Middle School

Dear Middle School ELA Families,

It is hard to believe that second quarter is already here. During the first quarter, middle school ELA students worked on the standards related to strand one-main ideas and details. Strand one reading standards asked students to look closely at the text and read for understanding. Throughout the second quarter, students will be working on strand two-craft and structure. This strand builds upon the first strand by focusing on how the author structures the text to get his/her point across. Your child will be asked to evaluate the words, sentences, paragraphs, and structures an author has chosen to use and then determine their effectiveness on the overall impact of the text. Below you will find a copy of the craft and structure literature standards for second quarter. 

Grade LevelRL.4RL.5RL.6
6thAnalyzes the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings, and assesses their effectiveness; evaluates the impact of specific word choice on meaning and tone.Articulates why the author includes a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza, and analyzes how it affects the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot throughout the text.Analyzes how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text, citing evidence to support the analysis.
7thDetermines the meaning and analyzes the impact of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings, and assesses their effectiveness; analyzes and evaluates the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. 
Analyzes and evaluates how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning and impact. Analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different complex characters or narrators in a text.
8thDetermines the meaning and evaluates the impact of words and phrases, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyzes and evaluates the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.Compares and contrasts, then evaluates for effectiveness, the structure of two or more texts, analyzing how the differing structure of each text contributes to meaning and style. Evaluates the impact of differences in the points of view of the characters or the reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) and the effectiveness of creating suspense or humor in a text.


Second Quarter Reading

During second quarter students will be reading both fiction and non-fiction texts centered around the environment, the formation of social identity, and love. The sixth grade will be reading Flush and World Without Fish to explore ideas related to humans and how they affect their environments. The seventh grade will be reading Pygmalion to explore ideas related to social identity and the effects on society. The eight graders will be reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream to explore the idea of love as a reality and a fantasy.