English Foundations 2

This comprehensive class prepares middle school students for high school English. An advantage of any outside English class is having someone other than “Mom” to review/grade the student’s compositions. Class interaction with the other students will also enhance the class.

Students will:

• Apply the steps of the writing process and effective traits of writing to their own compositions, as well as understand the purpose and audience of each writing assignment.
• Write “warm-up” paragraphs to increase confidence in writing.
• Write multi-paragraph essays covering the four types of writing: descriptive, narrative, expository, and persuasive, using teacher review to improve each composition.
• Write a short story (either autobiographical or imaginative).
• Prepare and present an informative or persuasive speech.
• Demonstrate an understanding of English grammar, including punctuation, mechanics, spelling, sentence structure, and parts of speech.
• Review the basic elements of literature (setting, character, plot, point of view, conflict, and theme), preparing a creative project with definitions and examples for each term.
• Identify literary techniques such as irony, symbolism, and figures of speech, including allusion, idioms, synecdoche, and understatement.
• Review different genres of writing and discuss their differences, as well as read short stories and novels in various genres.
• Improve their reading comprehension through thought-provoking questions and discussion of the novels read together.
• Identify the sounds and techniques used in poetry, prepare a poetry presentation, and write several of his/her own poems.
• Learn new vocabulary words in context in the novels read together.
• Learn new vocabulary words through the Wordly Wise curriculum.

Mrs. Loran is available for an additional hour each week to assist students with writing, grammar, and literary skills. Students must register separately to participate in this extra learning opportunity. See Language Arts Lab for English Foundations 2 for details and to register.

Course Structure

We will systematically work through the writing process, focusing on the six Writing Traits and the specific conventions for each of the following writing types: descriptive, narrative, expository, and persuasive. By structuring each of the new writing types in this manner, students will learn an effective process for successful writing.

Second Semester Enrollment

Students in 6th-8th grades are welcome to enroll in the second semester of this year-long course without having completed the first semester.

In this second-semester course, we will be working on expository, persuasive, short stories, and poetry. We will read poetry, short stories, and novels, A Long Walk to Water and The Book Thief.

Who should enroll?

This class is open to all 6th-8th-graders who would like a structured, formal English class.

Technology Requirements

• High-speed, broadband Internet
• Headset and microphone (for live sessions)
• Streaming video capabilities to watch recorded lectures
• A Canva account is required (we will provide each student with an AAO email address to log into our Canva for Education account)
• Microsoft Word and PowerPoint are beneficial. If using a different word processing program, the document should be saved or exported as a PDF to submit on Canvas.

Evaluation and Feedback

Students’ writing assignments will receive extensive feedback before being graded according to a rubric that highlights effective writing traits. Grammar and vocabulary exercises are usually automatically graded in Canvas. Literature questions are graded based on effort. Students in English Foundations 2 take both grammar quizzes and regular tests on literature terms and writing concepts.

Communication

Parents are welcome to contact me via email with questions before registering, but it is not necessary before enrolling a student. Once I know a student has registered, the family will receive a welcome packet with additional information about the course. I will contact parents if there is a concern that a student is not keeping up with the work or frequently turning in late assignments.