ELA

A thorough study and analysis of the 8 parts of speech will be introduced. Students will practice writing sentences and paragraphs applying the 8 parts of speech to their writing. Study of sentence structure, such as dependent and independent clauses, simple and complete subjects and predicates, adjectival and adverbial phrases and clauses. will be introduced. Sentence analysis, which includes identifying various kinds of sentences such as simple, compound, and complex will be covered as well as sentence mechanics- punctuation, capitalization, and syntax .Written and oral communication will include writing varied sentences, revising sentences, figurative language, transitional words, and speaking and listening skills, and learning how to develop the skills of writing coherent, unified, and well-structured paragraphs by applying the steps of the writing process. Students will create interesting topic sentences, a strong body with middle sentences, and a conclusion. Students will write various types of paragraphs such as personal narratives, how-to article descriptions, persuasive and expository paragraphs.. Research papers of varying topics will be assigned. At some levels students will write dialogue, as well as their own creative writing pieces. Finally, sentence diagramming will be introduced. Students will learn how to take the grammatical components of a sentence and diagram them according to their location. The text for the ELA course is Voyages in English Writing and Grammar.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary will also be taught in conjunction with the ELA course. Vocabulary workshop supplies instruction and practice with 300 words organized in 15 units of 20 words each. Vocabulary Workshop course will provide students with practice in using context to determine word meanings and nuances of meaning. It will also help students with practice with reading skills, including the ability to identify and cite textual evidence. Greek and Latin Roots, definitions, words in context, synonyms, antonyms, idioms, slang, jargon, denotation, and connotation, and choosing the correct word will be practiced. Students will practice with writing prompts. Writing with words in action provides practice with writing responses to two modes of writing. The first prompt is in the form of a text dependent question that asks students to cite evidence from the Reading Passage, located at the onset of each unit. The second prompt is modeled on those that appear on standardized tests. The text for the vocabulary course is Sadlier’s Vocabulary Workshop Tools for Excellence