Students in this class are required to read at least 30 minutes every day and to turn in a reading log to show their time spent reading. They are also required to write 10 different book reports in an effort to encourage reading and writing about stories. In each of the 18 chapters students will receive two vocabulary lessons, learn about grammar, practice reading different types of literature, and learn skills to be a good writer. Students will learn how to make inferences, read context clues, and read to learn information. To improve their writing skills students will learn how to express opinions, write letters, use literary devices, and use word relationships in poetry. Students will practice comparing and contrasting similar texts.