Full Curriculum ELA: Reading Writing, Vocab, Test Prep & Grammar (Grades 5-6)

I appreciate your interest in my class! This class is suitable for students in grades 5-6 (or remedial students in grade 7) who wish to learn more advanced reading and writing strategies and techniques. I also accept students in younger grades that are advanced readers. 

Throughout this class, students will read a variety of pieces of literature, complete writing activities, study vocabulary and grammar, as well as engage in critical discussions. This class moves students past recall (who, what, when, where) and encourages students to analyze, think critically, and support ideas with evidence. For example, I might ask students to consider point of view, predict, infer, interpret, etc. Students will also analyze how these academic vocabulary words are used (helpful for test prep). Ultimately, students are asked to make connections through literature and their own lives.

Through a critical study, students will explore how context and background information advance a story's plot, how characters change and mature, how authors structure writing for specific purposes, and how types of evidence are used to persuade readers. Students will also be provided with optional resources to practice. Each week will be a new text, so students can join and leave at any time. However, classes are organized by units for continuity. It is not required for students to attend all lessons from that unit to understand what is going on.

IMPORTANT: many classes have short readings or writings assigned as homework. Please message me to ask for the readings. Average homework time per week is 30 minutes or less. My response time is within 24 hours. 

Types of writing:
paragraph structure
breakdown of writing components (hooks, introductions, thesis statements, etc)
argumentative
persuasive
technical writing 
research 
narrative
descriptive
creative


Skills taught:
annotation/active reading strategies
poetry analysis
plot elements and structure
irony
figurative language
vocabulary in context
grammar
theme and writing thematic statements
comprehension and analysis
writing effectively for a purpose
"showing" instead of telling
using textual evidence effectively
citing evidence
inference
writing for different audiences
inference/drawing conclusions
test prep
reading a variety of genres and formats
analyzing data

Class Structure:
1. Welcome
2. Test Prep Warmup
3. Weekly Vocab/Grammar Lesson (alternates)
4. Reading passage/skill
5. Writing prompt, skill, or analysis of writing
6. Closing

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2025

Beginning week of Jan 16

Unit 1: Through Animals' Eyes
Vocab Builder for Vocabulary
Grammar: Types of Sentences/Subject and Predicate

Lesson 1: Notice and Note Signposts in Fiction, vocab 

Lesson 2: Excerpt from "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker and evidence, grammar

Lesson 3: "Zoo" by Edward Hoch and drawing conclusions, vocab

Lesson 4: Informational Text "Animal Snoops: The World of Wildlife Spies" by Peter Christie, subheadings, informational components, grammar

Lesson 5: Animal Poetry, vocab

Lesson 6: Argumentative reading: Wild animals aren't pets, grammar

Lesson 7: Debate writing part 1, vocab review

Lesson 8: Debate writing part 2, grammar review


Unit 2: What does it take to be a survivor?
Vocab Builder for Vocabulary
Grammar: Punctuation and Capitalization

Lesson 1: A Long Walk to Water Excerpt, vocab, nonfiction narrative writing skills

Lesson 2: Into the Lifeboat (memoir from a Titanic Survivor), grammar, nonfiction narrative writing skills

Lesson 3: The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry, vocab, nonfiction narrative writing skills

Lesson 4: The Day I Didn't Go to the Pool, grammar, nonfiction narrative writing skills

Lesson 5: Preparing your pets for Emergencies Makes Sense, vocab

Lesson 6: Radium Girls informational text, grammar

Lesson 7: Writing a Public Service Announcement, vocab

Lesson 8: Unit wrap up, review vocab and grammar