This course focuses on five major areas of study. The students will develop and strengthen communication skills through speaking, listening, and interacting with media messages. They will read a variety of fiction, narrative nonfiction, poetry, and nonfiction in order to strengthen comprehension and to nurture independent reading habits. The students will expand vocabulary through reading and writing, and they will write for a variety of purposes to include describing, informing, entertaining, explaining, and persuading. Finally, the students will find, evaluate, and select appropriate resources for a research project.