Language Arts

This year we will be exploring the six traits of effective writing.  It is important to develop good writing skills and create a piece that is organized and understandable. 

Writing this year will be graded with the following six traits in mind:

Ideas

Organization

Sentence Fluency

Conventions

Word Choice

Voice

Click here to see more about each of these topics

Writing prompts

Carole Marsh Mysteries- we will begin our year learning about the Rainforest.  We will integrate our studies throughout the curriculum by using map skills to identify the regions of the world where rainforests are located... math skills and measurement of plants found in the rainforest...and reading a book about the Amazon- Carole Marsh Mystery: The Mystery in the Amazon Rainforest

As we explore the genre of mysteries, students will read a self-selected mystery.  Click here for some suggested reading.  There are many great mystery series out there.  Carole Marsh has written many to appeal to boys.

• Elements of a mystery-

• sleuth
•  suspects
• clues
• mystery/problem
• solution

Grammar Usage Mechanics (GUM)

Verbs -

Practice identifying verbs here

Verb practice game here

Verb tense practice to use in class

Reading theme - identify setting, plot or theme

GUM September

Comma usage- When do you use a comma?  There are many times to use commas...review them here

BBC website for comma usage and practice click here

Subject verb agreement - click here

Quotation marks - click here

Synonyms and antonyms-click here to review

Don't overuse a word- click here for the synonym and antonym generator...

Suffixes- lesson on suffixes click here

Homophones BBC factsheet to review click here

Possessives review the use of possessives click here

GUM  October

• Prefixes click here

• Prefixes at BBC website click here

• Nouns- play gorilla grammar to identify nouns, verbs and more

• How to write a bibliography-lesson here

1. For each source listed, begin first line at margin and indent each line that follows.
2. Follow punctuation of the examples exactly.
3. If you cannot find some information, such as author or place of publication, just leave it out.
4. Arrange all sources in one list, alphabetically by first word, which will generally be either the author's last name or the first important word of the title.

More information about bibliographies.... click here

GUM November

Apostrophe to show possession

Syllables - Practice and review syllabication

Syllables explained and practiced - click here

BBC syllable rules click here

Using a dictionary pronunciation key -click here

Forming verbs and using adverbs - lesson here

Brainpop lesson on adjectives and adverbs - click here

Recognize double negatives- lesson and review

Compound words-click here for lesson and review

more on compound words- Jan Brett

Fun game to play with compound words- here

Fact vs. Opinions-Lesson and fact sheet click here

Personal pronouns- lesson link

Brainpop on personal pronouns Click Here

Summarizing skills - BBC factsheets that work on summarizing skills

Cause and effect

comparative and superlative

folktales- Seven common characteristics of folktales lesson here

More characteristics folktales have in common

Folktales on the web

appositive use of comma

use of a colon

Mythology- explore mythology

Quotation marks lesson here

Ellipses review here

Underlining and italics

prepositions - learn about prepositions here

preposition song - click here

Review nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives

Newbery Scholars:  Students are encouraged to read Newbery Award winning books.  Students that read 10 Newbery Award winning books and complete a book report detailing the plot and characters of the story will receive a Newbery Scholar certificate at the end of the school year. 

The following are Newbery Award books for our class: