Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts in One Big Fat Notebook

Synopsis

It's the revolutionary English language arts study guide just for middle school students from the brains behind Brain Quest.

Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts . . .takes students from grammar to reading comprehension to writing with ease, including parts of speech, active and passive verbs, Greek and Latin roots and affixes; nuances in word meanings; textual analysis, authorship, structure, and other skills for reading fiction and nonfiction; and writing arguments, informative texts, and narratives.

The BIG FAT NOTEBOOK™ series is built on a simple and irresistible conceit-borrowing the notes from the smartest kid in class. There are five books in all, and each is the only book you need for each main subject taught in middle school: Math, Science, American History, English Language Arts, and World History. Inside the reader will find every subject's key concepts, easily digested and summarized: Critical ideas highlighted in neon colors. Definitions explained. Doodles that illuminate tricky concepts in marker. Mnemonics for memorable shortcuts. And quizzes to recap it all.

The BIG FAT NOTEBOOKS meet Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and state history standards, and are vetted by National and State Teacher of the Year Award-winning teachers. They make learning fun, and are the perfect next step for every kid who grew up on Brain Quest.

Summary

Chapter 1: Language in Use

- Grammar basics: Parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.), sentence structure, and punctuation.
- Real example: Analyzing a sentence like "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog" to identify nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

Chapter 2: Vocabulary

- Word roots, affixes, and synonyms/antonyms.
- Real example: Identifying the root word "spect" in words like "spectator" and "inspect" to understand their related meanings.

Chapter 3: Reading Comprehension

- Strategies for tackling different types of texts (fiction, nonfiction, poetry).
- Real example: Reading a news article and using context clues to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words like "sanction" or "embargo."

Chapter 4: Writing

- Paragraph structure, essay formats, and persuasive writing techniques.
- Real example: Writing an essay analyzing the character development of a protagonist in a novel.

Chapter 5: Listening and Speaking

- Active listening and note-taking skills.
- Real example: Attending a class presentation and taking notes to summarize the main points and supporting evidence presented by the speaker.

Chapter 6: Literary Devices

- Figurative language (metaphors, similes, personification), literary devices (irony, foreshadowing, symbolism), and poetic forms (sonnets, haikus).
- Real example: Identifying the use of metaphors and personification in the poem "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats.

Chapter 7: Literary Analysis

- Elements of fiction (plot, setting, character) and nonfiction (structure, purpose, audience).
- Real example: Analyzing the character arc of Hamlet in Shakespeare's tragedy and discussing its significance to the play's themes.

Chapter 8: Language and Culture

- The influence of culture on language (slang, idioms, dialect).
- Real example: Examining how the use of slang varies among different social groups and how it can reflect cultural values or attitudes.

Chapter 9: Word Work

- Spelling rules, etymology (word origins), and vocabulary enrichment.
- Real example: Using spelling rules to correctly spell words like "accommodate" and understanding the etymology of words like "philology" to enhance vocabulary knowledge.

Chapter 10: Practice Tests

- Mock exams covering all major ELA skills (grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, listening, speaking).
- Real example: Taking a practice test to assess strengths and weaknesses and identify areas for improvement.