English 6

This course is a combined course with an intense study of grammar,  writing various types of reports and essays, as well as, reading comprehension.  Students are encouraged to develop a "reading for meaning" attitude.

Grammar focused study on the following concepts:

• Sentences – subject/predicates, compound subjects/predicates, compound sentences, complex sentences, prepositions, prepositional phrases
• Writing a personal narrative
• Nouns – common, proper, capitalization, abbreviations, appositives, singular/plural, singular possessive, plural possessive
• Writing a Newspaper editorial
• Verbs – action/linking, predicate nouns/adjectives, direct objects, indirect objects, sentence patterns, subject/verb agreement
• Writing instructions to do something
• Study and reference skills
• Writing a research report
• Pronouns – personal pronouns and antecedents, possessive/subject/object/reflexive/interrogative, demonstrative and indefinite pronouns
• More verbs – verb tenses, irregular verbs, and contractions
• Compare and contrast essay
• Sentences, phrases, and clauses – prepositional phrases (adjectival and adverbial), compound subjects and predicates, compound and complex sentences
• Writing a cover letter
• Sentence Diagramming

Students learn four levels of comprehension:

• Literal – locating and recalling material state by the author
• Interpretive – identifying concepts from what the author implies
• Critical – making judgments by what the author says and drawing conclusions
• Appreciative – developing awareness of the author’s use of words and ideas

These techniques are learned through a combination of oral reading and silent reading. The stories chosen are a mix of mystery, drama, comedy, biblical fiction and excerpts from classics such as Swiss Family Robinson.
In addition, a selection of class readers and corresponding worksheets are used to develop sustained silent reading.