-12, Special Education 5-12)
-Masters of Arts In English Teaching
-Certification in High Ability/Gifted Learning Strategies
-Certification in Teaching Students with Learning Exceptionalities
-SAT/PSAT Testing Administrator (5 years)
-Harkness Socratic Seminar Trained (Summer of 2023)
-National Writing Project Trained (Summer of 2023)
I am a secondary English teacher with certifications in gifted education and special education. I have been professionally teaching for 7 years and have a masters of arts in English education. I enjoy using socratic and discussion-based learning to help students think deeply about the texts that they read.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$15
weekly1x per week
45 min
Completed by 88 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-13
4-12 learners per class