FIFTH GRADE. This year our composition focus is on the development of a story.

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1 Table of Contents Table of Contents... 1 Introduction.. 2 First Grade... 4 Second Grade. 8 Third Grade. 14 Fourth Grade Fifth Grade Sixth Grade. 36 Seventh Grade 45 Eighth Grade Ninth Grade. 55 Tenth Grade 55 Eleventh Grade Suggested Activities and Resources Composition List. 63 Map Skills. 64 Worksheets & Other Reproducibles 65

2 Introduction The purpose of this book is to provide the confidence and the resources you need to teach your children grammar and composition with what they're already reading. Particularly if you're using unit studies, you may want to draw from related texts and create your own grammar assignments. I have included definitions and basic explanations and, where necessary for understanding, a few examples, but have intentionally kept explanation and examples to a minimum so that you don t get bogged down in "fluff". This is not intended to be a textbook; it's intended to be a guide for you, the teacher. It does not contain assignments. If you're looking for something with lessons laid out for you, this is not what you want. The sentence structure portions of this guide are based on Dr. Edward Vavra's KISS (Keep It Simple, Silly) approach to grammar. You can read all about this approach on his website: Dr. Vavra's method is, indeed, simple, but it is superb. It does not, however, address most punctuation issues, nor does it address any English topics (such as composition) outside of grammar. My intent was to create a complete course of study, based on the wonderful theory used for Dr. Vavra's excellent grammar program. I have kept the introduction of ideas as conceptual as possible. For this reason, subjects may not always be introduced according to the same timeline used in traditional schools. (That means this method may not be desirable for those who are homeschooling short-term.) In the lists of topics to be covered each year, the KISS concepts are in bold type so you can identify them easily. Most of the information about identifying constructions which relates to these KISS concepts originated with Dr. Vavra, and there is more information about each of these concepts at the KISS website. I strongly encourage you to read it. The instructional material, in particular, is invaluable. Going back and covering just the KISS concepts is also great remediation (even for teachers!) for sentence structure and parts of speech. It is probably not a bad review for those preparing to study a foreign language, either. Many of my definitions come from Warriner's English Grammar and Composition (Complete Course). If you can get your hands on a copy of this book, I also recommend it as a reference. Some years the list of concepts will seem to be very long. However, many of them are tied together very closely. For example, opening, body, and closing paragraphs, topic sentences, and supporting details are all aspects of reportwriting. When addressed as a unit, the number of concepts should not be as overwhelming as it seems at first glance.

3 There are some activities you will probably want to use routinely. Writing from dictation is a good way to expose your student to good writing. To do this, you will read - or "dictate" - the passage to him and he will write it down. You, or he, can correct any spelling, punctuation, etc. when he's finished. (It's a good idea, especially if the selected passage uses unconventional wording or punctuation, to let the student look over the passage prior to the dictation.) You may want to allow younger students to copy the passages directly, rather than writing them from dictation. Memorization is another skill that should be started early and continued. Use short quotes or passages for younger children and build up to longer pieces for older students. It's also a good idea to require a student to recite some of the memorized pieces. Of course, it's important that the student be exposed to a wide variety of both poetry and prose. Don't worry about pointing out errors except in concepts you've already covered. What the student hasn't learned yet he'll learn later, and you can correct it then, if necessary. This book is also designed to be flexible. Use it as a starting point, but rearrange it a bit, if necessary, to meet your needs. No new concepts are introduced in twelfth grade. There are several reasons for this. Many homeschoolers graduate a year early. If this is your desire for your student you shouldn't feel the need to cram two years into one. Even if your student plans to graduate according to schedule, you are left with two options. You can spread the concepts out a bit more if you need to for a slower learner. You can also introduce the concepts according to the schedule given here, leaving an extra year for practice of all of the concepts. I've included grammar, composition, library skills, and literature appreciation skills. You will need to provide appropriate reading materials (and assignments) for a high school level literature education (American Literature and British Literature), but the necessary terminology should be included here. This guide does not cover phonics, either, so if your student does not read yet you will need to select an appropriate phonics program. I recommend either The Writing Road to Reading or TATRAS (Teach America to Read and Spell), both of which are very good but inexpensive, although, of course, you can use whatever program you prefer. I believe this guide is complete, but if you come across something you believe I've omitted, please let me know.

4 FIFTH GRADE This year our composition focus is on the development of a story. Concepts: Continue S/V/C Sentence Structure (See Fourth Grade) Continue Subjects (See Fourth Grade) Continue Verbs (See Fourth Grade) Continue Complements (See Fourth Grade) Continue Adjectives (See Fourth Grade) Continue Adverbs (See Fourth Grade) Continue Modifiers (See Fourth Grade) Root/Base Words, Prefixes, & Suffixes Etymology (vocabulary) Syllables Quotations & Quotation Marks Parts of a Story Introduction/Exposition Rising Action Climax Falling Action Resolution/Denouement Conflict Narration Voice Point of View Dialogue Character Development Plot Foreshadowing Foil Play Lines of a Play Comedy & Tragedy Concordance Decision-Making Resources: ROOT WORD: A root word is the form of a word after all affixes are removed. It is the main part of the word. ("Base word" is another term for the same thing.) PREFIX: A prefix is something affixed (attached) to the beginning of a word to form a derivative word.

5 SUFFIX: A suffix is something affixed to the end of a word to form a derivative word. ETYMOLOGY: Etymology is the history of words, or the study of that history. SYLLABLE: A syllable is a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme. It is capable of being pronounced with a single impulse of the voice. There really is no simple definition of a syllable. You should be able to show the student what a syllable is without the definition as syllables, too, are an intuitive concept. Rule: A word with double consonants should nearly always be divided between the consonants. (For the exception, see the following rule.) Rule: Words with affixes (prefixes and/or suffixes) should be divided between the prefix and the root or between the root and the suffix. QUOTATION: A quotation is something somebody said. DIRECT QUOTATION: A direct quotation is a person's exact words. INDIRECT QUOTATION: An indirect quotation tells what someone said, without using his exact words. Rule: Enclose a direct quotation in quotation marks. Rule: Begin a direct quotation with a capital letter if it is a complete sentence. Rule: If the direct quotation is a complete sentence, set it off by commas and/or a question mark or exclamation point. Ex. He said, "I heard a pulse." "Are you certain?" she asked. Rule: Commas and periods always go inside closing quotation marks. Rule: Semicolons and colons always go outside closing quotation marks. Rule: Question marks and exclamation points go inside closing quotation marks if the quotation is a question or exclamation; otherwise they go outside.

6 Rule: Only one comma or end mark is used at the end of a quotation. (For example, you don't use a question mark inside the quotation marks and a period outside.) Rule: When writing dialogue, begin a new paragraph whenever a new person begins speaking. Rule: When one direct quotation is longer than a paragraph, use quotation marks at the beginning of every paragraph. Only use quotation marks at the end of the last paragraph, however, not each. Rule: Use single quotation marks to enclose a quotation within a quotation. Ex. Mary told me, "In school today we read 'Paul Revere's Ride'." Rule: Use quotation marks to enclose slang terms, technical terms, and other words or phrases which are unusual in standard English. (Be careful not to overdo this.) The five major parts of a story are the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The introduction of the story is just that - the part that introduces it. This is the beginning of the story and "sets the stage". It usually describes the setting and introduces the characters. (This is also called the "exposition".) The rising action is the part of the story where the conflict develops. It is a series of actions which create tension and it builds up to the climax. The climax is the turning point of the story. This is the moment that everything is decided in the resolution of the conflict. The falling action is shorter than the rising action and sometimes barely even exists. This consists of the events which happen after the climax and lead to the complete resolution.

7 The resolution is the conclusion, the end, the tying together of the story. This is the very end, when the conflict is completely resolved. (This is also called the "denouement".) CONFLICT: The conflict is the problem of a story. There are 3 basic types of conflict. These are: 1. individual vs. (against) individual 2. individual vs. nature, God, or circumstances 3. individual vs. self Sometimes the second type is limited to nature and two other types are added - individual vs. supernatural and individual vs. technology, for a total of five types. Or, sometimes another category is added - individual vs. society, for a total of four. You can, of course, use whichever breakdown you prefer. I believe this one is the simplest - the conflict is with the character himself, with another person, or with other external circumstances. PROTAGONIST: The protagonist is the main character in a literary work. ANTAGONIST: The antagonist is the primary character who is opposed to the protagonist. NARRATE: To narrate is to tell, or to give an account. A narrator is one who narrates. This means that he's the one who tells a story. A narration is the story/account itself. VOICE: Voice is the manner of expression of an author. That's the official definition, but it isn't really very helpful. "Voice" in composition always refers to the same thing - whether you're writing in first person, second person, or third person. First person tends to use the pronoun "I". A first person story is written as if it is told by the character the story is about. Ex. I went to the store. I heard a cannon. I trimmed my fingernails. Second person uses the pronoun "you". It is written as if the reader (the "second person" if the narrator is the first) is also the one the story is about. It isn't used very often. Ex. You went to the store. You heard a cannon. You trimmed your fingernails.

8 Third person uses the pronouns "he" and "she". It is written as if it is about someone else (a "third person," if the narrator is the first and the reader is the second). Ex. He went to the store. She heard a cannon. He trimmed his nails. POINT OF VIEW: The point of view is the "vantage point" from which the story is told. Point of view includes the voice with which a story is told. It also includes another aspect - omniscience. An omniscient narrator knows everything about every part of the story, kind of like God. He is not limited to what one character would normally see, know, and feel. Limited omniscience means that the narrator is limited to describing what only a few characters experience. Limited objectivity means that the narrator is limited to only what he personally experiences. (This will usually be the case in a first-person narrative.) DIALOGUE: Dialogue is conversation between two or more people. There are two main types of characters - flat characters and round characters. A flat character is a character who does not change at all throughout the story. He is described once and that description is all we have of him throughout the story. A round character is one who grows, develops, and otherwise changes throughout the story. For example, imagine a story about a young man attending college. We may see his algebra professor once or twice when the student is leaving class. That professor is a flat character. The student, however, should be a round character because he should grow in the process of the story. The student should learn to create a character sketch for each of the main characters in a story he is planning to write. This should include the basics - the age, sex, and physical appearance of the character, for example - but should go beyond that. The student should learn to imagine the character as a real person and create his personality and background. He should learn to understand what his character would do in a given situation and why. (You may want to start by asking the student to create character sketches of characters in his reading; then move on to his writing.) PLOT: The plot is the pattern of events or the main story in a narrative. FORESHADOWING: Foreshadowing is a literary technique which uses vague advance indications of something to represent it before it happens. Ex. The Old Testament foreshadows Christ's death with the Passover. FOIL: A foil is a character who contrasts with another (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight him.

9 PLAY: A play is a literary work written for performance on the stage. LINES OF A PLAY: The lines of a play are the words intended to be spoken by the actors. These are accompanied by the names of the characters who should speak them. COMEDY: A comedy is a light and humorous drama with a happy ending. TRAGEDY: A tragedy is a drama in which the protagonist is overcome by some superior force or circumstance and which incites fear or pity. CONCORDANCE: A concordance is an alphabetical index of all the words in a text or group of texts, showing every occurrence of a word with its immediate context. The student should learn to use a concordance, particularly a biblical concordance, such as Strong's. The student should learn to follow a logical process when making a decision. He should: 1. Identify the problem (what he's trying to decide) 2. Determine what options are available 3. Consider the costs and the benefits of each option 4. Choose the option he believes is best and act on the decision 5. Learn from the decision.

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