Language Arts Level 3
Language Arts 3 explores engaging literature, comprehensive grammar and essential composition skills, each part reinforcing the others. Students gain a practical understanding of English language arts so that they can read and understand increasingly complex works and write well-reasoned essays with clarity and correctness. While delving into short stories, novels and poetry, students learn the fundamental literary elements and how to evaluate what they read from a biblical worldview with more maturity and insight. They may even gain insight into themselves and those around them!
Topics include (in an integrated approach to grammar and writing): a comprehensive study of the logic of grammar through the traditional practice of parsing and diagramming sentences; imitative writing to replicate excellent sentence constructions from various literature selections; gathering and analyzing textual evidence to explicitly support a topic sentence and thesis statement; constructing effective literary essays; and editing for correct grammar, mechanics and usage. Students are independently completing grammar exercises outside of class through a grammar program. These skills were taught in LA2 and are reviewed on their own in LA3.
Homework Habits: Students typically spend 2-4 hours a week on reading and writing assignments, though this depends on the student’s reading speed. Weekly assignments also include vocabulary, grammar assessments and writing projects.
Suggested Grade Level: 7, depending on previously acquired reading, grammar and writing skills. Students should know the eight parts of speech and be able to identify them in a sentence as well as many of the noun jobs. Students should have a good understanding of parsing and diagramming complex sentences. Their writing should show the ability to model essay patterns (thesis statement, topic driven paragraphs, introductions and conclusions) by following specific instructions. Students should be familiar with using MLA format. (Skills acquired in LA2 or equivalent).