SIXTH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS SYLLABUS Subject Area: Sixth Grade Language Arts Course Number: 10010205 Basic

Assumptions for Language Arts Education: Reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing competencies are integrated throughout students' learning experiences. Benchmarks for the Sunshine State Standards are repeated as needed in course sequences. As students progress from one course to the next, increases should occur in the complexity of materials and tasks and in the students' independence in the application of skills and strategies. Learning tasks and materials accommodate the individual needs of students. Technology is available for students to develop competencies in the language arts. Course Title: M/J Language Arts 1

A. Major Concepts/Content. The purpose of this course is to provide integrated educational experiences in the language arts strands of reading, writing, listening, viewing, speaking, language, and literature. The content will include, but not be limited to, the following: - using the reading process to construct meaning from a wide range of literary, informational, and technical texts - using the writing process to communicate information and ideas - using listening, viewing, and speaking strategies - understanding the power of language and using language in authentic contexts - understanding the common features of a variety of literary forms - responding critically to visual, oral, and written texts This course shall integrate the Goal 3 Student Performance Standards of the Florida System of School Improvement and Accountability as appropriate to the content and processes of the subject matter. B. Course Requirements. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the benchmarks from the Sunshine State Standards that are most relevant to this course. Demonstrate understanding and use of appropriate and effective vocabulary. Read informational, literary, and technical selections for literal, inferential, and interpretive meaning. Identify the characteristics and elements of literary selections and other appropriate texts. Use process writing strategies and the conventions of standard written English to write for a variety of purposes and audiences. Use listening, viewing, and speaking skills to obtain and convey information and ideas. Select and use appropriate language for effective visual, oral, and written communication. Apply reference, study, and test-taking skills. Explore personal interests in written, oral, and visual communication.

Textbooks (class sets) and Major Supplemental Materials Literature Language Network Language Network Workbook The Interactive Reader & Writer for Critical Analysis The Interactive Reader & Writer for Strategic Reading Support Vocabulary Workshop Critical Reading for Proficiency Timed Readings in Literature Teacher Generated Materials Selected Novels McDougal Littell McDougal Littell McDougal Littell McDougal Littell McDougal Littell Sadlier-Oxford Educational Design Jamestown

6th GRADE - MAJOR UNITS/TOPICS/SKILLS

FIRST NINE WEEKS GRAMMAR Review the eight principles parts of speech; utilize them effectively in sentences and be able to identify them. (Focus on nouns, pronouns, action verbs, helping verbs, and linking verbs.) Introduce the four different kinds of sentences Introduce the rules pertaining to punctuation and capitalization WRITING The Writing Process: Plan, Compose, Revise, Publish (review skills) Expository Writing Skills Introduce higher level middle school expectations Introduce written response to text both literary and informational Creative and Descriptive Writing Friendly letter format Introduction of technology skills: word processing LITERATURE Reading Comprehension Skills: Main Idea, Authors Purpose and Perspective, Text Structures and Text features Introduction of Genres of Literature Elements of Literature (Unit 1 in Text) Literary Analysis of Fiction and Non-Fiction Selections Independent Reading 2 novels over the course of each nine weeks Vocabulary development using Vocabulary Workshop and Greek and Latin roots. SECOND NINE WEEKS GRAMMAR Sentence structure: simple sentences Continue practice with parts of speech Continue practice with punctuation and capitalization Combining ideas into logical sentences Editing for the correct use of spelling, capitalization, punctuation and eight parts of speech, regular and irregular verbs, and pronoun agreement WRITING 4H-Tropicana Public Speaking Unit Introduce Persuasive Writing Skills Creative and Descriptive Writing Continue working on implementing the writing process

LITERATURE Reading Comprehension Skills: interpreting text (inferring authors purpose, compare and contrast, analyzing character and point of view, understanding theme, inferring cause/effect) (Unit 2 and 3) Literary Analysis of Fiction and Non-Fiction Selections Independent Reading 2 novels over the course of each nine weeks Vocabulary Development continues

THIRD NINE WEEKS GRAMMAR Language Skills (mechanics, usage, and grammar) WRITING Creative and Descriptive Writing The Writing Process Expository Writing Skills (expand skills) Written response to text including comparative texts LITERATURE Review FCAT Reading Skills covered during first semester: Words and Phrases, Main Idea/Authors Purpose, Comparison/Cause and Effect, Reference/Research/Critical Reading Study Skills / Test taking strategies Reading Comprehension Skills: (mood and tone)(Unit 4) Literary Analysis of Fiction and Non-Fiction Selections Cause and effect, pre-reading strategies, graphic representations, and text structure, recurring themes, Poetry terms (Unit 5) Independent Reading 2 novels over the course of each nine weeks Vocabulary Development using Vocabulary Workshop and focusing on key questioning vocabulary for testing Use of technology for FCAT skill review: FCAT explorer FOURTH NINE WEEKS GRAMMAR Language Skills (mechanics, usage, and grammar) Editing for the correct use of spelling, capitalization, punctuation and eight parts of speech, regular and irregular verbs, and pronoun agreement WRITING Persuasive Writing Skills (expand skills) The Writing Process Written response to text Creative and Descriptive Writing LITERATURE Independent Reading 2 novels of different genres over the course of each nine weeks In-depth literary unit of teachers choice (for example: novel, poetry, short story unit) Literary Analysis of Fiction and Non-Fiction Selections- main idea, cause and effect, compare and contrast, using and organizing information, characteristics of non-fiction text (Units 7 and 8 in text) Vocabulary Development through Vocabulary Workshop and study of affixes, prefixes, roots. Interactive Media Studies Types of Media