In September, the students completed a "Selfie" booklet which told me a bit about themselves, what they did during the summer, and some goals that they would like to achieve in ELA this year. Then we discussed the 8 multiple intelligences. They completed surveys to determine which ones they prefer when learning, and when choosing activities outside of school. They completed a booklet on paragraphs where they practised picking out the main ideas, topic sentences, ideas that didn't relate to the topic sentence, specific details which support the topic sentence, and putting sentences into a logical sequence. The students learned how to use a graphic organizer plan to help them organize a paragraph before they write it.
We have spent the past few weeks learning about types of sentences, end punctuation, subject and predicate, and nouns. They will not be expected to memorize all of these grammar concepts. It is being taught to make them more aware of them when writing sentences. The students were shown how to color code a paragraph in order to help them understand the concepts of topic and conclusion sentences, main/big idea sentences, and supporting detail sentences, and the order in which they appear in a paragraph. They practised a few paragraphs, both orally and written, and we corrected them in class. I also introduced the idea of adding transition/linking words to paragraphs to help one sentence flow to the next. Last week they completed a plan and a rough copy for a paragraph which was then typed in Google Classroom. Yesterday they were asked to proofread/edit/revise their work using a 15 item checklist. This paragraph should now be turned in on Google Classroom. We have also been working on reading comprehension assignments, learning about “previewing” a nonfiction text before they read it, and we discussed strategies for answering multiple choice questions based on a narrative text. Next week, the students will start working on a “Passion” project. They will choose a favorite activity which they are passionate about doing outside of school, or a favorite unique vacation that they have been on, in order to write a 5 paragraph report. They will also eventually prepare a short oral presentation about their passion to share with the class. I will let you know about exact completion dates later, but they will be working on the report in class over the next 2 weeks. I will explain the format of the report to them next week.
Homework will generally not be assigned to the students, as they will usually be given adequate time in class to complete their assignments, if they are using their class time effectively. I would strongly recommend that they read at home on a regular basis to help them to develop their vocabulary and comprehension skills.
