English- Grade 6

The text for sixth grade reading is the Houghton Mifflin English 6 Series.  Assignments will be done in the text book, as well as the corresponding workbook.

• Students in grade six learn the basic parts of speech, each year building upon the past, and growing in their complexity and volume. These include:

•  nouns and pronouns

•  verbs

•  adjectives and adverbs

•  prepositions

•  conjunctions and interjections

•  grammar, syntax, sentence structure

 

We also spend a great deal of time focusing on writing.  Students this year focus on pre-writing, using the four-square method, drafting, editing, and revising.  By the end of the year, students will have created a writing portfolio consisting of each of the following essays, completed monthly.

•  Response to Literature

•  Summary

•  Persuasive letter

•  Narrative with Dialogue

•  Biography

•  Descriptive Paper

•  Interview/Reflection

English 7 and 8

Students in grades seven and eight learn the basic parts of speech, each year building upon the past, getting more complex as they go along. These include:

•  nouns and pronouns

•  verbs

•  adjectives and adverbs

•  prepositions

•  conjunctions and interjections

Students learn how to identify, demonstrate and master effective sentences by:

•  using verbs

•  using pronouns

•  making words agree

•  using modifiers

•  punctuation

•  capitalization

Good writing is a product of editing, which we work on in class.  Most writing assignments take place in the classroom, and one class per week to be devoted to writing in the computer lab.  Editing, rewriting and peer conferencing will be the tools we use to become better writers.

Students will be introduced to, and write essays focusing on:

•  response to literature

•  biography/autobiography

•  persuasive letter

•  narrative with dialogue

•  research paper (8^th grade – people in history; 7^th grade countries of Africa or Asia)

•  summary and technical writing