Throughout the ten 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 18 years of professional teaching experience.  *Semesters can be taken in any order, as each will provide thorough coverage of middle school level ELA skills. *  #academic

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 3-4 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: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park; Non-Fiction articles

Week 1:  Structured Paragraph Writing, Close Reading Strategies
Week 2:  Characterization and Setting
Week 3:  Text Connections and Citing Textual Evidence
Week 4:  Visualizing, Imagery, and Figurative Language
Week 5:  Context Clues and Root Words
Week 6:  Text Marking and Note-taking
Week 7:  Text Structures: Chronological Order, Cause/Effect, and Problem/Solution
Week 8:  Accountable Talk, Discussion techniques, and Expository Writing
Week 9:  Essay Planning and the Writing Process
Week 10:  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!

Novel Synopsis:
Nya goes to the pond to fetch water for her family. She walks eight hours every day. Salva walks away from his war-torn village. He is a "lost boy" refugee, destined to cover Africa on foot, searching for his family and safety. Two young people... two stories. One country: Sudan. This mesmerizing dual narrative follows two threads - one unfolding in 2008 and one in 1985 - with one hopeful message: that even in a troubled country, determined survivors may find the future they are hoping for.