Curriculum Overview

1. Literary Units

   1. Summer reading discussion and activities
      1. Artemis Fowl - by Colfer
      2. Skeleton Key - by Horwitz (or sequels)
      3. Girl in Blue - by Rinaldi
      4. Callender Papers - by Voigt
      5. Izzy Willy Nilly - by Voigt
      6. Night - by Wiesel
   2. Taking a Stand
      1. Themes
         1. Individual Rights vs. Tyranny & Group Will
         2. Peer Pressure & Following the Crowd
         3. Individual's decision-making process
         4. Taking a stand for one's actions
         5. Taking risks
         6. Taking responsibility for one's actions
         7. Taking responsibility and consequences for one's lack of action
      2. Readings
         1. The Wave by Todd Strasser
         2. Biography or Autobiography of a "Risk-Taker"
         3. The Giver by Lois Lowry
            1. Science Fiction
            2. Winner of the Newberry Award
            3. Themes:
               1. The future
               2. Making decisions
               3. The value of human life
               4. Taking a stand
   3. Short Story Unit: Classical and Modern
      1. Titles including:
         1. "The Lady or the tiger?" - Frank R. Stockten
         2. "A Spark Neglected" - Leo Tolstoy
         3. "After 20 Years" - O. Henry
         4. "Charles" - Shirley Jackson
         5. "Later & Nothing Else" - Hernando Tellez
         6. "The Weapon" - Frederic Brown
         7. "The Assassin" - Robert Silverberg
         8. "The Most Dangerous Game" - Richard Connell
         9. "Flowers for Algernon" (excerpts) - Daniel Keyes
      2. Literary focal points
         1. Conflict
         2. Antagonist versus protagonist
         3. Plot development
         4. Character development
         5. Foreshadowing
         6. Irony
         7. Point-of-view
         8. Theme
         9. Moral
         10. Author's intent
         11. Symbolism
      3. Writing Activities
   4. "The Challenged"
      1. Readings
         1. There's a Boy in Here - co-authored by a mother & son on Autism
         2. My Brother is Special - Cerebral Palsy
         3. Izzy-Willy Nilly - victim of drunk driving
         4. Show Me No Mercy - Down's Syndrome
         5. Petey - Cerebral Palsy misdiagnosed
         6. Can You Feel the Thunder? - blindness
      2. Individual and Group work and projects
   5. Historical Fiction Unit
   6. Yom HaShoah Poetry Unit and Readings
   7. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
      1. Mystery taught in suspenseful packets
      2. Themes
         1. Suspense and mystery
         2. People filling the gaps in other people's lives
         3. Appearances and reality in character development

2. Writing Process

   1. Taught through both literature and non-literature related activities
      1. Brainstorming
      2. Gathering information
      3. Writing the rough draft
      4. Self-evaluation
      5. Revisions
      6. Teacher assessment
         *Paper Require Parent's Signature/Comments at this point
      7. Final drafts
      8. Conferencing
      9. Portfolios
   2. Types of Writing
      1. Writing Prompts
      2. Personal narrative
      3. Descriptive Essay
      4. Persuasive Essay
      5. Expository Writing
      6. Essay Questions

3. Vocabulary

   1. Vocabulary selected from literature or vocabulary workbook
   2. Assignments bi-weekly
   3. Vocabulary tests bi-weekly with review tests
   4. Goal - Incorporation of words into everyday use

4. Grammar Workshop

5. Book Contest:  Reading beyond the requirements and reading for pleasure

   1. Classroom 10 book minimum requirement - Reading Beyond
   2. Our excellent classroom library - only a stepping stone
   3. Parental support and encouragement are greatly needed