Language Arts Curriculum

Literature

All sixth graders will experience these core books:
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred E. Taylor
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths
Additional literature selections may include:
White Mountains by John Christopher
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The View From Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg
They will also experience a collection of literature in the anthology, Elements of
Literature (Holt, Rinehart & Winston). The stories, essays, biographies and poems in this anthology are related according to a theme and teach about different genres of writing.
Emphasis
~ Strategies for responding to reading: Reading response journals, graphic representations, extension projects, connections with personal experiences and knowledge of other literature and historic and current events.
~ Literary terms: character, conflict, complications, climax, conclusion, theme, suspense, plot, simile, metaphor and figurative speech.

Writing

Students will refine and practice the following writing skills:
~ Development of a paragraph
~ Structure of a three to five paragraph essay
~ Vocabulary in the context of our reading
~ Editing skills-spelling, punctuation, and grammar
They will practice the writing process and continue to develop the 6 traits of
writing as they learn how to write essays in the autobiographical, persuasive, narrative, and expository genres.
Resources:
The Writer’s Craft, McDougal Little
The Six Traits Writing Program, Northwest Labs
Hot Fudge Monday, Grammar Lessons
John Collins Writing Program