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Middle School Middle School Language Arts II

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Suggested Prerequisites

N/A

Description

Find your voice! In this course, you will study ways in which word choice and sentence structure contribute to developing perspective. You will develop the reading, writing, language, and speaking/listening skills necessary for success in college, career, and beyond with a strong connection to civics throughout the centuries. You will also examine voice, purpose, diction, syntax, and rhetoric in historical speeches, informational texts, and classic and contemporary literature through guided readings, interactive practice, and formal assessments. Prepare to grow your narrative, informational, and argumentative writing skills through the repeated practice of planning, drafting, revising, and editing your written work.

Module One: Back to Basics

-Explaining author’s purpose through diction and syntax

-Using context clues

-Identifying connotative and denotative meanings

-Examining plot structure and how literary elements interact

-Understanding the effect of unreliable narrators

-Determining one or more themes in literature

-Learning the correct usage of hyphens

-Composing powerful paragraphs

-Determining the central idea of a text

-Recognizing text features

-Writing effective summaries for multiple audiences


Module Two: Immersed in Information

-Identifying the structure of informational texts

-Distinguishing between organizational patterns

-Planning, organizing, and writing an expository essay

-Avoiding plagiarism through proper citation and a Works Cited page

-Using signal phrases and transitions in academic writing

-Researching responsibly

-Using precise language and domain-specific vocabulary

-Creating different types of sentences

-Editing and revising

-Researching and presenting information on a Supreme Court landmark case


Module Three: Analyze This

-Identifying and correcting logical fallacies

-Using semicolons and colons effectively

-Determining word meaning through affixes and root words

-Defining and analyzing author's perspective

-Writing compare and contrast paragraphs

-Identifying and analyzing allusions in nonfiction and fiction 

-Analyzing how logical fallacies weaken arguments

-Determining how rhetoric is used effectively in advertising

Module Four: Fighting Fair

-Analyzing rhetorical appeals and devices

-Responding to text-based prompts

-Identifying elements of an effective claim and counterclaim

-Planning, organizing, and writing an argumentative essay

-Effectively crafting a claim

-Organizing an effective argument

-Determining the central/main idea

-Using elaborative details

-Revising and editing

-Writing an opening argument for a fictional character


Module Five: Looking Into Literature

-Understanding how figurative language affects meaning and tone

-Comparing and contrasting texts

-Using context clues to paraphrase poetry

-Identifying characteristics of poetic forms

-Identifying elements of drama

-Clarifying point of view and perspective

-Tracking the development of plot, conflict, and theme

-Revising for parallel structure

-Using digital media to create a book review

-Determining which poetic form best reflects character and theme      


Module Six: Narrative Know-Hows

-Identifying narrators and points of view

-Planning, organizing, and writing a narrative based on a prompt

-Using narrative techniques to enhance creative writing

-Incorporating temporal words and phrases effectively

-Understanding active and passive voice

-Using verbs to achieve a certain mood 

-Analyzing how unique narrative techniques affect plot and purpose