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Middle School Language Arts 3/Middle School Language Arts 3 Advanced (Grade 8)
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Maybe change would not be hard if we knew where it was all going. This course is not about telling fortunes, but it is about seeing how people and ideas have changed. It is also about discovering which ideas have lasting value for each student.
Books, poems, and songs are filled with stories about people discovering the world around them and the world inside them. Authors share their reflections about how people respond to changes and challenges. In this course, students encounter the many faces of change. They are also challenged to define and describe their place in a changing world.
The purpose of this course is to give students the tools to understand and express who they are and where they want to go. By the end of the course, each student’s portfolio of writings will provide a descriptive self-portrait of a young adult growing up.
Major Topics and Concepts
- Reading Comprehension
- Informational & Expository Writing
- Narrative Writing
- Text connections
- Identifying theme
- Moving a story forward
- How 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/citing sources
- Writing an introduction
- Connecting and supporting ideas
- Syntax and voice
- Writing a conclusion
- 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
- Temporal transitions
- Identifying and using verbals
- Reading Comprehension
- Argumentative Writing
- Structure of a text
- Writing an effective summary
- Identifying conflicting points of view
- Using supporting evidence
- Using correct spelling
- Capitalization rules
- Presenting information in different mediums
- Evaluating modes of communication
- Analyzing theme
- Greek and Latin roots and affixes
- Figurative language
- How words affect meaning and tone
- Syntax and diction
- American rights in Civic expression
- Interpreting implicit and explicit ideas
- Identifying irony and puns
- Poetic elements
- Types of Literary Conflict
- Point of view
- Analyzing plot pattern
- Interpreting symbolism
- Using and correcting types of verb moods
- Making a movie pitch
- Argumentation vs. persuasion
- Identifying multiple perspectives on an issue
- Finding credible sources
- Knowing your audience
- Making a claim
- Writing an effective introduction
- Using quotations
- Supporting your claim
- Acknowledging counter-claims
- Writing effective transitions
- Preparing a rebuttal
- Concluding an argument
- Maintaining a formal style
- Revising and editing
Segment 1 Advanced includes: Novel Study
- Historical context
- Analyzing style
- Writing in a different genre
Segment 2 Advanced includes: Poetry Study
- Analyzing poem structure
- Effect of poem structure on meaning
- Diction and poetic devices
- How authors create meaning and tone
Competencies
Literary Foundations
Students will demonstrate an understanding of literary foundations by describing the interaction of literary elements, explaining the central idea of a text, and creating an informational summary.
Informational Writing
Students will demonstrate an understanding of informational writing by summarizing the process of gathering and organizing research, explaining the language and structure of informational texts, and creating a cause-and-effect expository essay.
Uses of Language
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the uses of language by describing the impact of figurative language, explaining the relationship between words and word parts, and describing logical fallacies.
Literary Analysis and Presentation
Students will demonstrate an understanding of literary analysis and presentation by describing poetic devices, describing elements of literary texts, and creating a digital media presentation.
Narrative Writing
Students will demonstrate an understanding of narrative writing by describing narrative techniques, describing narrative organization, and creating an original narrative.
Argumentation
Students will demonstrate an understanding of argumentation by explaining rhetorical appeals and devices, explaining the elements of an argument, and creating an argumentative essay.
