Lang.Arts/Reading Curriculum

Language Arts Curriculum

Reader’s Workshop-

• Mini-Lessons:

Stamina- working on reading for long periods of time with

Focus

Inferencing- learning to “Read between the lines.” Proving

your inferential thinking with evidence from the book.

Plot- Beginning, Rising Action, Conclusion

Setting- how important is it to the story, could it be the main

character

Character traits- Inferencing to better understand

Character's behaviors and how they affect the story

Figurative Language- How does this form of descriptive writing

  enhance a story? (See below for examples)

Theme- Inferencing to understand the author’s message

Author’s purpose- Points of view and voice of the author and

    how a story is affected by the author’s thinking.

Evidence- Quoting a book or article when proving our thinking

• Independent Reading 30-40 min.

• Writing about our reading with mini-lesson directions in Reader’s Notebooks.

• Vocabulary work

• Come together to share our reading and thinking about independent books or read aloud

• Individual teacher/student conferences to discuss books

Writer’s Workshop-

• Mini-Lessons:

Paragraphing- 6-8 sentences, use transition words, a topic

sentence, details to support the topic, descriptive writing, conclusion sentence

Narrative Writing- Focus on details, using figurative

Language, and voice. 

Opinion/Persuasive Writing- focus on thesis statements with

evidence to support opinion (Min. 5 paragraphs) 

Expository Writing- Revolutionary War Research and Writing Project using inferential thinking

along with technology and presentation/public speaking

Extra:

• Daily Quick Writes- Journaling about student's daily lives as well as creative story writing.

• Writing is shared with partners and sometimes the class to ask each other for help with editing and revision work.

• Writer's Workshop is ongoing. Pieces are taken through the writing process and take two to four weeks to complete. Usually done on Google Docs.

• Vocabulary work is incorporated throughout our reading novels with word studies and group work.

• The daily teacher read-aloud and discussions

• Typing skills are practiced weekly 

• Grammar and editing skills

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Simile   A comparison using like or as

Metaphor    A comparison NOT using like or as but just is

Alliteration   The repetition of consonant sounds

Onomatopoeia  Sound words

Hyperbole  An exaggeration

Idiom    An expression or group of words whose meaning is not what it literally says.

Personification   Give something human qualities