In 7th-9th grade, students are working on grammar, reading comprehension and writing skills in English class while also learning to interpret literature and write independently. In my class, we'll cover those basic building blocks of English language arts through reading short stories, analysis, and independent writing . My teaching style is very conversational and interactive but structured - my goal is to encourage discussion by engaging the entire class, while covering all necessary topics.

The classes each week DO NOT build on each other and can be taken on a drop-in basis. 

Week of May 27: Editing
How to use commas and semi-colons
Look at a list of rules for commas
Class activity - Fix the sentences

Week of June 3:
Prior to class, read the story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
(story summary: he story describes a fictional small American community which observes an annual tradition known as "the lottery", in which a member of the community is selected by chance and stoned to death to ensure a good harvest and purge the town of bad omens.)
Discuss the story 
What is theme?
How can we relate the story to life?

Week of June 10:
Flash fiction, dribble, drabble, and the six-word story
Read different types of short stories 
Class activity: Practice writing our own stories

Week of June 17:
How to read and comprehend a non-fiction
Read “Why Summer Makes us Lazy”
Answer questions

Week of June 24:
How to write a summary
Important elements of a summary
Activity - Practice writing summaries

Week of July 1:
What is MLA format/style?
How to format an essay in MLA in Google docs and Word
Look at examples of essays

Week of July 8:
Prior to class, read the short story “How to Ignore a House on Fire”
What are the different points of view in writing?
Discuss second person point of view in detail

Week of July 22:
What is a narrative essay?
Types of narrative essays
In class, we will read examples of narrative essays.
Students will brainstorm ideas for possible narrative essay
If time permits, students will work on writing in class.

Week of July 29:
Prior to class, students need to read  “To Build a Fire” by Jack London taking notes on their personal reactions and any questions that arise.
Discuss the reading
What is conflict?
Discuss the conflict and key elements of the story.
How does the setting create conflict?

Week of Aug. 5:
Prior to class, students need to read  “To Build a Fire” by Jack London.
What is theme?
Find the themes in the story
Find evidence of the theme

Week of Aug. 12:
Read “And Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou and “Blizzard” by Linda Pastan
What is figurative language? 
Discuss the poems and find the figurative language in the poems
Discuss how figurative language enriches poetry

Week of Aug. 19:
Citing sources
What's the purpose?
Difference between in-text citations and works cited page
Class activity - Practice citing sources

Week of Aug. 26:
*Prior to class students need to read "The Revolt of Mother" by Mary E. Wilkes Freeman taking notes on their personal reactions and any questions that arise.*
Who was the author?
Characteristics of feminist literature
Discuss how the setting affects the story