Summer Reading Requirements

Rising 6th Grade:                                               The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo

                                                                         The Lottery Rose by Irene Hunt

Rising 7th Grade:                                               A Single Shard  by Linda Sue Park

                                                                         Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

Rising 8th Grade:                                              The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

                                                                        A classic of the student's choice

                                                                                     Suggested classics   (The student is not limited to this list.)

                                                                                          The Grapes of Wrath, Gulliver's Travels, Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, Anne of Green Gables, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Of Mice and Men, Oliver Twist, The Scarlet Letter, Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson, All Quiet on the Western Front, Animal Farm, Watership Down, The Call of the Wild, Diary of a Young Girl, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Frankenstein, To Kill a Mockingbird

 LANGUAGE ARTS

The Language Arts Curriculum

The following information pertains to the sixth through eighth grade Language Arts program. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Nancy Falzone at nfalzone@immac.org.

Vocabulary

The assigned vocabulary words will be selected from an SAT practice word list and from the literature text, Elements of Literature. 

Vocabulary lessons are introduced on Mondays, except for weeks that we are out of school on Monday. In this case, the lesson will be introduced on Tuesday. If the school week is less than four days, we will not have a vocabulary lesson.

Throughout the week the students are given exercises and assignments that will help the students learn the assigned words. On the following Monday, the students will be given a vocabularly quiz to evaluate the spelling, definition, and usage of the week's words. A unit test will be given at progress report time and then again at the end of the grading period.

Text:  Spelling Lessons and Activities

Writing

Writing is taught through a process of prewriting, drafting, editing/revising, and publishing/presenting. This process will be taught in language arts class and reinforced across the curriculum in science, social studies, art, Spanish, and religion. Throughout the year, we cover the different types of writing found in narrative, expository, descriptive, and persuasive. All final copies of their writing assignments must be word processed and meet the structural standards required.

The seventh grade will be tested in March on their persuasive writing skills. This is diocese directed and is evaluated by the diocesean team.

Grammar

Grammar is an essential building block of writing effectively. Our grammar lessons incorporate the parts of speech, basic sentence parts, phrases and clauses, effective sentences, punctuation and capitalization.

Text:  Writing and Grammar

Reading

I expect all students to read between 15 to 30 minutes a night. Each student should always have a book that they are reading. The genre of book is up to the student. This is not to be considered part of their homework assignment each night. The students will participate in the Accelerated Reader program with individual goals set to challenge their ability and encourage the love of reading.

Literature

Our comprehensive literature program engages the students with a study of the forms of prose and progresses through the studies of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, myths, folk tales and legends. These units incorporate reading strategies, literary focus, art analysis and writing. In addition, we will be reading three novels as a class pertaining to themes taught across the curriculum. In sixth grade, the students will read Number the Stars, The Freedom Train, and Shark Beneath the Reef. In seventh grade, the students will read The Pearl, Storm Warriors and participate in an introductory Shakespeare unit. In eighth grade, the students will read Night, The Gory Field, and The Giver. The eighth grade students will also complete a philantropy reading project and an American author project.

Text:  Elements of Literature

Language Arts Binder

I require that each student have a binder solely for language arts. The students are instructed to divide their binders into five sections: grammar, vocabulary, writing, and literature.  All papers are to be kept in the correct section and neatly organized. At the front of the binder, there is a “Parent Signature Form”. Periodically,  the students will bring this binder home. This gives the parent the opportunity to look through their work and keep up with what we are doing in class. 

Homework

Approximately 20 minutes of homework will be assigned almost every day. The due date of the assignments will be given. The finished homework is expected on the due date.
For each day the assignment is late, the grade will be lowered one grade. After two days late, the student will receive a 0 for that assignment.

Extra Help

I am available after school to give your child extra help if they are struggling with a particular area of language arts. Setting up a date 24 hours in advance will be helpful. Just let me know how I can help.

Books

The seven textbooks and workbooks that we use in class are kept in the classroom unless needed for homework. Since the textbooks are large, and we have many workbooks, I feel it is easier for the students to keep them here rather than carry them around.

Please refer to the student handbook for guidelines on the discipline policy for middle school.