English Language Arts 6

English Language Arts 6 introduces and builds the fundamental skills of English language arts, including reading, writing, speaking, listening, and using language. This course helps transition students from an elementary setting to the middle school learning environment. Students explore a variety of texts from a range of time periods, literary genres, and writers. From classic authors to contemporary creative writers, students study the use of language and literary devices to improve reading comprehension and to apply to their own skill sets. In addition to reading, students strengthen their writing skills through several modes of composition, such as entertainment, persuasive, poetic, and expository texts. They learn how to construct a well-written five-paragraph essay. Notably, students learn to conduct research, cite sources in MLA formatting, and compose a formal research essay. The final topic of the course provides the opportunity for students to either read a novel or examine a variety of excerpts from novels. This topic encompasses the fundamental skill sets built throughout the year. Students complete creative projects such as creating an original piece of folklore and writing an original poem. These projects encourage students to highlight their talents and skills. This course emphasizes the importance of independent and creative thinking and integrates social-emotional learning.