Elementary 2 - English Language Arts

Course Description

Brain Power’s Elementary 2 course is designed to enable students to:

• Write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs
• Write solid personal, persuasive, and literary essays
• Improve reading comprehension
• Engage in discussion and debate
• Develop critical-thinking skills
• Improve their elementary-school grades and prepare for junior-high school

Elementary 2 focuses on the four key components of all our English Language Arts courses:

• Building sophisticated vocabularies
• Improving grammar skills
• Improving reading comprehension and critical/analytical skills
• Improving critical/analytical writing skills

In short, Elementary 2 will help students to excel in their elementary-school classes across a range of subject areas, while preparing them for the greater demands of junior-high school.

Course Structure:

Each class in the Elementary 2 year is designed to introduce them to essential literary terms and critical concepts, including:

• Irony
• Point of view / Narration
• Adaptation
• The Editorial
• Non-fiction
• Autobiography
• Satire
• Character
• Symbolism
• Imagery
• Theme
• Close Reading
• Historical Fiction / History as Fiction
• Philosophical Fiction

Key terms and concepts are returned to several times over the course of the year, in the context of different readings and assignments, ensuring not only that students retain what they have learned but that they can apply that knowledge in different contexts.

Course Evaluation:

Students will be evaluated on:

• Vocabulary homework
• Vocabulary quizzes
• Weekly in-class grammar exercises
• Weekly writing assignments
• Novel study (for 34-lesson course)
• Essay assignments
• Mid-term and final vocabulary exams
• Final exam