Welcome Back to Language Arts
Dr. Jennifer Ferguson (Dr. J)
8th Grade English and Reading
8th Grade Chair
Mission: To teach each student how to critically analyze literature while developing critical thinking skills, understand diverse written texts, identify and understand literary elements, and appreciate literature and its relevance to each student’s life.
Objectives: All students will be able to:
1.Apply critical reading skills to literature.
2.Improve and increase spelling ability, and vocabulary.
3.Recognize subjects, verbs, modifiers (adjectives, adverbs), recognize types of sentences, use correct punctuation and capitalization, understand and recognize phrases and clauses, write simple, compound, and compound-complex sentences, and identify types of nouns.
4.Read short stories and analyze various literary techniques utilized in each short story.
5.Be able to identify text-coding, make inferences, answer open-ended questions, and predict events that will happen in stories and novels.
6.Explore characterization, write an original story, write with detail, understand and recognize foreshadowing and irony.
7.Write a review of literature, identify main idea, summarize, and understand point of view.
8.Analyze persuasive speeches by understanding persuasive techniques, the difference between facts and opinions, and write with a voice.
9.Read and analyze various novels throughout the school year and present information learned as an authentic assessment.
10.Pre-AP/VG students will read 2 additional books for enjoyment during each grading period and acquire knowledge about each author and complete an authentic assessment for each additional outside reading book.
11.Academic/ESL English students will read 1 additional book during each grading period and complete an authentic assessment for each book.
Lessons for Monday-Friday September 10-14
Monday- Grammar sheets- subject % predicates, and conjunctions
Review
Tuesday- Finish reading "Raymond's Run" work on vocabulary
Wednesday- Visit library for book fair. Complete vocabulary for "Raymond's Run."
Thursday- Story pyramid, and inferencing. Hand-out over each one. Give out story "Raymond's Run" to complete a story pyramid. Finish for homework. Final product should be a paragraph about Raymond's Run"
Study for spelling test week 3
Friday- Spelling Test, week 3 need loose leaf paper. Go over simple and compound sentences. Check Raymond's Run Vocabulary for completion.
Lessons for September 17-21
9/17 Monday: "Raymond's Run," review idioms, make inferences.
9/18 Tuesday: Story plot with "Raymond's Run" hw-read "Mother in Manville"
9/19 Wednesday: Compound sentences, to be verbs and helping verbs, read "Mother in Mannville" Make-up for missed spelling test #3
9/20 Thursday: open-ended responses using Mother in Manville and story plot map. Retake for spelling test "3
9/21 Friday: Spelling test week 4 in A class and outside reading time in B class.
Follow the instructions for the interactive website listed as "Mother in Mannville" Do the questions
9/24 Monday: Review open-ended responses and answer the 3 questions, go over story plot map and finish for homework.
Review of grammar for test on Wednesday.
9/25 Tuesday: Journal entry question-Why do you think Jerry lied to the narrator about having a mother. Make an inference and follow the format for open-ended responses.
Review story plot map; introduce paraphrasing; go over Mother in Mannville vocabulary. Study for grammar test.
9/26 Wednesday: Grammar test over subject, verb, kinds of sentences, simple and compound sentences, to be verbs and helping verbs, and coordinating conjunctions.
Go over questions over Mother in Mannville and Raymond's Run. Study text coding, connotation, denotation, inferencing, story mapping, and open-ended responses for test tomorrow.
9/27 Thursday: Reading Test; Study spelling words week 5 after the test. Write them 5 times each.
9/28 Friday: Have your book A Separate Peace by John Knowles by Tuesday, October 9.
10/5
For GT/Vanguard students only: Pre-AP students and academic students may do it for extra credit-plus 10 points on a major test grade.
Websites to use for "Stop the Sun" by Gary Paulsen
http://www.suhsd.k12.ca.us/mvm/netlinks/2paulsen8/2paulsen8.html
Scroll to Favorite Links and click on Vietnam War. Follow the directions for #1, #2, #5, #6 and the paragraph. Turn in what you find out on loose leaf paper in 5 days (October 12). Be prepared to share information with the class.
Also do the assignments for the website at the bottom called Gary Paulsen. You need to complete the bookmark. Turn it in one week from date assigned (October 12)
10/8 Monday:
Students will review reading strategies covered and apply them do "Stop the Sun." Assignment will be completed in their reading log.
Spelling Test on Friday, October 12- List Week 6
10/15 Monday:
Quiz over Clauses and Phrases. Please check list posted to see if you are missing any assignments.
Go over questions chps. 1-2 A Separate Peace
h.w. bring outside reading book tomorrow and ORB journal
Read chapter 3
10/16 Tuesday:
Outside reading day 40 minutes
Discuss/read ASP in class
December 3, 2007
We will complete the violence paper by Wednesday, December 5. It needs to be turned in as instructed, either typed, or hand-written in black ink on one side of the page. Please number your pages at the bottom and return your cover sheet, signed.
December 4, 2007
Work on the final draft of the paper. Take it home and finish it up to turn in on Wednesday.
December 5, 2007
Begin the "Diary of Anne Frank" unit. All will work on their diary as soon as we begin reading the play. The diary will be due December 15. Please follow the instructions you have been given. All students are to go to the website www.annefrank.org and write a one page summary about Anne and her diary. Include 2 pictures. This is due December 10 in your reading journal, the journal you used for A Separate Peace.
My GT students need to go to the website http://www.holocaustsurvivors.org/ and chose one of the survivors to report on. You need to include in your report pictures from the survivor's story and information. It should be approximately 2 pages in length and will be presented to the class on Monday, December 10. Your paper needs to be typed or hand-written in black ink with at least 3 pictures attached with captions as to the significance of the picture.
December 10-14, 2007
We will be reading "The Diary of Anne Frank" play in class. While we are reading, you need to continue filling in your story map after each reading and also do your entries in your diary. For the diary, make sure you write in the point of view of the character you have chosen. For example, you might write:
September 30, 1943
Dear Diary
Today was so scary. I can not believe that we are still in hiding. I am having a difficult adjusting to what is going on outside these walls and also inside these barriers. I miss my friends and going to school. Please, I want all of this to go away. Yesterday I had a fight with Mr. Van Daan. He is so mean to Peter. Peter is a nice boy, just very quiet and reserved. I wish he had not brought the cat even though I love cats. The cat is bothering Mother. She seems to be allergic to it. Well, diary, I guess I need to try and get some rest. I will visit with you tomorrow.
(Please notice the number of sentences I used. Check the requirements to make an A, B, or C. I really do not want any D's or F's. The diary is due December 18.)
Also, your outside reading journal is due on Thursday, December 13. I will not accept it late. If you have questions, please come by and see me.
I will give you a final on December 18th over reading strategies, which will be preparation for TAKS. This test will let me know what you know and what we need to work on.
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