Middle School
Language Arts
Mrs. Benefield
In the middle school language arts classes, the students will study spelling skills, grammar, and mechanics from daily short shots, the Elements of Writing text, and additional classroom resources according to grade level. The development of these skills is essential for effective oral communication and written expression.
Writing practice and assessment will occur through journal writing, focus writing prompts, formal essays, and performance tasks. The sixth grade students will begin writing multi-paragraph essays with specific audience awareness. They will write with logical organization, unity, and coherence as well as syntactic variety. Seventh grade students will advance these skills through the different modes of writing with more sophistication and clarity. Their writing will display strong voice and vivid details. They will also demonstrate effective public speaking skills. In the eighth grade the students will improve writing in the expository mode in preparation for the TCAP Writing Assessment. Another focus will be persuasive writing and recognizing the use of persuasion and bias within the media. All students will analyze and respond to different types of writing in order to improve literacy within content reading.
The students will need to organize their short shots, class notes, journals, and rough drafts in a 1 ½ inch three-ring binder with tabbed dividers. Writing pieces will accumulate within a working portfolio throughout the year.