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English Language Arts - ELA

Welcome to the captivating world of English Language Arts. The English department is dedicated to helping students develop their own voice through writing. With each assignment, students will embark on a journey of self-discovery, gaining insight into their unique writing style and the power of their own words. Students are encouraged to think critically, communicate effectively, and engage with a rigorous curriculum. English Language Arts is more than a class; it's an invitation to explore, create, and discover the transformative power of words.

  • Ms. Lopez- English Department Chair 7th & 8th grade teacher 

  • Mr. Richard-6th grade teacher

  • Ms. Wright-6th grade teacher

  • Mr. Dougherty-7th grade teacher 

  • Mr. Peters-Education Specialist 

  • Ms. Antes-Education Specialist 8th grade

  • Ms. Yam-8th grade teacher 

  • Mr. Murillo-8th grade teacher 

 

 

 

English-Language Arts

Strong literacy skills enable our students to interpret information, analyze, explain, and express ideas that are culturally and linguistically responsible. 

MyPerspectives encourages social collaboration as well as student ownership of learning through goal setting, choice, and reflection cultivating students’ voices and perspectives.The textbook uses Common Core standards-based learning outcomes to assist in students' reading and writing progression. All activities, instruction, and assessments contribute to students demonstrating their learning in response to an achievable performance-based assessment completed at the end of each unit. Students integrate the knowledge they acquired, apply critical thinking skills, cite evidence, and use effective expression to respond to complex multi-step writing and/or speaking and listening tasks.

6TH GRADE

Unit 1 Childhood

War Ballerina 

Performance Task

-Non-fiction Narration-Elements of an effective nonfiction narrative including a conflict or problem,people who play a role in the events described in the narrative,a clear sequence of events with transitional words and phrases that show shifts in time or setting,narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, that help to convey experiences and events in a memorable way, precise words, descriptive details, and sensory language that show what settings and people are like, a conclusion that follows from the experiences and events in the narrative.

Unit 2 Animal Allies

Jane Goodall

Performance Task

-Expository Essay-Elements of an explanatory essay, including an introduction that states a clear central idea, or thesis,a logical organization that helps readers follow the explanation, concrete details, quotations, and examples that support the explanation, transitions that connect ideas and show the relationships among them, precise language and vocabulary to explain a topic, a formal style, and a concluding statement that completes the explanation given in the essay.

3 Modern Technology

Performance Task

-Argumentative Essay- Elements of an argumentative essay are a precise claim, or position, a clear reasons and evidence that support the claim, a logical organization that makes clear connections among claims, reasons, and evidence, a strong and effective concluding statement or section that logically completes the argument, a formal and objective language and tone, and the use of transitions to show the relationships between ideas
Unit 4 Exploration

Performance Task

-Portfolio Reflection

7TH GRADE

Unit 1 Generations

Two Kinds

Performance Task

Non-Fiction Narration-Elements of an effective nonfiction narrative including a conflict or problem,people who play a role in the events described in the narrative,a clear sequence of events with transitional words and phrases that show shifts in time or setting,narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, that help to convey experiences and events in a memorable way, precise words, descriptive details, and sensory language that show what settings and people are like, a conclusion that follows from the experiences and events in the narrative.

Unit 3 Turning Points

Performance Task

-Expository Essay-Elements of an explanatory essay, including an introduction that states a clear central idea, or thesis,a logical organization that helps readers follow the explanation, concrete details, quotations, and examples that support the explanation, transitions that connect ideas and show the relationships among them, precise language and vocabulary to explain a topic, a formal style, and a concluding statement that completes the explanation given in the essay.

Unit 4 People and the Planet

Save the Birds

Performance Task

-Argumentative Essay- Elements of an argumentative essay are a precise claim, or position, a clear reasons and evidence that support the claim, a logical organization that makes clear connections among claims, reasons, and evidence, a strong and effective concluding statement or section that logically completes the argument, a formal and objective language and tone, and the use of transitions to show the relationships between ideas.

Unit 5 Facing Adversity

Performance Task

-Portfolio Reflection

8th Grade 

Unit 1 Rites of passage 

Performance Task

-Non-fiction Narration-Elements of an effective nonfiction narrative including a conflict or problem,people who play a role in the events described in the narrative,a clear sequence of events with transitional words and phrases that show shifts in time or setting,narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, that help to convey experiences and events in a memorable way, precise words, descriptive details, and sensory language that show what settings and people are like, a conclusion that follows from the experiences and events in the narrative.

Unit 2 Human Intelligence

What does IQ really mean?

Performance Task

-Expository Essay -Elements of an explanatory essay, including an introduction that states a clear central idea, or thesis,a logical organization that helps readers follow the explanation, concrete details, quotations, and examples that support the explanation, transitions that connect ideas and show the relationships among them, precise language and vocabulary to explain a topic, a formal style, and a concluding statement that completes the explanation given in the essay

Unit 3 What Matters 

Censored 

Performance Task

-Argumentative Essay- Elements of an argumentative essay are a precise claim, or position, a clear reasons and evidence that support the claim, a logical organization that makes clear connections among claims, reasons, and evidence, a strong and effective concluding statement or section that logically completes the argument, a formal and objective language and tone, and the use of transitions to show the relationships between ideas

Unit 4 Learning from the Past

Birmingham and the Children's March

Performance Task

-Portfolio Reflection

ELA LINKS FOR LEARNING

CommonLit

ReadWorks

Khan Academy

Quill

FreeRice

Flipgrid

Vocabulary

Quizzes.com

Zoom