English Language Arts Summer School

Summer 2013

July 8-August 8

ESY: July 1-August 9

8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Grades 1:

Writing Standard:

1. “Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.”

6. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

7. “Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of ‘how-to’ books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of illustrations).”

Reading Standard:

8. “Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in the text.”

9. “Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).”

Grade 2

Writing Standard:

1. “Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g. because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

6. With the guidance and support for adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g. read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).

Reading Standard (Informational Text):

1. “Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.”

7. “Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.”

9. “Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.”

Grade 3

Writing Standard:

1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

a. Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state, and opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.

b. Provide reasons that support the opinion.

c. Use linking words and phrases to connect opinion and reasons

d. Provide a concluding statement or section.

Reading Standard (Informational Text):

5. Use text features and search tools to locate information relevant to a given topic.

6. Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.

9. Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.

Grade 4

Writing Standard:

1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose.

b. Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.

c. Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases.

d. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.

Reading Standards:

  1. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
  2. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text
  3. Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Grade 5:

Writing Standards:

a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose.

b. Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.

c. Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases.

d. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.

Reading Standards:

  1. Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
  2. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s),
  3. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Grade 6:

Writing Standards:

  1. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
  2. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources.
  3. b. Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

Reading Standards (Informational Text)
1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

7. Integrate information presented in different media or formats as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

8. Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported not by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

Grade 7:

Writing Standards:

  1. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
  2. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
  3. b. Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound ant the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claim.

Reading Standards (Informational Text):

1. Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

7. Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium’s portrayal of the subject.

8. Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.

9. Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.

Grades 1 and 2:

Using two core informational texts, the students will participate in read-alouds and read-alongs. The students will use talk moves to discuss what they liked about the book and what they did not like, using specific examples from the text. The students will create story boards that illustrate their opinion of the book. Additionally, the students willfind another book on the same topic, using the school’s library and/or the classroom library. (Option: Walking trip to Orange Public Library to obtain library cards and to take out a book on their topics.) Using the additional books from the topics selected, the students will prepare a speech that includes facts about their topic and the opinion they have formed about the author’s ability to explain the facts, using their original illustrations to support their statements. The illustrations can be hand-drawn, glogsters, or Prezis.

Grades 3-7:

  1. Presented with a controversial issue, the students will research the issue, using reliable reference sources.
  2. The students will use the writing process to develop an argument essay, discussing both sides of the issue and determining which side has the most validity.
  3. The students will analyze published political cartoons. The students will create their own political cartoon, based on the controversial issue they have chosen.
  4. The students will use the research from their controversial issue to work in teams to prepare to debate the issue. The students will not know which side they have (pro or con) until the debate begins. The winning team from each grade level will participate in a culminating debate at a single site.
  5. Culminating Activity:
  1. Debate
  2. Original Political Cartoon Displays

Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality, and Range of StudentReading

Grade 1:

A Tree is a Plant, Clyde Robert Bulla, 1960

Starfish, Edith Thacher Hurd, 2962

Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean, Arthur Dorros, 1991

From Seed to Pumpkin, Wendy Pfeffer, 2004

How People Learned to Fly, Fran Hodgkins and True Kelley

Grade 2:

A Medieval Feast, Aliki, 1983

From Seed to Plant, Gail Gibbons, 1991

The Story of Ruby Bridges, Robert Coles, 1995

A Drop of Water: A Book of Science andWonder, Walter Wick, 1997

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, Brian Floca, 2009

How to Build Knowledge Systematically in English Language Arts

Grade 1:

Under Your Skin: Your Amazing Body, Mick Manning, 2007

Me and My Amazing Body, Joan Sweeney, 1999

The Human Body, Gallimard Jeunesse, 2007

The Busy Body Book, Lizzy Rockwell, 2008

First Encyclopedia of the Human Body, Fiona Chandler, 2004

Germs Make Me Sick, MarilynBerger. 1995

Tiny Life on Your Body, Christine Taylor-Butler

Germ Stories, Arthur Kornberg, 2007

All about Scabs, Genichiro Yagu, 1998

Grade 2:

What Happens to a Hamburger, Paul Showers, 1985

The Digestive System, Christine Taylor-Butler, 2008

The Mighty Muscular and Skeletal Systems, Crabtree Publishing, 2009

Muscles, Seymour Simon, 1998

The Nervous System, Joelle Riley, 2004

Controversial Issues:

Grade 3:

  1. Are we too dependent on computers?
  2. Are actors and actresses paid too much money?
  3. Do violent video games cause behavior problems?
  4. Is homework helpful or harmful?
  5. Should students be allowed to grade their teachers?
  6. Should animals be used for scientific research?
  7. Should drivers of automobiles be prohibited from using cellular phones?
  8. Forests are the lungs of the earth. Should the rain forests’ destructions be prohibited?
  9. Can cheating help students learn?
  10. Who has a better education platform, the Democrats or the Republicans?

Grade 4:

  1. Should the government have a say in our diets?
  2. Is a lottery a good idea?
  3. Is it ever permissible to cheat?
  4. Are cell phones dangerous?
  5. Should companies market to children?
  6. Should the government have a say in our diets?
  7. Should English be the official language in the United States?
  8. Should Olympic athletes be paid or should they be amateurs?
  9. Is fashion important?
  10. Who has the better health care platform, the Democrats or the Republicans?

Grade 5:

  1. Do curfews keep children and teenagers out of trouble?
  2. Are test scores a good indication of a school’s competency?
  3. Are Chief Economic Officers (CEOs) paid too much?
  4. Are beauty pageants exploitive?
  5. Does participation in sports keep students out of trouble?
  6. Are girls too mean to each other?
  7. Should restrictions be placed on the use of mobile phones in public areas like restaurants and theaters?
  8. Does gun control reduce crime, or does it make people unable to defend themselves?
  9. Which sport best represents American culture, football or basketball?
  10. Who has the better economic platform, the Democrats or the Republicans?

Grade 6:

  1. Is our election process fair?
  2. Are there cases when censorship can be morally justified?
  3. Should the government provide health care?
  4. Should animal experimentation be permitted?
  5. Is our election process fair?
  6. Should boys and girls be in same gender classes or should classes have both boys and girls?
  7. Does modern day communication via social networks put an end to true and sincere relationships?
  8. Should countries drill for oil in protected areas to reduce gas prices?
  9. Does homework help students learn more?
  10. Who has the better foreign policy platform, the Democrats or the Republicans?

Grade 7:

  1. Are law enforcement cameras an invasion of privacy?
  2. When should parents let teens make their own decisions?
  3. Does religion cause war?
  4. Is Facebook the end of privacy or the beginning of a new era?
  5. Who has the better immigration policy platform, the Democrats or the Republicans?
  6. Should a college be mandatory for all graduating high school seniors?
  7. Does the “glass ceiling” exist for women in the workplace?
  8. Should all motorcycle riders in all states be required by law to wear helmets?
  9. Who has the better gun control platform, the Democrats or the Republicans?
  10. Is the death penalty effective?