Connections English Language Arts

The student editions feature high-interest themes and thought-provoking Essential Questions in areas such as:

Current Events—diversity in society; equality and justice; knowing right from wrong; trusting what you hear, see, and read; the impact of technology on jobs; the costs of innovation.

Themes—family, decisions, story-telling, horror, journey, freedom, identity and the forces that shape us, physical appearance, crime and punishment.

Culture & History—the Native American experience, how history shapes us, how ideas bring about change, the impact of war, the role of women over time.

The unit culminates in a comprehensive writing project. This is where students practice the writing process and focus on the elements of different writing modes.

Scaffolded writing supports students as they work through the writing process step by step. Breaking down the process and structuring the writing lesson helps develop confident and competent writers.

Writing modes across grades 6–12 include:

• Argumentative Essay
• Explanatory Essay
• Comparative Essay
• Research Paper
• Personal Narrative
• Rhetorical Analysis
• Literary Analysis

Student support using Immersive Reader and built-in graphic organizers ensure students of all abilities can comprehend the text, engage in discussions, and extract and apply evidence from the text.

Interactive editions develop self-directed learners through personalized assistive technology support like Immersive Reader.

Move from Skimming and Scanning to Extracting Meaning with Annotation and Note-Taking Tools

Students can quickly:

• Identify, label, and comment on textual evidence.
• Collect evidence automatically in a digital notebook.
• Transfer ideas and evidence into discussion and writing tasks.