6th Grade Language Arts
Throughout the course of the 6th grade school year Ohio students will cover the following state standards.
Students will apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies and their understanding of textual features.
Students will learn to adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
 

                 7th Grade Language Arts
Students will develop skills in the following areas: spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and building fluency in written compositions; (i.e., expository , narrative, journaling, research, letter , comparison/contrast and persuasion). The writing process will include pre- writing, editing, and self-evaluation methods as part of a rubric or standard. Students will compile a portfolio of published pieces to continue through middle-school. Speaking applications include extemporaneous, formal descriptive, and formal informational to be merged with writing applications and research. Visual aids, with the use of technology, will enhance oral and written communication.
7th Grade Reading Students will acquire skills in the following areas: vocabulary; including root words, affixes, word origins, & contextual clues. Connotation and denotation will be emphasized throughout instruction. Students will interpret literature through figurative language, analogies, and technology tools. Students will monitor comprehension though prediction strategies, author's purpose, adjusting reading rate to purpose, and written summaries. Students will independently read, using self-monitoring and evaluation forms in a Personal Reading Log. Persuasive techniques will be studied to further evaluate author's adequacy and message. Literary text will include numerous genres: poetry, short story, drama, novel, myths, and non-fiction. Students are encouraged to utilize persuasion skills to entice readers. Literary circles will heighten student reading pleasure.
 

                   8th Grade Language Arts
This course incorporates the general areas of written composition, grammar, usage skills, and oral communications. Students will develop persuasive, expository, narrative, and research based compositions. Usage skills will be applied to the students' own writing as they master concepts. Students will participate in a variety of public speaking experiences including formal persuasive presentations, book talks, debate, and extemporaneous speeches. Although these skills are presented in English, all language arts related skills are reinforced in reading class as part of the integrated program.
8th Grade Reading: Students read various genres within designated themes throughout the year. Classic authors such as Frost, Dickinson, Bradbury, Poe, and Whitman are introduced. In addition, students encounter contemporary authors like Gary Paulsen, Maya Angelou, and Robert Cormier. Students learn a variety of reading strategies to foster their knowledge and enjoyment of literature. Vocabulary and spelling are taught through context and traditional rulings. Oral presentations including speeches, dramatic interpretations, and read alouds aid students in performance while offering variety to the class. Reading selections and activities are foundations to writing class.