Basic Language Arts/Reading Concepts II for Middle School

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Course Overview

Basic Language Arts/Reading Concepts II for Middle School is designed for students who are struggling as they engage with the middle school English Language Arts/Reading curriculum and need extra scaffolding to bring them up to grade level. Course topics include:

• Nouns and Pronouns
• Writing Personal Narrative
• Explanatory Writing
• Verbs, Adjectives and Adverbs
• Persuasive Writing
• Writing That Compares
• Expository Writing
• Writing a Story

Basic Language Arts/Reading Concepts II for Middle School is taught by Acellus Instructors including LaTricia Harper.

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This course was developed by the International Academy of Science. Learn More

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Scope and Sequence

Unit 1 - Main Idea In this unit, students have a three-part introduction, then begin their study of main idea and details. They explore chapters, and how using main idea and supporting details can help us communicate. They also investigate nouns, including plural, irregular, and unusual or abstract nouns. They talk about short vowels, dialogue, and applying their knowledge of nouns. Unit 2 - Dialogue In this unit students learn to develop narrative using dialogue and the senses. They study using commas and quotation marks in dialogue, and proofing a narrative for dialogue. They also explore the process of creating a personal narrative, including using situations to begin, concluding the narrative, and proofing for spelling. They talk about analyzing stories through asking and answering questions, about the final e, the long a, the long o, and commas in addresses. They also review nouns. Unit 3 - Word Families In this unit students explore word families. They learn how to find word families, and they discover applications of this knowledge. They also study root words having to do with math and science, learn clues for both, and find applications of root words. In addition, they review main idea with details, synonyms, antonyms, and long i. Unit 4 - Subjects and Objects In this unit students study subjects and objects, and using subject-object pronouns. They also explore subject-verb agreement. They learn to analyze stories through characters, and they review sentences, prefixes, the long e sound, and silent letters. They discover pronouns, plural pronouns, pronoun-antecedent agreement, and applications for pronouns. Unit 5 - Writing Opinions In this unit students focus on writing opinion pieces. They explore beginning the opinion-writing process, connecting opinions as a way of developing your opinion, concluding your writing effectively, proofing, and real-life applications of this skill. They study how to capitalize titles, as well as analyzing text through questions - both asking and answering. They investigate digraphs and three-letter blends. Unit 6 - Prefixes In this unit students explore prefixes, including number and math prefixes and real-life applications of prefixes. They study contractions, and delve deeper into main idea and details. Unit 7 - Plurals and Possessives In this unit students investigate possessive nouns and pronouns, including both singular and plural possessive nouns, as well as common mistakes with possessives and plurals. They study analyzing text through illustrations, words that contain ar and or, reading words that contain prefixes, contractions, and drawing conclusions. Unit 8 - Informative Writing In this unit students focus on informative writing. They learn strategies for beginning the process of writing an informative piece. They study research, including using computer resources, taking notes, and organizing details. They gain understanding of how to introduce their topic, to develop their writing by using their research notes, and through using connections. They practice connecting their ideas, concluding their writing, and proofreading their writing. They discuss real-world applications of informative writing. They also investigate words with oi and oy, problem and solution combinations, variant vowels, and words with prefixes. Unit 9 - Comprehension in Reading and Listening In this unit students explore finding the main idea in visuals, diagrams, and oral presentations, and understanding figurative language. They investigate sequencing and summarizing, learning phrases and literal words, and more variant vowels. Unit 10 - Glossaries and Dictionaries In this unit students focus on learning to use glossaries and dictionaries. They explore what glossaries are and how to use them to find unknown words. They investigate what a dictionary is, how to search it for words they don't understand, and when they might need a dictionary in real-life applications. They gain understanding of analyzing a text for cause and effect. They study synonyms and antonyms, compare and contrast, cause and effect, and words with ou and ow. Unit 11 - Discussions In this unit students explore discussions. They learn what discussions are, and what they are for. They investigate discussion rules, preparation, and idea sharing, as well as asking questions in discussions, and real-world applications of discussions. They study analyzing stories and fables by finding and undertanding morals. They gain understanding of homophones, drawing conclusions, and investigating context clues. Unit 12 - Verbs In this unit students focus on verbs. They explore using verbs, using helping verbs, and using linking verbs. They learn to analyze text for point of view, to use paragraph clues, to analzye stories through character sequence, and to understand soft c and g. Unit 13 - Explanatory Writing In this unit students study explanatory writing. They learn to introduce their piece, and to develop explanatory details, generate questions for story structure, develop explanatory steps and illustrations, conclude their piece, and proofread explanatory writing, and they discover applications of explanatory writing. Students explore words with er, ir, and ur, as well as compound words and using a dictionary for unknown words. They investigate analyzing stories through illustrations and analyzing text through academic words. Unit 14 - Sentence Structure In this unit students learn about sentences and using sentences, about compound and complex sentences, about writing and common mistakes with complex sentences and about applications of sentences. They explore closed syllables, making inferences, and analyzing stories through comparing and contrasting. Unit 15 - Text and Story Analysis In this unit students study text and story analysis. They explore analyzing text through comparing and contrasting, analyzing stories such as myths, analyzing such stories to find their morals, visualizing and drawing conclusions, and analyzing a text through text connections and through finding connections. They also investigate suffixes, including latin suffixes, as well as inflectional endings. They also review complex sentences. Unit 16 - Poetry and Drama In this unit students study poetry. They define poetry, stanzas, literal, and non-literal. They practice generating questions to contrast, and building meaning in poetry. They investigate drama. They define drama, and practice analyzing literal and non-literal, as well as scenes. They explore point of view in drama, and applications of drama. They also explore open syllables. Unit 17 - Verb Tenses and Irregular Verbs In this unit students focus on verbs -- specifically on tense and irregular verbs. They study present-tense, past-tense, and future-tense verbs, irregular verbs, and applications of verb tenses. They explore more about author’s purpose, analyzing text structure, and finding context clues in sentences. They investigate word clues, and syllables that end with a consonant plus l. Unit 18 - Adjectives In this unit students target adjectives. They define adjectives, and learn about using adjectives for amounts, for comparing two, and using more and er. They explore using adjectives for comparing with groups, and using most and est, the suffixes er and est, comparative or superlative adjectives, common mistakes with adjectives, adjectives in real-life connections, and applications of adjectives. They study vowel-team syllables and generating questions to compare, and they review past tense verbs, visualization and theme, and comparing and contrasting, Unit 19 - Adverbs In this unit students explore adverbs. They focus specifically on each of the adverbs how, where, and when. They study more about cause and effect, using adverbs, including using more and er, the suffixes ful, less, ly, using adverbs with most and est, and adverb applications. They review adjectives and investigate suffixes and prefixes, making and confirming predictions, r-controlled vowel syllables, and making inferences. Unit 20 - Publishing and Presenting In this unit students focus on publishing and presenting. They explore speaking versus writing, reading poetry aloud, using words and phrases for effect, oral reports, and using sequence. They investigate the cause and effect text structure, as well as problems and solutions. They review adverbs, and learn to changing inflectional ending y to i, to analyze folktales and find their moral, and to apply the reading and language arts they have learned in this course.