This course is available in the Fall only and must be taken with Gifted and Talented Literature Study 4 (click here).
Description:
Connections Academy’s Gifted and Talented Language Arts 4 course
provides students opportunities to work at an accelerated pace, while
engaging in more complex and challenging instructional activities.
Students are provided opportunities for increased student-teacher
interaction and discussion, as well as increased interaction with their
peers. Oral language skills are developed with instruction in oral
compositions, interviews, and discussion. Writing skills are reinforced
with instruction in spelling, handwriting, grammar, and language usage.
Classic and award-winning children’s literature carries students across
oceans and through centuries as tales of adventure unfold.
Units:
Puzzles and Mysteries
In
this unit, your student will explore puzzles and mysteries while
wondering about the question, "Is there an explanation for
everything?" She will be exposed to various works of both fiction and
nonfiction including historical fiction, realistic fiction, biographies,
a play, and expository nonfiction. In addition, your student will read From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E. L. Konigsburg, the story of Claudia Kincaid and her younger
brother, Jamie, who decide to run away to the Museum of Art in New York
City. Comprehension skills focus on writing traits such as compare and
contrast, character and setting, graphic sources, and plot. Your student
will also visualize, ask questions, and use prior knowledge to better
understand text. Fluency skills will be modeled through the Read
Aloud. The grammar skills stressed in this unit are the use of pronouns,
contractions and negatives. Your student will also practice the
following writing traits, sentences, focus/ideas, voice, conventions,
and organization. In addition, your student will study spelling
patterns, prefixes, contractions, and the consonant sounds /j/, /ks/,
and /kw/. Finally, your student will use the traits and strategies from
this unit to create a business letter.
Adventure by Land, Air and Water
In
this unit, your student will explore adventures by land, air, and
water. Through the readings of both fiction and nonfiction, she will
develop her own ideas about what makes an adventure. Focused reading
skills include sequence, drawing conclusions, main idea, author's
purpose and compare and contrast. Your student will also review the
concept of this unit, which is theme. Throughout the unit, your student
will continue to learn vocabulary strategies such as using context clues
and analyzing word structure. Fluency skills when reading are also
highlighted. Your student will practice the writing traits of voice,
word choice and focus/ideas, and she will also use adverbs, adjectives,
and prepositions in writing. Spelling instruction addresses
multisyllabic words, the V/CV and VC/V pattern, Greek word parts, Latin
roots and related words. Finally, your student will use the traits and
strategies from this unit to create an opinion essay.
Reaching for Goals
In
this unit, your student will explore the theme of reaching for
goals. The stories in this unit connect to science and social studies.
He will read several biographies and realistic fiction stories, as well
as works of nonfiction. Comprehension skills focus on cause and effect,
fact and opinion, character and theme, generalizing, and using graphic
sources. Vocabulary strategies include analyzing word struture, using
context clues, and using resources such as a dictionary or glossary to
learn the meaning of new words. Throughout the unit, fluency rules will
be modeled. Your student will explore punctuation and capitalization
rules and he will practice the writing traits of organization,
sentences, conventions, and focus/ideas. Spelling instruction addresses
various prefixes and suffixes as well as words with silent consonants
and schwa. Finally, your student will use the traits and strategies from
this unit to create an informational article.
Course Sets
Lesson Manual/Course Guide
- Gifted Language Arts 4 A and B Course Guide
Online Text/eBook
- Partial iText Scott Foresman Reading Street 4