Advanced English Language Arts 7
[full year, two periods]
Prerequisite/Selection Process: Test
scores, district guidelines and teacher
recommendation
Intended Audience: Grade 7 students who
read and write significantly above grade level
Major Outcomes:
• Same as ELA 7 with more challenging
reading and writing expectations
• Additional emphasis on interpretive/
analytical and critical/evaluative
reading, writing and discussion
Projects/Activities: Writing, independent
reading, research
Instructional Focus: Teachers will model
instructional strategies, and students will
participate in guided and independent
practice, whole group, small group and
independent activities; all students are
expected to read independently outside
the school day.
English Language Arts 7
[full year, two periods]
Intended Audience: Grade 7
Major Outcomes:
• Read and analyze a variety of literature
and informational texts.
• Write frequently in a variety of forms,
emphasizing informative
and argumentative techniques.
• Develop language skills including
vocabulary, sentence structure,
and grammar/mechanics.
• Develop skills in speaking, listening,
inquiry, and research.
Projects/Activities: Writing assignments,
research, and independent reading.
Instructional Focus: Teachers will model
instructional strategies, and students will
participate in guided and independent
practice, whole group, small group and
independent activities; all students are
expected to read independently outside
the school day.
Advanced English Language Arts 8
[full year]
Prerequisite/Selection Process: Test
scores, district guidelines and teacher
recommendation
Intended Audience: Students in Grade 8
who read and write significantly above
grade level
Major Outcomes:
• Same as ELA 8, with more challenging
reading and writing expectations.
Middle School Registration Guide
• Additional emphasis on interpretive/
analytical and critical/evaluative
reading, writing and discussion.
Projects/Activities: Writing, independent
reading, research.
Instructional Focus: Teachers will model
instructional strategies, and students will
participate in guided and independent
practice, whole group, small group and
independent activities; all students are
expected to read independently outside
the school day.
English Language Arts 8
[full year]
Intended Audience: Grade 8
Major Outcomes:
• Read and analyze a variety of literature
and informational texts.
• Write frequently in a variety of
forms, emphasizing narrative and
argumentative techniques.
• Develop language skills including
vocabulary, sentence structure,
and grammar/mechanics.
• Develop skills in speaking, listening,
research, and media literacy.
Projects/Activities: Writing assignments,
research project, speeches, and independ-
ent reading.
Instructional Focus: Teachers will model
instructional strategies, and students will
participate in guided and independent
practice, whole group, small group and
independent activities; all students are
expected to read independently outside
the school day.
Reading Strategies 6, 7, 8
[full year]
Qualifying students will be placed in a read-
ing intervention course [Reading Strategies
6, 7, or 8] in addition to their grade-level
English course, based on state and district
test scores as well as teacher recommenda-
tion. For more information, please contact
the Reading department leader at your
child’s school.
Creative Writing I
[AMSA only]
[elective, every other day]
This class operates as a writing workshop,
taking students beyond what they will
experience in a regular language arts
classroom. In Creative Writing I, we
journey into a variety of writing genres,
investigating how writers construct
excellent writing in that genre, including
poetry, mythology, short stories, drama,
folktales, mysteries, nonfiction, and multi-
genre works. Student writers are expected
to keep a writing notebook in order to prac-
tice writing technique, brainstorm, question,
ponder, and start writing projects.
Intended Audience: Grades 6-8
Major Outcomes:
• Students will produce multiple drafts of a
variety of genres. Students will publish
writing in various formats for others to
read.
Projects, activities, etc.:
• Writer’s notebooks
• Write a variety of texts: poetry, stories,
books, newspaper
• Digital projects/Google Drive
Instructional Focus:
• Writing process
• Genre elements
• Writing style
Creative Writing II
[AMSA only]
[elective, every other day]
Creative Writing II is meant to “open
students’ eyes” to new possibilities. As
a writing workshop course, this class is
meant to take young writers beyond a basic
language arts class as we branch off from
traditional writing genres into more “non-
traditional,” digital forms of writing that
many writers use in everyday life. Writing
will continue to be a “private” tool to help
students explore ideas and express them-
selves, but it should also start to challenge
them to consider “public” spheres for their
work. Considerations about audience and
publishing should provoke new goals and
directions for students’ writing.
Student writers are expected to keep a
writing portfolio where they revise and
refine their work. At the end of each
trimester, students will reflect on their
progress toward their writing goals, as
evidenced in the portfolio. Student
writers will also keep a writer’s notebook to
jot down observations about the world,
questions, and ideas for writing projects.
Prerequisite/Selection Process: Students
must have passed Creative Writing I with a
C or higher.
Intended Audience: Grades 7-8
Major Outcomes:
• Students will take ownership of their writ-
ing, comfortably writing in various genres
for various purposes, often on their own
time and often with publication in mind.
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