This is the first course in a two-course sequence. In this course, students enhance their reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing skills through exploration and investigation of fiction, nonfiction, short stories, cultural studies, self-discovery, and character education. Through a varied list of learning experiences, students will have the opportunity to explore a wide range of literary, informational, and technical texts. Using the theme of "A Time for Discovery," students will learn and use the writing process to communicate ideas and respond critically to visual, oral and written texts. Prerequisites: 6th Grade English
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding and use of appropriate and effective vocabulary
- Demonstrate understanding of the ways that history, culture, and setting influence language
- Apply references and study skills for a variety of purposes
- Identify elements of fiction
- Employ effective reading strategies
- Explain character development
- Produce effective written communications
- Apply revision techniques
- Engage in creative writing
- Identify poetic terms and genres of poetry
- Analyze samples of poetry
Course Outline:
Module 01: History of Mystery
Module 02: Everyday Monsters
Module 03: Social Mayhem
Segment One Exam
Resources Included: Online lesson content, learning activities, graded assessments, and a certified online instructor.
Additional Costs: Students are expected to supply each of the following: Plenty of paper for computer printing; One 2-inch, 3-ring binder, preferably the kind that has a plastic covering in which you can insert a cover sheet; One 3-hole punch; One set of subject separators or tabs for your notebook; One flash drive for saving your work or create a folder on your hard drive to save your assignments
Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school mentor is also able to access this score within the Student Learning Portal. Schools may use this score for conversion to their own letter grading system.
Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.
Technology Requirements: Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube.
Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Lightweight devices such as Apple iPads, Google Chromebooks, and tablets have limited support for Java which still appears in a small percentage of FLVS courses. FLVS has worked to de-Flash its courses. Students may need extra work-around steps or alternate browsers to engage with some portions of select courses or may be required to utlize text-alternatives for some interactive objects. FLVS recommends students have a Windows or Mac based computer available to complete coursework in the event that your selected mobile device does not meet the needs of the course. Fully supported Operating Systems for FLVS courses include Windows (7 or higher), Mac OS X (10.8 or higher), and MacOS (10.12 or higher). Supported Browsers include the most recent versions of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari on devices that support Java and HTML5. Browsers need to be up to date, and some FLVS courses may require installation or enabling of the following Plug-ins: JavaScript enabled, Cookies enabled, Java installed. https://www.flvs.net/student-resources/system-requirements
Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.
Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments.
Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:
- Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
- Download and install software
- Use a messaging service similar to email
- Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
- Open attachments shared in messages
- Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
- Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
- Save a file as a .pdf
- Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
- Insert images or links into a file or html editor
- Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
- Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
- Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
- Use presentation and graphics programs
- Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
- Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
- Create and maintain usernames and passwords
Additional Information: N/A