Reading. During the spring semester, our fourth through eighth grade students will focus on non-fiction or informational texts that give details to significant historical events in the life of historical and scientifically revolutionary figures. Our main goal is to teach students how to use informational readings as a means of research that can be used to recreate a historical event in their own storytelling narrative. We will focus on teaching our students how to isolate and organize the in-depth historical facts they locate throughout the texts they read. We will work with students to sort through the multiple readings of the same event and determine which details are most relevant and necessary. 

As our students read non-fiction information texts, they will:

• filter through a considerable amount of information and organize key ideas into simple ideas 

• identify different organizational patterns throughout the text, determining the purpose or trajectory of the person’s life. (Is this a sequence of events, a description, a cause/effect, a compare/contrast, or problem/solution?)

• develop a focused organization to reading a historical text by isolating details into categories that can be used when recreating the event: backstory, present action, flashback, interior monologue/internal thoughts, description (appearance), quoted dialogue, and the concrete facts (names, dates, places)

• build quickness and confidence in understanding implied ideas (not directly stated) through inferential thinking and making connections between details

• build the habit of asking and answering both literal and inferential questions when analyzing the key moments in the person’s life

• use strong annotation and notetaking skills to trace the development of a plot line, making sure to identify shifts in key moments and the significant details in a person’s life

• find cue words and phrases that signal a shift in tone or attitude, especially when transitions are not given or are hard to locate

• identify scientific or historically based content-specific vocabulary words and ensure understanding and comprehension within the text

• build strong reading strategies to target more difficult and technical texts that are not easily understood after the first read. (In other words, learn to reread, redefine, and paraphrase whenever the text is complicated)

Writing. Our fourth through eighth grade students will recreate a significant historical event from the life of a historical and scientifically revolutionary figure that they will read about in their informational text sets. Students will learn to incorporate facts into historical-fiction narratives to showcase a realistic scenario to help the reader envision or feel like he/she is experiencing the moment with the historical figure. Another goal is to provide enough information to help the reader gain accurate details of the actual people, places, and things in that historical moment. Students will learn to independently determine the appropriate tone and point of view for the historical event they choose in order to make their narratives as genuine as possible, whether from first- or third-person point of view.

Students will practice these writing skills:

1. Point-of-View. Your child will nurture an awareness of the narrator’s point of view and learn to construct one that is plausible for the given historical moment they are retelling. 

   1st Person: The 1st person narrative will take on the personal voice of the historical figure and will imbue what we know about his/her personality, perspective, and way of life.

   3rd Person: The 3rd person narrative is less personal and remains neutral to all the people in the story. This narrator will be merely an observer.

2. True facts. The most difficult task, and one that is often overlooked, is adding bits and pieces of true facts into the narrative to make the story accurate and credible. We don’t want this to be a narrative about any generic person who fits within the general context. We want to incorporate enough factual detail and content vocabulary so the reader can learn about the historical event. Meanwhile, students will make sure to effectively combine and rephrase enough facts, details, and examples into their own words to avoid plagiarism.

3. Logical flow. Students must learn how to organize their writing so that their story is not overly detailed, but at the same time, not overly simplified where they are barely giving any detail at all. Also, students struggle at times to transition between ideas in a way that keeps the story moving fluidly. We will teach students how to organize their details to achieve a logical, fluid sequence of events within a very small moment in time. We will work with students to strike the balance between being too wordy and too vague.

4. Setting/character description. Students will enhance their writing through sensory detail and imagery to bring catchy and vivid interest to their writing. This includes using figurative language to paint mental pictures that capture a specific tone and mood. Students will also learn to incorporate breaks in their present action to add backstory, flashbacks, interior monologue, and dialogue.

5. Complex sentence patterns. Every week of the semester, we will challenge students to broaden their application of writing. As mini lessons each week, we will introduce a variety of sentence patterns that include different clauses and phrases to add elaborating detail. Students will get a refresher on compound, complex, compound-complex, and simple sentences as well as the different types of phrases that can be added to make sentences stronger (infinitives, participles, appositives, gerunds, prepositional, absolutes). Our job will be to make sure students are applying these various sentence patterns into their writing during the drafting and revising stages. We will also help students learn to revise sentences by eliminating excess words and repetition.

Reading. During the spring semester, our fourth through eighth grade students will focus on non-fiction or informational texts that give details to significant historical events in the life of historical and scientifically revolutionary figures. Our main goal is to teach students how to use informational readings as a means of research that can be used to recreate a historical event in their own storytelling narrative. We will focus on teaching our students how to isolate and organize the in-depth historical facts they locate throughout the texts they read. We will work with students to sort through the multiple readings of the same event and determine which details are most relevant and necessary.

As our students read non-fiction information texts, they will:

• filter through a considerable amount of information and organize key ideas into simple ideas

• identify different organizational patterns throughout the text, determining the purpose or trajectory of the person’s life. (Is this a sequence of events, a description, a cause/effect, a compare/contrast, or problem/solution?)

• develop a focused organization to reading a historical text by isolating details into categories that can be used when recreating the event: backstory, present action, flashback, interior monologue/internal thoughts, description (appearance), quoted dialogue, and the concrete facts (names, dates, places)

• build quickness and confidence in understanding implied ideas (not directly stated) through inferential thinking and making connections between details

• build the habit of asking and answering both literal and inferential questions when analyzing the key moments in the person’s life

• use strong annotation and notetaking skills to trace the development of a plot line, making sure to identify shifts in key moments and the significant details in a person’s life

• find cue words and phrases that signal a shift in tone or attitude, especially when transitions are not given or are hard to locate

• identify scientific or historically based content-specific vocabulary words and ensure understanding and comprehension within the text

• build strong reading strategies to target more difficult and technical texts that are not easily understood after the first read. (In other words, learn to reread, redefine, and paraphrase whenever the text is complicated)

Writing. Our fourth through eighth grade students will recreate a significant historical event from the life of a historical and scientifically revolutionary figure that they will read about in their informational text sets. Students will learn to incorporate facts into historical-fiction narratives to showcase a realistic scenario to help the reader envision or feel like he/she is experiencing the moment with the historical figure. Another goal is to provide enough information to help the reader gain accurate details of the actual people, places, and things in that historical moment. Students will learn to independently determine the appropriate tone and point of view for the historical event they choose in order to make their narratives as genuine as possible, whether from first- or third-person point of view.

Students will practice these writing skills:

1. Point-of-View. Your child will nurture an awareness of the narrator’s point of view and learn to construct one that is plausible for the given historical moment they are retelling.

   1st Person: The 1st person narrative will take on the personal voice of the historical figure and will imbue what we know about his/her personality, perspective, and way of life.

   3rd Person: The 3rd person narrative is less personal and remains neutral to all the people in the story. This narrator will be merely an observer.

2. True facts. The most difficult task, and one that is often overlooked, is adding bits and pieces of true facts into the narrative to make the story accurate and credible. We don’t want this to be a narrative about any generic person who fits within the general context. We want to incorporate enough factual detail and content vocabulary so the reader can learn about the historical event. Meanwhile, students will make sure to effectively combine and rephrase enough facts, details, and examples into their own words to avoid plagiarism.

3. Logical flow. Students must learn how to organize their writing so that their story is not overly detailed, but at the same time, not overly simplified where they are barely giving any detail at all. Also, students struggle at times to transition between ideas in a way that keeps the story moving fluidly. We will teach students how to organize their details to achieve a logical, fluid sequence of events within a very small moment in time. We will work with students to strike the balance between being too wordy and too vague.

4. Setting/character description. Students will enhance their writing through sensory detail and imagery to bring catchy and vivid interest to their writing. This includes using figurative language to paint mental pictures that capture a specific tone and mood. Students will also learn to incorporate breaks in their present action to add backstory, flashbacks, interior monologue, and dialogue.

5. Complex sentence patterns. Every week of the semester, we will challenge students to broaden their application of writing. As mini lessons each week, we will introduce a variety of sentence patterns that include different clauses and phrases to add elaborating detail. Students will get a refresher on compound, complex, compound-complex, and simple sentences as well as the different types of phrases that can be added to make sentences stronger (infinitives, participles, appositives, gerunds, prepositional, absolutes). Our job will be to make sure students are applying these various sentence patterns into their writing during the drafting and revising stages. We will also help students learn to revise sentences by eliminating excess words and repetition.

Reading. Our sixth through eighth graders are often faced with the task of writing a persuasive or argumentative essay. The art of persuasion and argumentation go together. Both start with taking a microscope and understanding the rhetorical and textual devices speakers or writers use to build strong persuasive arguments. We will read a collection of famous speeches or persuasive essays across classical and contemporary time frames to understand what makes each writer a particularly good orator. We will also look at sets of texts with articles about the same subject, each article posing different points of view either positioned as neutral, for, or against.

Our students will ask these questions:

• Does the speech/article directly state the position so that the thesis statement is right on the page? Or is the position implied (suggested in the details and word choice)?

• Does the speech/article take on an objective or biased point of view?

• What specific tactics and rhetorical devices does the speaker/author use to enhance persuasion or argumentation?

• What is the speech’s/article’s tone? Is the intensity subtle, moderate, or flagrant? What tactics and rhetorical devices build this intensity?

• Does the speech/article present an opposing argument or counter argument? Are there loopholes in the logic or does the counter strengthen the overall message?

• What tactics does the speaker/writer use to employ ethos, pathos, and logos? What tactics and rhetorical devices enhance this?

• Does the article have sufficient evidence to back up the claim?

• Does the article present facts, statistics, and details accurately?

• Does the article mislead the reader by not including specific details?

Writing. What is the most important trait that someone needs to succeed? What is a skill every child should learn? Can trade schools be a good option for some students rather than a four-year college? Should community service be a requirement for school-aged children? Does technology help or hurt our schools? Are introverts and extroverts equally successful? Is talent or hard work more important? Should kids be reading the news every day? Our sixth through eighth grade students will learn how to write a persuasive essay about one of these everyday life issues or any issue they would like to consider. Students will use the same writing strategies we identify while analyzing the essays we read during class. While making sure they clearly present an opinion or argument, students will learn how to effectively brainstorm and research the specific evidence that can adequately and credibly back up their claim. Simultaneously, they will practice the use of rhetoric, sentence syntax, and word choice to enhance their writing style and build strong pathos, logos, and ethos for their argument. Their essays will include an introductory paragraph, one to three body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Students will practice using the full writing process (brainstorming, organizing, drafting, revising, editing). We will structure the unit with plenty of support and guided structure to aid students through the writing process.

Our students will:

• choose from a variety of topics to determine what opinion/argument is of interest

• determine the pros and cons for the chosen topic

• formulate an opinion (topic sentence/thesis sentence) that can be backed up with three solid reasons and evidence

• learn how to quickly and effectively brainstorm reasons and evidence using true-to-life experiences, statistics, quotes from the provided text, and facts that support their opinion

• use other resources for additional research (if needed)

• think through and provide a counterargument to give credit to the opposing point of view

• create a detailed outline that follows the paragraph or essay format, including an introduction, two reasons, one counterargument, and a conclusion

• develop strong and effective voice through word choice, rhetorical devices, and sentence syntax

• build strong body paragraphs with additional detailed elaboration that digs deeper into each reason

• take ownership during the drafting phase of writing by writing intentionally, thoughtfully, neatly, and with proper mechanics and spelling

• learn valuable revising tools to improve their drafts (incorporating Bridges writing rules to elevate language, sentence fluency, elaboration of detail)

• learn standard editing tools to independently find their own mechanical (punctuation, capitalization, tensing), spelling, and formatting errors

Reading. Our fourth and fifth grade students will read a variety of non-fiction texts such as newspaper articles, journal editorials, essays, and speeches to learn the value of opinion and the art of persuasion. Students will learn to navigate through the text, first reading for understanding. They will get an opportunity to understand objective and biased points of view, and they will become aware of the effective tools that writers use to state a claim and convince the reader to think more deeply about the issue presented. What is the writer arguing? Why is it a good argument? What is the author’s purpose? What is the flip side? Is this argument credible? With all the necessary questions to ask when decoding these kinds of texts, our students can approach a text with more confidence.

Our students will:

• identify the difference between an objective point of view (purely informational) and a biased point of view (opinion/argumentative)

• determine the author’s central idea of a non-fiction text and provide a summary of the author's neutral or biased point of view

• infer the author’s underlying purpose of a text and what the author has set out to accomplish

• explain how the author presents an opinion or argument by assessing the author’s use of reasons and the variety of writing tools (pathos, logos, ethos) used to support particular points in a text

• evaluate which reasons and evidence adequately support which point(s) and determine whether the reasoning is sound with relevant and sufficient evidence or whether the reasoning and evidence is irrelevant or uncredible

• analyze how an author's ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text

• analyze the author’s choice of words and language with an awareness that word choice and their under-the-surface connotations are intended to persuade

• form a personal opinion as to whether the author was successful and credible

Writing. What is the most important trait that describes a true friend? What is a skill every child should learn? Who would be an ideal role model for kids today? Are group projects worth it? Should kids be exposed to current events? Our fourth and fifth grade students will learn how to write a persuasive essay about one of these everyday life issues or any issue they would like to consider. Students will use the same writing strategies we identify while analyzing the texts we read during class. While making sure they clearly present an opinion or argument, students will learn how to effectively brainstorm and research the specific evidence that can adequately and credibly back up their claim. Simultaneously, they will practice the use of rhetoric, sentence syntax, and word choice to enhance their writing style and build strong pathos, logos, and ethos for their argument. Their essays will include an introductory paragraph, one to three body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. Students will practice using the full writing process (brainstorming, organizing, drafting, revising, editing). We will structure the unit with plenty of support and guided structure to aid students through the writing process.

Our students will:

• choose from a variety of topics to determine what opinion/argument is of interest

• determine the pros and cons for the chosen topic

• formulate an opinion (topic sentence/thesis sentence) that can be backed up with three solid reasons and evidence

• learn how to quickly and effectively brainstorm reasons and evidence using true-to-life experiences, statistics, quotes from the provided text, and facts that support their opinion

• use other resources for additional research (if needed)

• think through and provide a counterargument to give credit to the opposing point of view

• create a detailed outline that follows the paragraph or essay format, including an introduction, two reasons, one counterargument, and a conclusion

• develop strong and effective voice through word choice, rhetorical devices, and sentence syntax

• build strong body paragraphs with additional detailed elaboration that digs deeper into each reason

• take ownership during the drafting phase of writing by writing intentionally, thoughtfully, neatly, and with proper mechanics and spelling

• learn valuable revising tools to improve their drafts (incorporating Bridges writing rules to elevate language, sentence fluency, elaboration of detail)

• learn standard editing tools to independently find their own mechanical (punctuation, capitalization, tensing), spelling, and formatting errors