Language Arts 5 A/B
Segment A of Language Arts 5 builds on the skills introduced in 4th grade. Students will study various types of traditional stories, including tall tales, myths and fables, as well as learn how cultural values are passed down through this literature. Knowledge of literary devices will expand to include hyperbole, personification and irony. Writing instruction includes lessons on the structure of narratives, descriptive writing, and developing “hooks” to get readers interested in personal writing. The segment also guides students through an introductory career
exploration unit and refines non-fiction reading skills.
Segment B continues to build and reinforce critical reading skills and then puts those skills to work as students read The Egypt Game, The BFG, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. As they read increasingly complex texts, students will learn to identify literary devices such as puns, metaphors, imagery, and dialogue and explain their effect on the text. Students will also begin to build skills in writing in response to literature.
PRE-REQUISITES: Language Arts 4
ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME: 32-36 weeks or approximately 125 – 135 hours
MAJOR TOPICS AND CONCEPTS — SEGMENT A
Writing
Writing with Quotations
Descriptive Writing
Word Choice
Elements of a Story
Five Stages of Writing
Genres of Traditional Stories
Traditional Story Genres
Personification and Imagery in Stories
Purpose and Cause and Effect in Stories
Symbolism and Hyperbole in Stories
Compare and Contrast
Career Research
Career Exploration
Research Paper
Learning Styles
The Importance of Work and Career
Non-fiction
Characteristics of Non-Fiction
Pre-Reading Strategies
Reading Non-Fiction Literature
Primary and Secondary Sources
MAJOR TOPICS AND CONCEPTS — SEGMENT B
Reading Skills
Character and Plot
Cause and Effect
Theme and Setting
Fact and Opinion
Compare and Contrast
Author’s Purpose
Point of View
Graphic Sources
Sequence
Main Idea and Detail
Drawing Conclusions
Generalizations
Historic Fiction: The Egypt Game
Historical Fiction
Nouns
Compare and Contrast
Verbs
Setting and Theme
Adjectives
Characterization
Adverbs
Author’s Purpose
Main Idea
Fiction: The Big Friendly Giant (The BFG)
Fiction
Conjunctions
Drawing Conclusions
Contractions
Cause and Effect
Sentences
Sequence
Punctuation and Capitalization
Generalizations
Fact and Opinion
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Exploring Wonderland
Puns
Metaphors
Dialogue
Imagery
Trial
Poetry
Plot Structure