中学校文学に基づく言語芸術フルカリキュラム（ELA）：第1学期

Throughout the 14 week semester, students will be taught reading comprehension, writing, listening, and speaking skills based upon Common Core standards by a certified Language Arts instructor with more than 19 years of professional teaching experience.  #academic

*Semesters can be taken in any order, as each will provide thorough coverage of middle school level ELA skills. *  NOTE that this semester course is 4 weeks longer than Semesters 3 and 4.

My classes are highly engaging, thought-provoking, and above all, educational!  Students will actively practice a full semester of English/Language Arts standards with direct instruction, assigned weekly homework, class activities, and detailed feedback for EACH assignment (both homework and classwork!).  I work with each learner at their individual level to build Language Arts skills and strategies, assisting students to be able to apply this knowledge independently.  This course will be a great fit for either students who homeschool or students in regular school who need extra practice and support.  *Assignment/Final Grades will provided upon parent request.*

I make learning exciting by providing a plethora of activity types to demonstrate mastery of the ELA standards, while providing extensive support, guidance, and individualized feedback.  I will use slideshows, graphic organizers, projects, class discussions, games, hands-on activities, HUMOR, and multiple means of writing throughout the semester.  

After each class session, I will post a detailed description of skills we've learned, recommended next steps, homework instructions, and multiple screenshots from our lesson for review.

Students will be required to complete homework each session and submit it to the classroom for prompt feedback.  I will provide detailed, personalized feedback for each assignment within 3-5 days.

General Class Session Format
3-5 minutes: Class community building/icebreakers/news
10-15 minutes: Skill-based lesson via direct instruction – students are strongly encouraged to take notes
20 minutes: Independent/group practice via whole class instruction or via breakout rooms depending on class size and learner dynamics (I will be checking in with each student/group throughout this time to provide specific, individualized feedback on learner progress!)
3-5 minutes: Review/go over homework assignment for next session

Novel: The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson; Non-Fiction articles

Week 1:  Close Reading Strategies and Building Background Knowledge (Book preview and non-fiction articles)
Week 2:  Characterization and Setting (Ch 1-2)
Week 3:  Visualizing and Imagery (Ch 3-4)
Week 4:  Figurative Language (Ch 5-6)
Week 5:  Inferencing and Text Connections (Ch 7-8)
Week 6:  Vocabulary and Conflict (Ch 9-10)
Week 7:  Writing in Response to Text and Analyzing Text (Ch 11-12)
Week 8:  Theme and Summarizing (Ch 13-15)
Week 9:  Summarizing and Prediction (Ch 16-17)
Week 10:  Text Structures: Cause and Effect, Sequencing, Problem/Solution, Chronological (Ch 18-19)
Week 11:  Text Marking and Structured Paragraph Writing (Ch 20-21)
Week 12: Structured Paragraph Writing, The Hero's Journey, and Expository Writing (Ch 22-23)
Week 13:  Essay Planning and the Writing Process 
Week 14:  Writing Process and Synthesizing/Presentations
*Note that some topics will require more than one class session to teach in-depth.  Reading/writing skills are also spiral in nature, so other reading/writing skills not specifically mentioned above will be woven through all lessons to continue providing practice, retention, clarity, and further layered instruction!

Do you love imagining you’re in a faraway world?  Do you love action, adventure, suspense, and excitement?  If so, connect with us in this book study where we will begin by traveling to a small, forgotten town on the edge of the world.  Join our main characters as they battle enemies, build friendships, solve mysteries, and travel the kingdom in search of answers.

Novel Synopsis:  
        Piper has never seen the Mark of the Dragonfly until she finds the girl amid the wreckage of a caravan in the Meteor Fields.  The girl doesn’t remember a thing about her life, but the intricate tattoo on her arm is proof that she’s from the Dragonfly Territories and that she’s protected by the king. Which means a reward for Piper if she can get the girl home.  The one sure way to the Territories is the 401, a great old beauty of a train. But a ticket costs more coin than Piper could make in a year. And stowing away is a difficult prospect—everyone knows that getting past the peculiar green-eyed boy who stands guard is nearly impossible.
        Life for Piper just turned dangerous. A little bit magical. And very exciting, IF she can manage to survive the journey.