Educational Services Division » Middle School English-Language Arts

Middle School English-Language Arts

The Fountain Valley School District Middle School English-Language Arts department follows the California Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy. FVSD students read complex, rigorous fiction and non-fiction texts, frequently write to produce full-length and shorter brief writes, practice speaking and listening, and develop their language skills throughout their three years in middle school. Teachers have developed two shared Units of Study taught at all three of our middle schools to deliver high-quality, standards-based instruction. 

 

During each unit, students read a rigorous core text, analyze connected non-fiction text, participate in instructional strategies such as "close reading" and Socratic Seminar, and complete a culminating writing assessment. Student writing is assessed using specific grade-level rubrics that help ensure consistency of expectations across grade levels and school sites.

 

All middle school students have access to Chrome Books in their ELA classroom. They also use the Google Suite tools to create, revise, and finalize their writing. 

 
Novel Units of Study - Trimester 1
6th Grade: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
7th Grade: Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen
8th Grade: The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett
 
Novel Units of Study - Trimester 2
6th Grade: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
7th Grade: The Giver by Lois Lowry
8th Grade: Lord of the Flies by William Golding
 
Novel Units of Study - Trimester 3
6th Grade: Sylvia & Aki by Winifred Conkling 
7th Grade: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
8th Grade: Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lai 
 
Links to resources