English 007: A Reading&Writing Course
In this thirteen-week course, students will have the opportunity to learn essential reading, writing, and vocabulary skills. Students have the chance to practice skills, receive instructions, and get feedback to ensure quality learning.
What's included
39 live meetings
39 in-class hoursAssignments
1 hour per week. We will discuss all assignments as time allows and if time does not allow, I will provide written feedback to help keep students on track as well as identify learning deficits & how they can be improved. Students can expect most assignments in the beginning of the course to be quick 10-15 minute assignments whereas once we get into the writing component in the last four weeks of the course, the minutes spent on each assignment will increase appropriately.Progress Report
I intend to provide a "mid-term" progress report near the sixth&seventh week to help families understand where the student is at in connection to the course syllabus.Class Experience
US Grade 6 - 8
Beginner - Advanced Level
Students will be taught based loosely on Indiana Academic State Standards for English at the Middle School level. These standards have been modified by an experienced teacher to prepare students for their needs to take the SAT, ACT, and similar tests as well as prepare them for eventual graduation into the collegiate level. These are also well-structured and designed to assist those who will enter the workforce and will require reading/writing skills. Primarily, we will focus on Reading in the first part of the course by providing grammatical instruction as well as essential Reading skills for a variety of learners. In the second part of the course, we will redirect our focus to Writing, however, we will be writing throughout the course on a regular basis. Traditionally, classes will begin with instruction/lecture, followed by work done as a group to allow for questions to be asked and answered, eventually to end with individual practice to ensure comprehension. My teaching philosophy is that I can teach virtually any standard or skill with any piece of work. Hence, I can provide modern literature that is relevant to today's student body to help promote student interest and use that to segue into the traditional classics that many English teachers cling to in their coursework. I find that, like myself, students perform and learn best when they are interested and invested in the topics they are discussing in class.
Learning Goals
Students will read a variety of nonfiction and fictional literature within a range of appropriate complexity and will interact with texts proficiently and independently.
Students will acquire and use accurately general academic and content-specific words and phrases as well as gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Syllabus
Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created CurriculumStandards
Aligned with State-Specific Standards39 Lessons
over 13 WeeksLesson 1:
Morphemes and Word Roots
Students Will Identify the Components of Individual Words and Use Morphemes to Clarify Meaning.
60 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Nouns, Adjectives, Verbs, Adverbs, and More
Students Will Identify the Parts of Speech.
60 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Phrases and Clauses
Students Will Use the Parts of Speech to Evaluate Phrases and Clauses.
60 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Prepositions, Articles, and Interjections
Students Will Identify the Parts of Speech.
60 mins online live lesson
Other Details
Learning Needs
The teacher has experience modifying curriculum for individuals with disabilities. For altered assignments, please communicate with Mr. Bertossi your unique circumstances. Extra tutoring hours are offered on Mondays.
Parental Guidance
This course is designed to be as neutral as possible, however, the importance of learning argumentative reasoning sometimes necessitates controversial articles to be read and discussed. Rest assured, I will do my utmost to choose topics that will not offend or disrespect your individual beliefs, attitudes, and cultural views.
I will use a website called "CommonLit" for some of my readings, which you are welcome to peruse. However, I do not intend for the students to have to create an account in order to use it.
Pre-Requisites
This course is structured to accommodate all levels of learners.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Indiana Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education from Purdue University - Northwest
I am an experienced, certified educator with a baccalaureate degree in the arts. I have taught in the general education setting between grades 5-12 (in which I carry an active license) and due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I have experience as a remote educator.
Reviews
Live Group Course
$60
weekly or $780 for 39 classes3x per week, 13 weeks
60 min
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-14
5-15 learners per class