Metaire Academy 5^th Grade
English Language Arts 2009-2010

Suggested Preparation for Incoming Metairie Academy Fifth Graders

Explore the sites below to get a “heads-up” on some of the skills you will be focusing on for the 2009-2010 school year.

Figurative Language

http://www.frostfriends.org/figurative.html - List and definition of terms and examples using the poems of Robert Frost

http://www.sturgeon.k12.mo.us/elementary/numphrey/subjectpages/languagearts/figuresofspeech.html - Interactive site with definitions and enrichment activities.

Story/Literary Element Websites

http://www.learner.org/interactives/story/cinderella.html - Excellent interactive site!

http://staff.fcps.net/tcarr/shortstory/plot1.htm - Story Element Site

http://www.scribd.com/doc/200099/story-elements - Power Point of Story Elements

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/1902/writers/elements.html - List of Literary Elements

Recommended Summer Reading:

1. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
2. Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
3. The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements
4. Love that Dog by Sharon Creech
5. The View From Saturday by E.L. Konisburg
6. Woe Is I Jr. by Patricia T. O’Conner (see this website that accompanies this book) http://www.grammarphobia.com/books_woe_jr.html
7. The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
8. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

* In all of the books above students should reinforce the literary skills and notice figurative language used throughout. We suggest using post-it notes to identify specific figurative language and literary elements. Refer to the websites above for reference and guidance as the skills are heavily emphasized in Reading in fifth grade at Metairie Academy where students are working one grade level above in ELA and math.