English Language Arts 2 (Grade 5-6)

In this class, we will explore the craft and art form of the English language through reading, writing, grammar study, and critical thinking. This class is designed to assist parents in meeting California state CORE standards for language arts. Although it is designed to meet the requirements of a full English curriculum, parents may choose to supplement or add to their child's education as needed. This class will include reading and writing that must be completed at home. Assignments will be given recommended grading (see below). If Students need additional time to work on projects due to significant absences. Please contact me so that we can discuss possible solutions.

Recommended Grading

As an enrichment facilitator, I do not grade your students. Your student's final grade for the subject year will be determined by you and/or your child’s assigned charter teacher. However, I will provide a recommended grade for student work and for the year overall. Grades can be accessed by creating a parent account to observe your child’s progress in Canvas. Recommended grades will be given as a percentage based on work completed, attendance, and participation.

Homework and Short Assignments: 

All homework and Assignments are due on Tuesdays or the first day they return to class after it was due. Each Quarter, Students will be given a short assignment to work on over the course of that quarter. Full assignment details will be sent home with your student at the beginning of each quarter, but can also be accessed on the Canvas learning platform. Homework is worth 20 points each week and students will be given 5,10,15 or 20 points based on completeness

Quizzes: 

Weekly quizzes will be given on Tuesdays to test reading comprehension and spelling in the chosen novel and learning concepts for the quarter.

Required Texts: 

Students must bring their texts to class, However, Students only need to bring the text for each of the specific quarters listed below. There is no need to carry four books around all year. You can use the ISBN numbers below to order the editions we will be using in class. Please check with me before deciding to use alternate editions of the text, as some of them are specific abridged translations to make them more accessible to younger readers.

Q1 – Beowulf – ISBN 978-0763672973

Q2 – A Christmas Carol – ISBN 978-0486817965

Q3 – Call of the Wild – ISBN 978-1954839144

Q4 – Hellen Keller: The Story of My Life – ISBN 978-0486292496

Attendance 

As we only meet two times weekly, attendance is incredibly important for students to remain on pace in this course. Students may miss up to 4 times per semester without a negative impact on their grades. Beyond that, attendance grades will be figured out on a case-by-case basis. All absences will be marked in Canvas during the semester for tracking purposes. The attendance percentage will then be adjusted at the end of the semester.

Student Engagement and Participation 

Throughout our class, we will engage in various classroom activities and conversations. Extra credit points may be earned by excellence and leadership in the classroom.

Canvas Online learning platform. 

For this class, I use the Canvas learning platform primarily as a grade book, attendance, and a backup for you in case your child loses a handout or needs clarity on an assignment. As such, I do need all students to enroll in the course on Canvas. However, you only need to interact with Canvas as much as you need or want to. Below is the canvas enrollment link:

 https://canvas.instructure.com/enroll/ED4PEG Alternatively, you can sign up at https://canvas.instructure.com/register and use the following join code: ED4PEG