ENGLISH

Focus of SCCS Middle School English

The SCCS Middle School English program respects the human intellect as a precious and most holy gift from our Heavenly Father, with literature as a reflection of that treasured intellect. Literature is the basis of our English program, and serves diverse purposes ranging from academic growth to personal development. We introduce students to a variety of rich literature, offering the young people opportunities to grow in knowledge. Students encounter new places, different time periods, and an assortment of people, male and female, representing the rich mosaic of ethnic and minority groups. Students are challenged to respond to the literature, to develop original thoughts, and to communicate those thoughts through clear writing.

Writing is a developmental, cognitive process never fully mastered, but improved, strengthened, and refined. Students write in a variety of forms; with genuine purpose and for authentic audiences. In the act of writing, students discover what it is they have to say, making it a powerful means of strengthening thinking skills.

Our goals for SCCS Middle School graduates:

1. Develop lifelong habits of reading and writing;

2. Gain insight into yourself and others;

3. Build analytical and communication skills;

4. Learn literary forms and conventions as a means to appreciate and react to

literature; and

5. Recognize and continue to use the writing process.

Embedded subjects: Writing, Grammar, Spelling, Literature

Frequency of class: Every day, approximately 45 minutes

Grade: 6^th grade

Textbook(s): Variety of novels (see below)

Methods of Assessment: Tests, quizzes, classroom discussions, creative writing assignments, note-taking, follow-up study guide questions, visual illustrations, role-playing, collaborative activities, fact-finding, book talks, and culminating projects.

Course Content:

Literature:

• The Cay by Theodore Taylor
• Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
• Bridge of Terrabithia by Katherine Paterson
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
• Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
• Variety of short stories, poetry, and children’s books

Grammar and Mechanics:

• Review the eight parts of speech and identify words in context of sentences
• Memorize a given list of common prepositions
• Identify prepositional phrases
• Recognize and correct run-on sentences and fragmented sentences within student’s own writing as well as peers’ writing
• Correctly mark punctuation

Writing and Proofreading:

• Edit for mechanics
• Compose and combine sentences
• Write good paragraphs
• Search for information

Subject: English

Embedded subjects: Writing, Grammar, Spelling, Literature

Frequency of class: Every day, approximately 45 minutes

Grade: 7^th grade

Textbook(s): Variety of novels (see below)

Methods of Assessment: Tests, quizzes, classroom discussions, creative writing assignments, note-taking, follow-up study guide questions, visual illustrations, role-playing, collaborative activities, fact-finding, book talks, and culminating projects.

Course Content:

Literature:

• Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
• Lyddie by Katherine Paterson
• Call of the Wild by Jack London
• Sarah Bishop by Scott O’Dell

Grammar and Mechanics:

• Review the eight parts of speech
• Review prepositions and prepositional phrases
• Review punctuation
• Improve proofing and editing skills through group experiences
• Recognize and use appropriate correction symbols
• Understand sentence patterns

Writing and Proofreading:

• Review what makes a good sentence
• Review paragraph writing
• Understand clauses, phrases, types, parts of, and kinds of sentences
• Write a five-paragraph essay
• Recognize some forms of writing
• Use the four-step writing process: pre-writing, drafting, writing, revising

Embedded subjects: Writing, Grammar, Spelling, Literature

Frequency of class: Every day, approximately 45 minutes

Grade: 8^th grade

Textbook(s): Variety of novels (see below)

Methods of Assessment: Tests, quizzes, classroom discussions, creative writing assignments, note-taking, follow-up study guide questions, visual illustrations, role-playing, collaborative activities, fact-finding, book talks, and culminating projects.

Course Content:

Literature:

• Z for Zachariah by Robert O’Brien
• The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Grammar and Mechanics:

• Review sentence patterns
• Know the difference between a phrase and a clause
• Identify independent clauses and subordinate conjunctions
• Identify participles within given sentences
• Continue to develop group-writing skills

Writing and Proofreading:

• Write an interior monologue
• Write a poetry anthology
• Create an original soundtrack to a novel
• Write a variety of creative pieces through classroom readings