Language Arts Curriculum

Language Arts 7 

In seventh grade Language Arts, students will compose argumentative and expository essays as well as narratives by gathering relevant information from multiple print and digital sources.  Students will demonstrate a command of the conventions of standard English grammar by choosing the correct sentence structure and selecting the language that expresses ideas precisely.  Students will be asked to use technology when planning, revising, editing, drafting, and publishing their writing.  In addition, students will be expected to create works cited and correctly implement in-text citations using the Modern Language Association’s Formatting and Style Guide.  Students will also engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions and will present findings and claims through multimedia and visual displays. In addition, students will read a variety of informational and literary texts. When reading informational texts the focus will be on developing the skills of annotating and making connections. Pulling supporting evidence and explaining its connection will also be an instructional focus. When reading literary texts students will focus on analyzing the text’s use and development of literary elements and devices, and figurative language. Finally, vocabulary in context is also an important part of the 7th-grade language arts curriculum. Students practice their vocabulary skills and grow their word knowledge using an individualized online program, Membean, throughout the school year.

Honors Language Arts 7 

The goal of the AWJH Honors Language Arts program is to further introduce students to rigorous content-driven material while further enhancing their superior writing and speaking skills. Students who succeed in demonstrating the acquired knowledge in this program may afford the opportunity to test for further Honors Language Arts programs.

The honors student will be asked to complete similar assignments as the traditional language arts student, however, the honor assignments will be completed at the higher levels of thinking: analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating.  The honors seventh-grade language arts student will demonstrate proficiency in grammar rules, specific vocabulary, literary terms, and literary techniques.  Formal writing assignments will emphasize the use of complex sentence structures and self-expression.  An additional focus of the honors class will be on public speaking and special projects.

The seventh-grade students taking Honors Language Arts should demonstrate leadership skills with a willingness to help others.  Honors students should work well independently as well as in groups, should have strong reading/writing skills, should have a strong work ethic, should be motivated to turn work in on time, and should be willing to work beyond the requirements established for traditional seventh-grade language arts and reading.

Honors classes will: Explore various genres of writing, authors, time periods, and grammar. Expand upon prior knowledge of literature, vocabulary, informational text, literary elements. Express via various forms of writing, poetry, speeches, media literacy.

Expectations: Faster pace, higher-level thinking skills, more depth with content/material, stronger rigor, passion for learning--for language/reading, student-initiated, student embraces the challenge.

Workload/Assignments: Expectations of written work and discussions are held to a higher standard, sometimes work self-paced.

Language Arts 8 

In eighth grade Language Arts, students will continue to develop many reading comprehension skills through fiction and nonfiction selections (novels, reports, poetry, short stories, essays, plays, periodicals, graphs, maps, and surveys).  Students will respond to their reading by interpreting the text, developing logical inferences, identifying literary elements, using background information, and identifying the author’s purpose.  In addition, students will use specific reading strategies to assist in making predictions, comparing texts, and drawing conclusions in a variety of literature.  Students will also use written responses that incorporate textual evidence.  Speaking and listening skills will be utilized as they plan oral presentations and develop skills that can assist in understanding verbal information.  Lastly, students will continue to improve grammar and writing skills by developing expository, narrative, and argumentative writing.  Research skills will expand as students use a variety of sources to gather information in order to correctly implement in-text citations in expository and argumentative writing. 

Honors Language Arts 8 

The honors student will be asked to complete similar assignments as the traditional language arts student, however, the honor assignments will be completed at the higher levels of thinking:  analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating.  More complex writing assignments are produced and more challenging novels are studied. Therefore, the honors student should work well independently as well as in groups; should have strong reading/writing skills; should have a strong work ethic; should be motivated to turn work in on time, and should be willing to work beyond the requirements established for traditional eighth-grade language arts and reading.

The goal of the AWJH Honors Language Arts program is to further introduce students to rigorous content-driven material while further enhancing their superior writing and speaking skills.  Students who succeed in demonstrating the acquired knowledge in this program may afford the opportunity to test for further Honors Language Arts programs.  

Honors classes will: Explore various genres of writing, authors, time periods and grammar. Expand upon prior knowledge of literature, vocabulary, informational text, literary elements. Express via various forms of writing, poetry, speeches, media literacy.

Expectations: 

8th grade: faster pace, higher-level thinking skills, subject matter more “mature,” stronger rigor, more motivated in Language Arts, like to read/write, student-driven, willing to be challenged.

Workload/Assignments:

8th grade: read more, expectations of written work held to a higher standard, sometimes work is graded/discussed in class rather than collected, sometimes self-paced, no late work is accepted and no extra credit allowed.

Honors English Language Arts I

HS Credit: 0.50 per semester

Prerequisite: Honors Language Arts 8 OR qualifying placement requirements. This course consists of a more in-depth study of grammar, composition, and world literature than English Language Arts I. Varied use of sentence patterns, clauses, and phrases will be stressed in the area of composition. Weaknesses in grammatical usage will also be identified, analyzed, and corrected. Honors English Language Arts I will involve not only a study of literary types (e.g. short stories, novels, poems, essays, biographies, and plays) but also authors’ styles. Four research-based papers/projects dealing with an analysis of literature will be required. Ohio Department of Education Common Core Standards for the English Language Arts in reading and writing will be emphasized throughout the year. Grades earned will appear on high school transcripts and count toward high school GPA.

Thematic Reading and Writing  

In this course, students will explore a variety of themes and incorporate them into English Language Arts (ELA) contexts.  Emphasis will be placed on the fundamentals of reading, writing, and foundational ELA concepts.