2026 MS104 Spring Sunday Class (Rising G5)

Teacher: Joanna Babyar: Click here to view Joanna Babyar's Profile
Lesson Dates: 7/5, 7/12, 7/19, 7/26, 8/2, 8/9, 8/16, 8/23, 8/30, 9/6

Course Overview:

This intro-level course emphasizes skills outlined in the 5th-grade Common Core standards, specifically reading comprehension, writing, and language use. In particular, this class has three modules (1) Comparative Analysis and Fantasy (2) Summary vs Opinion vs Analysis (3) Creative Writing, Clauses, Commas, and Conjunctions. At the end of the course, students will have a portfolio of pieces representing the 3 areas of writing (summary, opinion, and analysis) that reflect their new reading, writing, and language skills. Each class will include a homework assignment, and students should remember that they have access to free video lectures to supplement their learning if they feel behind. As a side note, video lectures are not intended to substitute for lectures. Rather, they are intended to help students learn the course material through repetition.

Summer Book List:

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (pre-class reading)
The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (2 weeks)
Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls (2 weeks)
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein (3 weeks)
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick (2 weeks)

Summer Extra Reading:

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor
It Ain't So Awful, Falafel, by Firoozeh Dumas
Each Tiny Spark, By Pablo Cartaya
The War That Saved My Life (#1), by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, by Kate DiCamillo