I think the general approach to summer school High School English was to address
basic ELA skills and keep addressing/building on them throughout the summer.
Summer school has to cover many skills on a remedial level and in a short time
period. Our unit topics included vocabulary, grammar, basic reading skills,
writing skills, theme, characterization, plot structure, and figurative
language.
Many students – my current students and summer
school students alike – need remediation in basic grammar concepts, which
students aren’t enthusiastic to learn and most teachers don’t like teaching as
a result. But the students need it. There are so many times I have asked my
students what part of speech a word is and they will list nouns, adjectives,
adverbs, prepositions, and verbs until they happen upon the correct answer.
They barely look at the sentence or understand how its parts work together.
Students are easily irritated about ‘relearning’ the basics, but they often
show they have weak understanding of sentence structure and other grammar
concepts. Understanding how a sentence works ultimately helps understanding in
punctuation, phrases, clauses, sentence types, sentence variety, and the
maturity of writing (if you are constantly building and developing these
skills). The writing skills unit will allow the students to further build
writing skills, especially in regards to extended writing, by completing
various writing assignments.
We included vocabulary and basic reading skills
to better reading comprehension. Students who are reading below grade level
struggle with comprehending on-grade level texts because of the higher level
vocabulary. Setting aside several days a week for vocabulary lessons ensures
that students are exposed to more words that relate to the text, as well as
teach them how to use context clues. Basic reading skills, such as making
inferences and understanding connotations of various words, increases reading
comprehension and builds toward analyzing texts.
With our characterization, plot structure, and
theme units we hit the main components of literary analysis. When anyone
discusses literature, movies, and so on, they frequently focus on how
characters change, the major themes of the piece and the sequencing of story’s
plot. Looking at these three in combination, we can discuss other concepts,
like author’s purpose, symbols, conflicts, and so on. Many narrative elements
are interconnected, so when you talk about one thing, such as plot structure,
you inevitably look at setting, characterization, conflict, point of view,
reoccurring ideas, and the author’s choices. The same goes for any other
narrative or literary element, except you (the reader) are choosing to assess
and break down the text through varying lenses.
Figurative language is the cherry on top. By
analyzing analogies, metaphors, and allusions, the student extends the amount
of critical thought they put into a text. You work beyond the literal structure
of the text and focus on little details that are normally brushed aside as insignificant.
Figurative language and the ability to interpret it can enhance a student’s
understanding of a text. It can also add a layer of complexity to their
writing.
English Language Arts is a vast subject with
numerous important concepts to cover, which is why we spend years developing
language arts skills. Despite the overwhelming nature of the subject, its
interconnectedness makes it possible to practice several skills all at once.
Did we cover everything possible for ELA? Definitely not. Does the course
provide/rebuild a strong foundation for ELA credit recovery students? Hopefully
yes.
(Have I been using this double rhetorical question
format too much recently? Probably. Will it stop soon? I hope so.)
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