Generals Team, Eighth Grade Language Arts
Mrs. Carpenter, Mrs. Rawley, and Mrs. Smyth
The 8th Grade Language Arts Program is a course designed to incorporate all aspects of Language Arts into an eighty-minute period taught by one instructor rather than two separate English and reading courses. However, there is a team approach as both instructors, the special education teacher, and a theme reader all help to create and implement the program.
Writing: The eighth grade program focuses on utilizing the writing workshop method. Students will learn the techniques associated with formal or academic writing as well as a variety of creative methods. Students will learn to use the writing process in order to continually refine and perfect essays. Students will refine and complete numerous essays and writing pieces over the course of the year.
Reading: The reading portion of the Language Arts course will involve meeting objectives within defined thematic units and will require students to read poetry, short stories, and novels from different
genres. The emphasis of each unit will center on essential questions that will be modeled in the core text, and then individualized in the literary circles. These units will involve the whole class readings, students choosing books of interest from a list of available materials, and free choice or independent reads. In all, the reading workshop method will be utilized.
Thematic unit: Core text:
Relationships: Myself and others Freak the Mighty
Persecution Roll of Thunder
The American Civil War Behind Rebel Lines
Drama and Teen Issues A Midsummer Night's Dream
Vocabulary: Vocabulary is a daily endeavor and will not be restricted to the root word workbooks. Instead, students will pull vocabulary from the literature sources and classroom activities.
Grammar: There will be several grammar units this year that will be reinforced through the writing exercises. Grammar will include: parts of speech, sentence structure, punctuation, agreement, etc.
Grammar mastery will be demonstrated by individual practice in the writing pieces.
Classroom rules:
1. Proper classroom decorum is expected at all times:
Never speak when another person is speaking
Be prepared for all classes: book, LA binder, homework, and pen
Never distract any other students
Adhere to all school rules: carry an agenda book, no gum, no bag, etc.
2. Homework will be collected in the beginning of class.
3. Essays will be due on selected Mondays. One grade will be taken off each day that the essay is
late. Lunch detentions may be given until an assignment is completed.
4. A weekly update will be sent home on Fridays. It is the student's responsibility to maintain this sheet, supply the proper information, and return the log signed by a parent/ guardian each Monday.
No excuses will be accepted. It is the responsibility of the student to bring concerns to us
BEFORE the due date. Our website will contain long-term assignments to help the students while at
home.
5. Extra-credit will not be offered on an individual basis. Opportunities will be built into required
assignments that allow for extra points. In addition, a student may decide to partake in the reading
incentive program, which will earn them extra- credit. Directions will be given in class.
Class Philosophy:
We value comprehension over memorization. We believe in the integration of the subject areas and feel that learning the skills that allow you to make connections is the most important aspect of Language Arts. This year our focus will be on going beyond simply reading information. Instead, we hope to help you strengthen your abilities to research and analyze a variety of materials. We will accomplish this by always asking why, by allowing for individuals to develop independent research, and by fine-tuning the basic skills necessary for writing and analysis.
We will do our best to foster an atmosphere of academic excellence that encourages you to challenge yourself to go beyond simply memorizing. For this to happen we need each of you to take charge of your own learning by becoming responsible for your actions. We ask you to take responsibility by showing respect to your teachers and your classmates, by completing your work when asked, and by keeping an open mind so that you can learn something from every activity or experience.
I have read and understand that I am responsible for doing my best and for making a positive contribution to the class. I have discussed these guidelines with my parents so that they are aware of my responsibilities in this class and so that they can encourage me to succeed this year.
Student's full name (Please print clearly)
___________________________________________________________
Student's Signature_______________________________ Date_____________________
Parent's Signature ___________________________________ Date_
Parent's E-mail address:
Language Arts E-Mail Address (Please Bookmark at home) http://schoolnotes.com/19002/generalsla.html
______________________________________________________
4/28-5/2
--- begin Shakespeare/A Midsummer Night's Dream.
---look at Shakespearean style, language, word choice, poetic forms, plays, and theater
---intro. to the ballad and poetry
---"The Destructors" the annotation of this Junior Great Book by Graham Greene
Due dates for "The Destructors" is as follows:
pgs. 38-41 is 5/7
pgs. 42-45 is 5/14
pgs. 46-51 is 5/21
all w/Q & A is 5/28
The students' goal: to react, connect, explain, summarize, define, label, question, and/or analyze each and every sentence. Examine constantly the author's purpose and point.
5/5-5/12
---A Midsummer Night's Dream will be read in school
---Reminder: Warm-ups will be collected the first week of June
---"Find it in Print" vocabulary activity is due in June also
4/7-4/11
We will be reading Behind Rebel Lines; we will be learning about and discussing the following "Big Questions" and "Enduring Understandings."
Big Questions:
What was the Am. Civil War?
Is war ever civil?
How did the Civil War affect different segments of society?
How did marginalized figures, such as women and African Americans participate in the war?
What was/is patriotism?
What are the ethical issues surrounding war?
Enduring Understandings:
War is never an easy option.
History, and particularly war, is made up of thousands of individual stories that have many different conclusions.
Minorities and women contributed greatly to the war.
The effects of war far outlast the combat.
The war on the home-front is a valuable segment of history.
Monday, 4/7
warm-up: treason
**read the prologue and chapter 1 & 2 of BRL---Behind Rebel Lines
**completed worksheet for chapters 1 and 2
**completed vocabulary for prologue and chapters 1 & 2
4/14-4/16--computer lab time: spy/Civil War research
4/14-4/18--completion of BRL and all related assignments
******* No EXPERT PROJECT WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER BREAK!!! BE SURE TO TURN IN ALL WORK BEFORE YOU LEAVE ON BREAK!********************************************
Tuesday, March 11
Warm-up: Review context clues
Presentations:
Speaker goals- demonstrate knowledge of topic
show evidence of rehearsal
Appeal to peers/ audience
Audience goals- Listen attentively
Develop higher level questions
HW: Presentation done? Essay submitted? Transcript and post its done?
Wed, March 12
QPA- context clues- skill based, (not something students need to study for)
Presentations:
Speaker goals- demonstrate knowledge of topic
show evidence of rehearsal
Appeal to peers/ audience
Audience goals- Listen attentively
Develop higher level questions
HW: Presentation done? Essay submitted? Transcript and post its done?
Thursday, March 13
Presentations:
Speaker goals- demonstrate knowledge of topic
show evidence of rehearsal
Appeal to peers/ audience
Audience goals- Listen attentively
Develop higher level questions
HW: Presentation done? Essay submitted? Transcript and post its done and submitted?
Friday, March 14
Presentations:
Speaker goals- demonstrate knowledge of topic
show evidence of rehearsal
Appeal to peers/ audience
Audience goals- Listen attentively
Develop higher level questions
HW: None- consider extra-credit. All work must be in by now.
******* No EXPERT PROJECT WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER BREAK!!! BE SURE TO TURN IN ALL WORK BEFORE YOU LEAVE ON BREAK!********************************************
_____________________________________________________
---- extra-credit opportunity!---------
Consider reading an extra-credit book for fun, and completing a story board over spring break- Just fill in the permission slip below and grab the directions from school.
_______________________________________________________
Free Choice Book Assignment
At several times throughout the year, your student will have the opportunity to choose an independent book to read for Language Arts class. While it is important to encourage choice, the students will be restricted to reading books from our library unless otherwise approved by you. It is important that you know and support what your child is reading; therefore, I would appreciate it if you could preview and approve any outside reading beyond the WMS library and then fill out the form below.
I give my son/daughter _________________________________ permission
(student’s full name)
to read______________________________________________________.
(book title) (author)
As their parent, I have previewed the book and feel that the content is appropriate for my child. I can also vouch that this is not a book that they have read before, and I feel it will be an interesting and worthwhile experience for my child.
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