Language Arts I - 6

OVERVIEW

Through a merging of the past and the present, students in the Language Arts 1 course study classical and contemporary texts and examine the lasting influence of each. Students acquire a foundational understanding of the reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening skills necessary for success in college, career, and beyond. Students become critical readers and thinkers as they delve into rigorous and engaging literary and informational texts by examining the author’s rhetoric and purpose through close readings, interactive practice, and formal assessments. They also learn to write effective narrative, informational, and argumentative pieces through the repeated practice of planning, drafting, revising, and editing their written work.

MAJOR TOPICS AND CONCEPTS

Semester One:

  • Developing an idea
  • Identifying theme
  • Recognizing plot pattern
  • Comparing and contrasting mediums
  • Using context clues
  • Developing thesaurus and dictionary skills
  • Identifying implicit and explicit meaning
  • Finding the main idea
  • Writing an effective summary
  • Assessing internet sources
  • Reading informational texts
  • Researching and organizing information
  • Avoiding plagiarism and citing sources
  • Writing an introduction
  • Connecting and supporting ideas
  • Writing a conclusion
  • Revising and reflecting
  • Using formal language in writing
  • Writing effective transitions
  • Using signal phrases
  • Writing a strong introduction
  • Correcting dangling modifiers
  • Using transitions and signal phrases
  • Maintaining formal style
  • Writing a solid conclusion
  • Revising and reflecting
  • Proofreading and editing
  • Selecting effective digital media
  • Using spelling rules
  • Paraphrasing a text
  • Determining relevant information
  • Identifying figurative language
  • Understanding rhetorical appeals
  • Analyzing universal themes across time

Semester Two:

  • Recognizing logical fallacies
  • Identifying elements of an effective claim
  • Effectively supporting a claim
  • Identifying reliable sources
  • Organizing an argument
  • Determining the central/main idea
  • Using elaborative details
  • Writing a summary
  • Understanding how figurative language affects meaning and tone
  • Interpreting figurative language
  • Finding literal and figurative meaning
  • Comparing and contrasting texts
  • Using context clues
  • Interpreting implicit and explicit meaning
  • Identifying characteristics of poetic forms
  • Looking for connotative meanings
  • Analyzing plot pattern
  • Identifying the protagonist and antagonist
  • Classifying direct and indirect characterization
  • Determining point of view
  • Defining types of conflict
  • Determining the theme in a text
  • Using pronouns correctly
  • Correcting errors with hyphens
  • Identifying verbals
  • Using correct pronoun/antecedent agreement
  • Creating a commercial
  • Using diverse media formats
  • Recognizing point of view
  • Identifying the narrator
  • Planning narrative writing
  • Writing the exposition to a narrative
  • Using narrative techniques
  • Discovering a writer’s craft
  • Writing dialogue effectively
  • Revising and editing for impact
  • Reflecting on the writing process

Program

Regular  Advanced 

Grade Level

Grade 6

Duration

10 Months

Requirements

All students select ONE novel below:
 
  • Wonder by RJ Palacio
  • Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
  • Schooled by Gordon Korman
  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engel
  • Storm Runners (book 1) by Roland Smith

Advanced students select ONE additional novel below:

  • All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
  • Knots On My Yo-Yo String by Jerry Spinelli

OR,

Choice of an autobiography or biography of a person born after 1850

Prerequisites

Recommended for 6th grade

en_USEnglish
Scroll to Top

Fill the form to download our school brochure or talk to one of our certified academic counsellors