JUNIOR HIGH READING

Below you will find the curriculum guidelines for Junior High Reading. Reading serves many purposes and therefore classes will consist of different activities designed to improve all aspects of a student's reading ability. In order to increase students’ reading fluency, a six-minute daily fluency program will be implemented in all classes.  The SRA reading laboratory will be practiced every Friday to increase students’ reading comprehension skills. Students will also be required to read each night for homework. Part of this will be to answer a reading comprehension question designed to help them think about and better understand what they read. Students will read from many sources including class novels and books they choose from the library. Library books will be chosen using the web-based Book Adventure program and must be at or above their current reading level (as determined by the previous year's Terra Nova tests). Please note students will be required to complete one book review each quarter on a novel other than what is being read in class.  

SIXTH GRADE READING

COMPREHENSION

The Learner Will:

·        Arrange events in sequential order and degree of importance

·        Use parts of a book: footnotes and appendices to extend the meaning of the text

·        Compare and contrast graphic sources for information

·        Introduce and use more advanced reference materials to locate information; almanac, atlas, periodicals, internet, electronic card catalog

·        Demonstrate and understanding of literary elements and their functions

·        Identify and distinguish between literal and figurative language in context

·        Distinguish between the purpose and structure of fiction and non-fiction 

LITERARY APPRECIATION

The Learner Will:

·        Become familiar with styles of various authors

·        Form and substantiate opinions about literary works

·        Recognize how the development of characters, plot, setting, and theme contribute to the overall understanding and enjoyment of the literary work

·        Select and read a variety of materials from various authors and genres

·        Make sense of a variety of reading materials, making connections to students’ lives, to real world issues, and or to current events

·        Read for enjoyment

LITERARY CONCEPTS

The Learner Will:

·        Differentiate and formulate figurative and literal language

·        Recognize different types of fiction including folk literature, legends, and myths

·        Recognize and compose personification, simile, metaphor, alliteration, onomatopoeia, hyperbole

·        Identify and interpret elements of literature: plot, character, setting, and theme

·        Recognize expository, persuasive, descriptive, or narrative style

·        Differentiate between first and third person narratives

6TH GRADE READING LIST

1st Quarter: My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

2nd Quarter:  Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

3rd Quarter:  Bud, not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

4th Quarter: The Giver by Lois Lowry

 

7TH GRADE READING 

COMPREHENSION

The Learner Will:

·        Restate the meaning of a variety of reading materials, making connections to students’ lives, to the real world, and/or to current events

·        Recognize the variety of organizational patterns used to organize non-fiction texts

·        Use parts of a book: footnotes and appendices to further the meaning of the content

·        Use information from graphic sources to enhance the meaning of the text

·        Recognize and use advanced reference materials to locate information: almanac, atlas, periodicals, internet, electronic card catalog

·        Explain development of major and minor characters

·        Recognize the difference in meaning between literal and figurative language

 

LITERARY APPRECIATION

The Learner Will Continue to:

·        Articulate the styles of various authors

·        Substantiate and discuss personal opinions about literary works

·        Recognize how the development of characters, plot, setting, and theme contribute to the overall understanding and enjoyment of the literary work

·        Understand how literary and figurative language in texts influence an author’s style

·        Discover the meaning from a variety of reading materials, making connections to students’ lives, to real world issues, and/or to current events

·        Recognize the differences between omniscient, first and third person points of vies

·        Discuss personal opinion of literary works

·        Read a variety of genres for enjoyment 

 

LITE RARY CONCEPTS

The Learner Will:

·        Respond to and analyze meaning, literary techniques and elements of fiction of different literary genres

·        Recognize the use and purpose of more complex figurative language such as imagery and assonance

·        Identify the most appropriate resources to accomplish different research tasks

 

7TH GRADE READING LIST

1st Quarter: Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen

2nd Quarter: Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian

                    A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

3rd Quarter:  Crispin by Avi

4th Quarter:  Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

 

8TH GRADE READING

COMPREHENSION

The Learner Will:

·        Identify and analyze authors’ positions, main ideas, and techniques of support and persuasive materials

·        Interpret how meaning is influenced by authors’ use of language including dialect, word choice, and sentence structure

·        Summarize and synthesize the meaning of a variety of reading materials, making connections to students’ lives, to the real world, and/or to current events

·        Classify and differentiate between the variety of organizational patterns used to organize non-fiction texts

·        Use parts of a book: footnotes and appendices to further the meaning of the content

·        Apply information from graphic sources to enhance the meaning of the text

·        Recognize and use advanced reference materials to locate information: almanac, atlas, periodicals, internet, electronic card catalog

·        Distinguish between the style, function, and structure of fiction and non-fiction

·        Employ reading strategies to locate and apply information in varied print and non-print (e.g. computers, electronic media, interviews) resources for inquiry projects and other authentic tasks

 

LITERARY APPRECIATION

The Learner Will:

·        Recognize literary tradition of cultural groups

·        Articulate and differentiate between the styles of various authors

·        Substantiate and discuss personal opinions about literary works

·        Analyze and discuss how the development of characters, plot, setting and theme contribute to the overall understanding and enjoyment of the literary work

·        Understand how language, including literal and figurative, influences style and meaning of the text

·        Extend the meaning from a variety of reading materials, making applications to students’ lives, to real world issues, and or to current events

·        Recognize the difference between omniscient, first and third person points of view

·        Read a variety of genres for enjoyment

 

LITERARY CONCEPTS

The Learner Will:

·        Analyze the effectiveness of various technologies for specific purposes, audiences, and situations

·        Respond to and analyze meaning f literary techniques: figurative language, foreshadowing, characterization, and characters, setting, conflict/resolution, theme, point of view of different literary genres-novels, essays, short stories, poetry, drama

·        Recognize the use and purpose of more complex figurative language such as imagery and assonance

·        Identify the most appropriate resources to accomplish different types of research

8TH GRADE READING LIST

1st Quarter:  Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

2nd Quarter:  Snowbound by Harry Mazer

                     To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

3rd Quarter:  The Coffin Quilt by Ann Rinaldi

4th Quarter:  The Messenger by Lois Lowry