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Course Information

Ms. McKeown's Classroom Expectations

All students are expected to follow the Skinner 5 B's at all times:

  • Be Respectful

  • Be Responsible

  • Be Team-Oriented

  • Be Peaceful

  • Be Positive

 

In addition to the Skinner 5 B's, Ms. McKeown has the following expectations in her classroom:

  • Respect!

    • Yourself

    • Your classmates

    • The teacher

  • Communicate

  • Try YOUR best

Module 1

Each unit of study in the Language Arts curriculum is called a "module."  There are four different modules in the curriculum this year, each of which explores a different topic.  

 

Our first module, "Reading Closely and Writing to Learn: Journeys and Survival," will teach students about the experience of people in Southern Sudan both during and after the Second Sudanese Civil War.  We will be reading Linda Sue Park's novel A Long Walk to Water along with supplementary informational text about Southern Sudan.  Students will practice a number of skills including citing evidence to support their analysis, analyzing character perspective, drawing inferences, and more.

Module 2

In Module 2, "Working with Evidence: Working Conditions,"  students will learn about historical and present-day working conditions in America.  Students will build on the skills learned in module 1 as they read Katherine Paterson's novel Lyddie.  Students will also read informational text including a speech by César Chávez in order to understand the impact of workers, business, consumers, and the government on always evolving working conditions.

Module 3

Module 3, "Understanding Perspectives: Slavery: The People That Could Fly," uses The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass as it's anchor text as students uncover what makes a story powerful as well as the importance of an author's purpose. Students will continue to build their writing skills in this module as they write both an extended essay about the novel as well as re-writing a narrative from the novel as a picture book intended for a younger audience.  

Module 4

Students conclude the year with Module 4, "Reading and Research: Water is Life."  Our anchor texts for the module include Barbara Kingsolver's "Water is Life" as well as The Big Thirst by Charles Fishman.  Students will continue to practice using evidence to support their arguments as they grapple with questions about water management and water sustainability.

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