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MARK TWAIN / BAY ACADEMY PREP COURSE

Mark Twain/Bay Academy Prep for Computer-Math & Science and Creative Writing Admission Exams
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SchoolPlus English classes in

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  class   grade   time   teacher   description
   English 4      4-5    9:00 - 9:45    Aidan O Connor      Spring\'20


The goal of this 4th grade ELA class is to not only improve students’ ELA skills in the short term, but also introduce strong reading strategies and habits that will help students’ skills improve for years to come. The goal is also to ensure students perform to the best of their abilities on the State Exam.

Each student will finish the course with a reliable and well-developed foundation to build off in the ELA subject area. The course will tackle fiction reading, non-fiction reading, figurative language, active reading, a few ELA test-taking strategies, basic grammar, analyzing text and more. The class will also provide test prep for the 4th grade NY State Exams. Scores on these exams can be very important for students looking to gain acceptance to new Middle Schools.

Much of class and homework will involve reading and responding to text (age and grade appropriate material). Digesting complex text is an invaluable skill in both high school and college. Building strong focus and mental stamina at this age will benefit your child immensely in the years to come.

The course will focus mostly on reading comprehension and writing with a very small amount of grammar.

Students can expect 30 minutes to 1 hour of homework each week. 
   English 6      5-6    9:50 - 10:35    Aidan O Connor      Spring\'20

ELA 6 will be a reading and writing enhancement course based on the sixth-grade level. The class may also be feasible for advanced 5th-grade students.

The Reading aspect of the course will be roughly 1/3 non-fiction material and 2/3 fiction material. It will focus on building advanced comprehension skills such as identifying motifs, arguments, theses, and the author\'s inspirations and goals. The class will also prepare students for the 6th grade State ELA Exam with test strategies, explanation of the exam, and practice. The writing aspect of the course will split its focus between persuasive, fact-based writing and creative, personal-based writing. The class will also feature a small amount of grammar.

Assignments will include persuasive essays, personal essays, literary-response essays, and poetry. The first half of the course will lean towards persuasive, fact-based writing (research papers, persuasive writing), the class will then send some time prepping for the State Exam in April and then will move to more creative processes in the tail end of the course.

Expect ~1 hour of homework per week, mostly writing based. Feel free to contact me with any questions about the course. 
   English 2      2    Mon 6:10-6:55    Dianela Firpo       
   English 3/4      3/4    Mo 3:45-4:45    Elizabeth Breau      Animal Stories and Nature: (grades 3-4)

In this class, we will read a variety of fables, folk tales, fairy tales, and book-length stories about animals to see what they have to teach us about ourselves and how we should act in the world. We will supplement our reading by exploring how animals act in the wild and how we can help to protect them in a time of global climate change.

The class will use a combination of online and print sources. Students will be asked to read, discuss, write, and complete activities about the stories and what they can teach us.

Possible Texts Include:

Anansi Stories http://www.anansistories.com/

Brer Rabbit https://www.americanfolklore.net/folklore/brer-rabbit/

Aesop’s Fables https://aesopsfables.org/
The Incredible Journey (to order) https://www.amazon.com/s?k=incredible+journey+book&i=stripbooks&crid=O7NIFWP0DY4J&sprefix=incred%2Cstripbooks%2C162&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_8_6

Old Yeller (to order) https://www.amazon.com/s?crid=38QIOZEE7TZJ0&i=stripbooks&k=old%20yeller%20paperback&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_5_10&sprefix=old%20yeller%2Cstripbooks%2C156&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks

The Black Stallion (to order) https://www.amazon.com/Black-Stallion-Walter-Farley/dp/0679813438/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3LHK1TQX6069G&dchild=1&keywords=black+stallion+walter+farley&qid=1585166787&s=books&sprefix=black+stallion%2Cstripbooks%2C388&sr=1-1&swrs=025334C60111F1266847EB2D7F402014 
   English 4a      5/6    Mo 5:00-6:00    Elizabeth Breau      Greek Mythology (grades 5-6)

Greek mythology has had a tremendous influence on our culture. It appears in our language, our science, and our stories. References to Greek myths and the gods and goddesses who populate them act as a kind of cultural shorthand that all well-educated people are expected to know. We will explore what these stories have to teach us about good and evil, virtue and vice, human nature, family relationships, and why it’s always a good idea to listen to the instructions.

In addition to the texts listed below, we will supplement our learning with a variety of online resources. Students will be asked to read, discuss, and write about the myths they read and to explore their ongoing importance in today’s world.

Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods, by Rick Riordan

My Ancient Greek Activity Book (free download) file:///C:/Users/EndUser/Desktop/ancient_greece_activity_booklet.pdf 
   English Debate      9/10        Lane Lawrence       
   English VC SAT          Sun 10:00-11:30    Lane Lawrence       
   English Writing 7      7-8    Fri 6:00-7:00    Lane Lawrence      Intensive Writing
This course will have weekly writing assignments and some review of the basic tenets of writing. There also be advanced vocabulary studies and an expectation for the students to use the vocabulary in their writing. The advantages that summer study grants the student is that in the Fall, the student will be advanced from their peers, and prepared for the PSAT, SAT, ACT and other writing tests. All assignments submitted will be reviewed and returned promptly, for possible re-submission