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Middle School Language Arts 2/Middle School Language Arts 2 Advanced (Grade 7)
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Using a motif of Mystery, Monsters, and Mayhem, students in the MJ Language Arts 2 course will acquire the reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening skills necessary for success in college, career, and beyond. Students will become critical readers and thinkers as they delve into fiction and informational texts within the course. They will also learn to effectively write narrative, informational, and argumentative pieces and present their ideas clearly and cohesively.
Major Topics and Concepts
- Reading Comprehension
- Informational & Expository Writing
- Narrative Writing
- Analyzing interactions between ideas in a text
- Identifying theme
- Analyzing how a theme develops
- Comparing and contrasting mediums
- Using context clues
- Thesaurus and dictionary skills
- Implicit and explicit meaning
- Finding the main idea
- Writing an effective summary
- Assess internet sources
- Why writers choose words
- Reading informational texts
- Researching and organizing information
- Avoiding plagiarism
- Writing an introduction for informational texts
- Connecting and supporting ideas
- Writing a conclusion for informational texts
- Revising writing
- Using formal language in writing
- Recognizing point of view
- Identifying the narrator
- Planning narrative writing
- Beginning a narrative
- Writing dialogue
- Writing the body of a narrative
- Using commas
- Writing effective transitions
- Identifying active and passive verbs
- Reading Comprehension
- Argumentative Writing
- Organization of informational articles
- How authors express ideas differently
- Roots and affixes
- Using apostrophes
- Interpreting allusions
- History vs. Fiction
- Propaganda
- Interpreting explicit and implicit ideas
- Identifying poetic devices
- How poets arrange their words
- How literary elements interact
- Finding text support
- Comparing and contrasting
- Perspective of different characters in literature
- Plot pattern
- Identifying and interpreting symbolism
- Determining theme
- Writing a book review
- Enhancing a message using multi-media
- Determine an author’s point of view
- Claims and counterclaims
- Writing an effective claim
- Locating reliable sources
- Refuting counterclaims
- Eliminating redundancy
- Writing a strong introduction
- Building an argument
- Transitions and signal phrases
- Writing a strong conclusion
- Polishing a final draft
Segment 1 Advanced includes: Novel Study
- Origins and elements of the novel
- Analyzing major characters
- Analyzing historical context
- Authors’ style and voice
Segment 2 Advanced includes: Short Story Study
- Short story genres
- Elements of suspense
- Authors’ language techniques
- Historical context of literature
Competencies
Informational Writing
Students will demonstrate an understanding of informational writing by describing the process of organizing research, explaining strategies for avoiding plagiarism, and creating a problem-solution essay.
Text Fundamentals
Students will demonstrate an understanding of text fundamentals by describing the interaction of literary elements, explaining complete sentence formation, and summarizing the central idea of a text.
Use of Language
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the use of language by describing logical fallacies, contrasting authors’ perspectives, and explaining allusions.
Argumentation
Students will demonstrate an understanding of argumentation by explaining rhetorical appeals and devices, describing claims and counterclaims, and formulating an argumentative essay.
Narrative Writing
Students will demonstrate an understanding of narrative writing by describing narrative techniques, explaining language devices, and creating a narrative.
Strategies for Reading Literary Texts
Students will demonstrate an understanding of strategies for reading literary texts by explaining poetry analysis, describing elements of fiction in a literary text, and creating a multimedia literary review.
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Projects allow students to demonstrate competence and understanding of concepts and skills by completing a career-related task. For example, the assignment might be to create a mural, a package design, a speech, a film review, or a movie set – you name it! These creative projects are about applying your learning acquired through in-depth research to real-world career tasks.
Each competency will be addressed through a project based on a real-life career task. Here are the careers you will explore: Librarian, Freelance Writer, Social Media Manager, Magazine Editor, Talent Agent, and Education Manager.
Projects
Competencies
Informational Writing
Students will demonstrate an understanding of informational writing by describing the process of organizing research, explaining strategies for avoiding plagiarism, and creating a problem-solution essay.
Text Fundamentals
Students will demonstrate an understanding of text fundamentals by describing the interaction of literary elements, explaining complete sentence formation, and summarizing the central idea of a text.
Use of Language
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the use of language by describing logical fallacies, contrasting authors’ perspectives, and explaining allusions.
Argumentation
Students will demonstrate an understanding of argumentation by explaining rhetorical appeals and devices, describing claims and counterclaims, and formulating an argumentative essay.
Narrative Writing
Students will demonstrate an understanding of narrative writing by describing narrative techniques, explaining language devices, and creating a narrative.
Strategies for Reading Literary Texts
Students will demonstrate an understanding of strategies for reading literary texts by explaining poetry analysis, describing elements of fiction in a literary text, and creating a multimedia literary review.
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