Middle Grades Language Arts 5-8th Graders

In this course, students explore the topic of “coming of age.” They read texts that feature protagonists from diverse backgrounds, places, and time periods, all of whom face significant challenges as they struggle to define their identities and claim their place in the world. The stories of these young people are simultaneously unique and universal, and students will likely recognize parts of themselves in these texts, even as they are introduced to characters whose lives may initially look very different from their own. Our program covers three main components: Literature units, Science and Social Studies units, and independent reading. Together, these three components build students' knowledge and understanding of the world, and support student mastery of all literature, informational, writing, speaking and listening, language, and foundational skills standards.

• Self-monitor for comprehension of words and comprehension
• Use a reference text effectively
• Integrate information from a video source
• Pull evidence/examples from a video source
• write essays and get feedback to improve writing 

• Infer the meaning of unfamiliar words
• Identify context clues that are most helpful in determining the meaning of those words
• Explain how those words/phrases help develop the reader's understanding of a word
• Use a reference text/resource effectively
• Determine the mood of scenes
• Determine the tone of a character's dialogue
• Identify context clues that are most helpful in determining the mood/tone
• Explain how those words/phrases help develop the reader's understanding of the mood/tone

• Book: The Giver by Lois Lowry (HMH Books for Young Readers, 1993)   —  760L
• Book: One Crazy Summerby Rita Williams-Garcia (HarperCollins Publishers, 2011)   —  750L