Middle School English Language Arts (ELA) Thinking Skills: Inference
Genevieve Pollock
Average rating:5.0Number of reviews:(65)
This course will strengthen ELA thinking skills for ages 11, 12 and 13 in reading comprehension, making inferences, PSAT vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, and grammar, while practicing essays and creative writing.
Class experience
US Grade 6 - 9
Beginner - Advanced Level
Follows Teacher-Created Curriculum
Aligned with Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
In this self-paced course, we will partner to learn and practice ELA (English Language Arts) concepts that include: reading fiction and non-fiction, analyzing texts with an emphasis on making inferences for greater comprehension, spelling and vocabulary expansion, punctuation rules and application, and grammar rules. We will also practice essay writing and creative expression. This course is dedicated to all of those families who wanted to join my ongoing comprehensive ELA class but could...
25 lessons//5 Weeks
Week 1Lesson 1Words 1Learn and practice six PSAT vocabulary words (list 2a) with pronunciation and spelling to broaden the word toolkit.Lesson 2Reading 1Learn and practice the skill of inference. Read a literature excerpt, "Bums in the Attic" from "The House on Mango Street," and answer reading comprehension questions.Lesson 3Writing 1Infer and write a paragraph about these inferences following the writing prompt.Lesson 4Rules 1Learn or review language arts rules about punctuation, and practice with a standardized test styled editorial exercise.Lesson 5Feedback 1Receive personalized teacher feedback on week 1 assignments and make revisions as needed.Week 2Lesson 6Words 2Learn and practice six PSAT vocabulary words (list 2b) with pronunciation and spelling to broaden the word toolkit.Lesson 7Reading 2Practice the skill of inference. Read a realistic fiction story, "Secrets Revealed," and answer reading comprehension questions.Lesson 8Writing 2Write a short essay answering questions about the second part of "Secrets Revealed," to demonstrate the skills of inference and reading analysis.Lesson 9Rules 2Learn or review language arts rules about capitalization, and practice with a standardized test styled editorial exercise.Lesson 10Feedback 2Receive personalized teacher feedback on week 2 assignments and make revisions as needed.Week 3Lesson 11Words 3Learn and practice six PSAT vocabulary words (list 3a) with pronunciation and spelling to broaden the word toolkit.Lesson 12Reading 3Practice the skill of inference. Read a sports nonfiction article, "Speed Skating," and answer reading comprehension questions.Lesson 13Writing 3Write a short personal narrative about the use of inference in daily life.Lesson 14Rules 3Learn or review language arts rules about grammar and the use of conjunctions and prepositions, and practice with a standardized test styled editorial exercise.Lesson 15Feedback 3Receive personalized teacher feedback on week 3 assignments and make revisions as needed.Week 4Lesson 16Words 4Learn and practice six PSAT vocabulary words (list 3b) with pronunciation and spelling to broaden the word toolkit.Lesson 17Reading 4Practice the skill of inference. Read a science nonfiction article, "From Frozen to Food, Fast," and answer reading comprehension questions.Lesson 18Writing 4Write a short creative story narrative after making inferences according to the given writing prompt.Lesson 19Rules 4Learn or review language arts rules about spelling, and practice with a standardized test styled editorial exercise.Lesson 20Feedback 4Receive personalized teacher feedback on week 4 assignments and make revisions as needed.Week 5Lesson 21Words 5Learn and practice six PSAT vocabulary words (list 4a) with pronunciation and spelling to broaden the word toolkit.Lesson 22Reading 5Practice the skill of inference. Read a social science nonfiction article, "Music for the Ages," and answer reading comprehension questions.Lesson 23Writing 5Write a short essay answering questions about a reading passage, "Fleet-Footed Days," to demonstrate the skills of inference and reading analysis.Lesson 24Rules 5Learn or review language arts rules about grammar and correct verb usage, and practice with a standardized test styled editorial exercise.Lesson 25Feedback 5Receive personalized teacher feedback on week 5 assignments and make revisions as needed. Receive congratulations and certificate of completion!
Students will engage in a 5-week well-rounded, variable-exercise course to strengthen ELA thinking skills. Students will learn new PSAT vocabulary. Students will learn and practice reading comprehension skills focused on, but not limited to, making inferences. Students will learn to analyze texts for conclusions and inferences, and other literary techniques or story elements. Students will learn to answer reading comprehension questions with short essays. Students will broaden their writing styles with various nonfiction and creative writing prompts. Students will review and learn grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation skills. Students will learn to incorporate their skills in real-world applications such as editing texts and writing short pieces. Students will practice standardized test style exercises in reading and English skills.
As the author of the "Emotebook" and a freelance writer for over 20 years, I have relied on language arts skills as the building blocks of a happy career. For three of those years, I also worked full-time as an associate editor, which helped me gain real-world expertise in the nuances of English language arts. My masters degree in psychology gives me a special expertise on building deeper thinking skills and the whole-brain connections that underlie language usage. I am walking the language arts journey with my three children while homeschooling them, as well as with several other students in various grades. I also bridged the gap between cultures by teaching English as a second language to hundreds of students online. I look forward to helping you strengthen your language arts thinking skills!
Homework Offered
Approximately one page* of homework will be assigned daily from Monday through Thursday. Each day, learners will be given a downloadable PDF page to print, complete, and send back to the teacher. Friday's homework will be dedicated to revising assignments according to teacher feedback as needed. * Wednesday writing assignments may exceed one page, depending on the individual learner's goals and needs.2 - 4 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
All assignments that are turned in will receive teacher feedback and coaching to help learners advance to the next level of reading, writing and language usage.Grades Offered
1 file available upon enrollmentPlease keep a pencil and paper available for writing exercises. Please download PDF files from the classroom when provided.
Please ask me for a free PDF pretest if you are interested in gauging your learner's fit with this class level before signing up. As always, please contact me if there is a way that I can help your individual learner better connect with the class content.
Learners will not need to use any outside websites or apps. Learners will receive a daily video and a PDF assignment to download from the classroom, complete, and return back to the teacher.
Average rating:5.0Number of reviews:(65)
Thank you for visiting my profile! I combine quality virtual education with uplifting, encouraging interaction to teach classes on language arts, basic and creative writing, emotional awareness and mindfulness, and art. Connection defines my...
Self-Paced Class
$12
weekly or $60 for all content25 pre-recorded lessons
5 weeks of teacher feedback
Choose your start date
1 year of access to the content
Completed by 17 learners
Ages: 11-15
