Language Arts Level 5
In Language Arts Level 5, students delve into unsolved mysteries. They analyze existing research, learn to identify credible sources, extract clues from primary sources, and develop their own theories. They adopt roles such as investigator, public defender, subject-matter expert, and mystery writer. By the end of this language arts course, students will have honed their research and argumentative skills through the development of a piece of high-level work – whether an informative essay or narrative fiction – that is clear and compelling.
PREVIOUS COURSE: Language Arts Level 4
NEXT COURSE: Foundations in Middle School Language Arts
Course Overview
- Academic Year Program | 36 Weeks
- Weekly Class Time: 105 minutes once per week
- Homework: 60-90 minutes per week
- Skills: Examining nonfiction, multi-paragraph essays, character development, thesis writing
- Course Texts: African Icons, Titanic: Out of Time, Amelia Lost, The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency: No. 1
Note: Students who are new to AoPS Academy can receive course approvals by going through our admissions process.
Available Sessions
Don't see an option that works for you? Take our classes online at Virtual Campus.
Class Experience
Each unit of the course explores a communication problem that students solve. Along the way, students sharpen their critical thinking and writing abilities, using both fiction and nonfiction materials to deepen their understanding and evaluation skills. The unit progresses through stages of independent planning, research, and responsive writing, culminating in a final project that undergoes brainstorming, drafting, and revising before presentation.
In the first unit, students research and create a comprehensive case file for a historical mystery, culminating in a proposal for a television miniseries.
In the second unit, students analyze the Titanic disaster to draft an argumentative essay to defend in a simulated legal setting.
In the third unit, students investigate Amelia Earhart’s disappearance, combining research and argumentative skills to form a well-supported hypothesis, presented as an informative essay in a mock documentary interview.
In the fourth unit, students are challenged to write original fiction based on historical mysteries, incorporating extensive research and narrative techniques to craft a short story.