Middle School 6-8

Contact Information
Nancy Fuchs
Secondary Curriculum Coordinator
Email
314-983-5315
Grade 6
Grade 6: Course Description
The English Language Arts-6 curriculum prepares students through a reading and writing workshop structure to be college and career-ready. Students will continue to develop reading, writing, information literacy, and listening and speaking skills. Students will use metacognitive and active reading strategies to manage texts of steadily increasing complexity. By ensuring all students develop necessary literacy skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and research, students are better prepared for success in other content area classes.
Units of Study
- Unit 1 | Building a Reading Life
- Unit 2 | Deep Study of Character
- Unit 3 | Narrative Writing
- Unit 4 | Nonfiction Exploration
- Unit 5 | Inquiry-Based Research Unit
- Unit 6 | A Novel Study
Unit 1 | Building a Reading Life
Unit 2 | Deep Study of Character
Unit 3 | Narrative Writing
Unit 4 | Nonfiction Exploration
Unit 5 | Inquiry-Based Research Unit
Unit 6 | A Novel Study
Grade 7
Grade 7: Course Description
The English Language Arts-7 curriculum prepares students through a reading and writing workshop structure to be college and career-ready. Students will continue to develop reading, writing, information literacy, and listening and speaking skills. Students will use metacognitive and active reading strategies to manage text of steadily increasing complexity. By ensuring all students develop necessary literacy skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, language and research. Students are better prepared for success in other content-area classes.
Units of Study
- Unit 1 | Investigating Characterization
- Unit 2 | Writing Realistic Fiction
- Unit 5 | Essential Research Skills
- Unit 3 | Whole Class Novel
- Unit 4 | The Art of Argument
- Unit 6 | Dystopian
Unit 1 | Investigating Characterization
Unit 2 | Writing Realistic Fiction
Enduring Understanding
- Powerful writers create texts using their unique voices to share intentional messages.
- Powerful writers ground their writing in real life where people have motivations and obstacles.
- Powerful writers keep their audience in mind in order to communicate their message in a clear, precise way.
Unit 5 | Essential Research Skills
Enduring Understanding
- Quality research allows us to understand the world around us better, develop informed opinions, and make effective decisions.
- Effective researchers collaborate with each other to strengthen their understanding of topics.
- Effective researchers share their findings with new audiences to persuade and/or inform.
Essential Questions
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How do researchers create and organize efficient note-taking systems?
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How do researchers detect author bias?
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How do researchers use search engines and libraries effectively?
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How do writers create effective research-based arguments?
Unit 3 | Whole Class Novel
Enduring Understanding
- Powerful readers use different lenses to make meaning of texts and interpret the messages authors share to reveal their purpose.
- Literary texts can help us understand both the past and the present as well as make informed decisions about the future.
Essential Questions
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Powerful readers use different lenses to make meaning of texts and interpret the messages authors share to reveal their purpose.
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Literary texts can help us understand both the past and the present as well as make informed decisions about the future.
Unit 4 | The Art of Argument
Enduring Understanding
- To be compelling when you argue, state a claim, give reasons to back up that claim, give evidence to support each of your reasons, and analyze that evidence for your audience.
- When developing an argument, it is important to start weighing the reasons and evidence offered up by both sides, remaining open and suspending judgment.
Essential Questions
- How do writers research all sides of a topic?
- How do writers develop persuasive arguments?
- How do writers use feedback to revise and edit their work?
Unit 6 | Dystopian
Enduring Understanding
- When you know something about the genre of book you’re reading, you’ll start noticing more about that genre anytime you read those kinds of books.
- Readers draw on a repertoire of strategies, reflecting on the thinking work that most pays off for them at different points in their reading.
Essential Questions
- How do readers investigate settings, relationships, and conflicts to build stronger understandings of challenging texts?
- How do authors use fictional worlds and conflicts to reflect on real-world topics and conflicts?
- How does power impact environments and relationships?
Grade 8
Grade 8: Course Description
The English Language Arts 8 curriculum prepares students through a reading and writing workshop structure to be college and career-ready. Students will continue to develop reading, writing, information literacy, and listening and speaking skills. Students will use metacognitive and active reading strategies to manage text of steadily increasing complexity. By ensuring all students develop necessary literacy skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and research, students are better prepared for success in other content area classes.
Units of Study
- Unit 1 | Literary Analysis
- Unit 2 | Ted Talks
- Unit 3 | Nonfiction Narrative Reading
- Unit 4 | Nonfiction Narrative Writing
- Unit 5 | Argument
- Unit 6 | Historical Fiction
Unit 1 | Literary Analysis
Unit 2 | Ted Talks
Unit 3 | Nonfiction Narrative Reading
Unit 4 | Nonfiction Narrative Writing
Unit 5 | Argument
Unit 6 | Historical Fiction
Enduring Understanding
Students will understand that themes reflect historical and/or cultural contexts, how stories provide insight into the experiences of others.
Resources
- Whole class historical fiction novel
- Historical Fiction book club text sets
- Articles
- Websites
Performance Assessment
Media Project Script and Video
