Language Arts Level 2

Academic Year Language Arts

In the Level 2 course, a captivating fantasy narrative engages students as they practice high-level reading, writing, and grammar skills. When mysterious spells begin troubling the fantasy kingdom of Wondermoore, students are tasked with using their literary know-how to break the spells and restore the magic of the fantasy world. Teaming up with Greenie, a grammar-loving lizard, students hone their grammar skills and effectively complete their spell-busting writing projects.

Unit Breakdown

As the course progresses, each unit’s writing project develops in complexity and rigor. Students discover the power of their words by first conquering well-crafted sentences, then composing single paragraphs, and finally creating organized and detailed multi-paragraph pieces.

In the first unit, students develop fundamental informational reading and writing skills as they create their own informational texts about magical creatures.

In the second unit, students practice character analysis, studying various fantasy characters to whom they write descriptive letters as part of a fantasy pen pal program.

In the third unit, students practice their powers of persuasion, crafting opinion pieces about fairy tales.

In the fourth unit, students utilize the skills they have gained throughout the course to craft original narratives that demonstrate examples of character growth.

What happens in class?

While each lesson introduces new concepts, every meeting will provide students with the opportunity to:

• Learn a new reading or writing strategy
• Learn and apply new grammar concepts
• Learn and apply new vocabulary words
• Analyze and discuss in-class readings

Homework

Students should expect to spend 1-2 hours on homework every week by completing weekly reading assignments and answering homework questions online. Homework includes a combination of reading comprehension questions, vocabulary activities, and writing assignments. Students will receive immediate feedback on their multiple choice homework assignments, and teacher feedback on certain home writing assignments.

Exams

Students will take a short exam at the end of each unit. Each exam covers the grammar skills, vocabulary, and key reading and writing concepts taught throughout the unit.

Teacher Feedback

Students will receive direct oral and written feedback from their teacher during class, especially during writing time. This in-person feedback is key in helping students revise and improve their writing. At the end of each quarter, students will submit a final draft of a piece of writing and receive evaluative written feedback from their teacher.

Course Texts

• My Encyclopedia of Very Important Things
• Soupy Saturdays
• The Other Side of the Story
• Mighty Meg: 4 Books in 1!

Note: To ensure students have the best experience, it is recommended that they do not read the course texts before class starts.

Syllabus

Schedule in 2023-24

All times Pacific.