8Th Grade English Language Arts Syllabus

8th Grade English Language Arts Syllabus

Instructor: Mrs. Kanita Sturdivant Email:

Course Description: This course is a combination of language arts and literature. The literacy skills of reading, writing, speaking, listening, comprehending, and thinking are taught. Students gain practice in grammar, punctuation, and writing skills. Assignments include all writing modes identified by Alabama CCRS: persuasive, narrative, expository, descriptive and imaginative. The writing process includes ideas and content, organization, sentence fluency and voice. In literature we read classic and contemporary literature, including short stories, dramas, and nonfiction. Personal connections, interpretations and responses to literature are made to show text comprehension. Vocabulary instruction and growth is emphasized throughout the year.

Required Materials:

(3) Three prong paper folders with pockets
(1) Pack of copy paper
(1) pack 4 count highlighters
Blue or black ink pens
Pencils
(2) Composition books
(1) pack of washable markers
$10 ELA fee (for novels)
College rule notebook paper
Post it notes

Attendance: Student attendance is imperative to student learning. Students who are absent must provide an excuse in accordance with the SCBOE Student Code of Conduct to receive an excused absence. Students with 5 or more unexcused absences in one 9 week term will be referred to the truancy officer. Any student with 10 or more excused or unexcused absences in a one semester term will be given a ‘fail’ grade for that term, no exceptions. Students who must be absent for medical or emergency purposes must contact the school to establish a plan of action for the student.

Grading Policy: We will follow the grading policy set forth by the Sumter County Board of Education. Grades will be calculated as follows:

Daily Writing & Activities, Class Discussions and Class Assignments 25%

Timed Writing, Books Annotation and Highlighting, Quizzes, Homework 25%

Multi-draft Essays, Projects, Presentations, Interactive Journals, Dialectical

Journals, Tests 50%

Workload: The workload for this course is moderately heavy. Students should expect homework throughout the week and on weekends. Writing and reading are the major focuses of this course.

Homework: All homework is due on the determined date before class begins.

Student Behavior: Reading and writing are the cornerstones of education; therefore, the work within this class is urgent. Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated and all rules and guidelines pertaining to consequences will be followed as outlined in the Sumter County School System Student Code of Conduct Manual.

Parent Participation: Parent/teacher collaboration is essential to student success. Parents are encouraged to stay informed and actively participate in this course in the following manner:

Class Dojo
Remind.com
Signing reading schedules
Signing reading fluency charts
Attending RTI meetings, parent/teacher workshops, open house, and teacher conferences
Class websites (https://sites.google.com/site/mrssturdivantselasite or http://kinterbishjrhigh.al.schoolinsites.com/
SCBOE Twitter and Facebook pages
Checking student homework folder and class calendars
Teacher email
Volunteering in class or school on predetermined dates
Assisting students with student-led conferences

Assessments: Students will take monthly exams and weekly quizzes. Performance Series data is used to identify student reading proficiency and guide instruction. Aspire data is used to evaluate the effectiveness of teacher instruction and student reading proficiency in relation to national reading proficiency. Students who do not show growth on standardized tests and who continually underperform in class will receive an RTI (Reading Intervention) plan created by the student’s parent(s) and teacher. Failing students are required to have RTI plans, no exceptions. Students who underperform continuously after receiving RTI will be referred to the Special Education Department for evaluation.

SCHEDULE OF COURSE

1st Nine Weeks

Big Idea Focus: Rites of Passage

Skill Focus: Literary Analysis and Expository Writing

Guiding Questions: How does setting contribute to the conflict in a story? How does an author create a character? What rites of passage do characters and people go through? How do literary elements create meaning?

Major Work: The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

Poetry: “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, and “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll

Nonfiction: “The Cutting of My Long Hair” by Zitkala-Sa and “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan

Fiction: “Edna’s Ruthie” from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Goal: I can use close reading strategies (diction, imagery, details, figures of speech) to extract meaning from a variety of texts and write expository compositions investigating how authors purposefully use setting, conflict, plot, theme, and characterization.

I CAN• Understand and apply annotation skills to works studied.• Create and use dialectical journals and graphic organizers from my annotations• Actively participate in purposeful discussions of the selected texts in both small group and whole class settings• Understand the conventions of the short story• Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words or phrases.• Link setting, mood, dialogue, and diction to characterization.• Analyze syntax to identify the author’s purpose.• Identify purposeful use of figurative language, imagery, dialogue, and symbolism in poetry and analyze the effect or purpose of the use of the each literary device.• Summarize a passage.• Compose, edit, and revise paragraphs analyzing the purposeful use of literary elements in a text.• Compose an analytical multi-paragraph essay demonstrating control of paragraph structure, sentence variety, and mechanics

2nd Nine Weeks

Big Idea Focus: Mystery and Suspense

Skill Focus: Literary Analysis

Guiding question: How does an author use characterization, setting, mood, and diction to create suspense?

Major Work: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Poetry: “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes

Short Story: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving and “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe

Nonfiction: “Whitechapel Road on a Saturday Night”

Songs: “The Highwayman” by Lorenna McKennet and “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac

Goal: I can continue to use close reading strategies (diction, imagery, details, figures of speech, and point of view) to extract meaning from a variety of texts and to write analytical compositions investigating how authors purposefully use setting, tone, and mood to contribute to the development of suspense and characterization.

I CAN •Understand and apply annotation skills to works studied • Create and use dialectical journals and graphic organizers from my annotations • Actively participate in purposeful discussions of the selected texts both in small group and whole class settings • Link setting, mood, tone, point of view, imagery, and diction to characterization and suspense • Compare and contrast setting, mood, and characters in multiple texts •Contrast a narrative poem and its musical interpretations • Analyze syntax to identify the author’s purpose • Identify purposeful use of figurative language, imagery, mood • Compose, edit, and revise paragraphs analyzing a text’s purposeful use of literary elements • Compose an analytical multi-paragraph essay demonstrating control of paragraph structure, sentence variety, and mechanic

3rd Nine Weeks

Big Idea Focus: Challenges and Choices

Skill Focus: Argument and Characterization

Guiding Questions: How do we deal with differences? Why are we fearful of differences? How important is communication to overcoming that fear? Why do we fall into conformity /wanting to be like others? How does society encourage conformity?

Major Work: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Short Story: “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut

Nonfiction: “Dancing to Connect to a Global Tribe” by Matt Harding

Artwork: “Battle School Needs You”

Ender’s Game movie trailers and book jackets for Ender’s Game

Goal: I can continue to use close reading strategies to extract meaning from a variety of texts, to write analytical compositions investigating characterization and conflict, and to write argumentative compositions.

I CAN •Compose both timed and untimed analytical paragraphs and /or multi-paragraph essays that demonstrate control of paragraph structure, sentence variety, and mechanics • Compose both timed and untimed argumentative paragraphs and/or multi-paragraph essays that demonstrate control of paragraph structure, sentence variety, and mechanics • Compose, edit, and revise sentences and paragraphs that incorporate evidence from a variety of literary texts and genres. • Demonstrate and apply annotation skills to works studied • Create and use dialectical journals and graphic organizers from annotations • Actively participate in purposeful discussions of the selected texts in both small group and whole class settings • Identify and analyze the author’s purpose • Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases • Link characterization and conflict for the me analysis • Analyze an argumentative essay • Identify the intended audience in a non-fiction selection and link to author’s purpose • Analyzing appeals in nonfiction texts ·Understand and apply content-related vocabulary ·Incorporate quotations into writing ·Analyze a visual text, make inferences, and support those inferences with specific references to the text •Analyze appeals in visual and written text

4th Nine Weeks

Big Idea Focus: Nothing New Under the Sun

Skill Focus: Drama and allusions

Guiding question: How does the past influence our culture?

Major Work: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

Poetry: “When icicles hang by the Wall” by William Shakespeare

Short Story: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” adapted by Charles and Mary Lamb

Nonfiction: “New Clues to Why We Dream” by Erica Goode, New York Times

Video: Why Shakespeare? by Lawrence Bridges, National Endowment for the Arts

Goals: I can continue to use close reading strategies to extract meaning from a variety of texts, to write analytical compositions investigating author’s purpose, imagery, and diction, and to evaluate information from multiple formats and media. I can compare and contrast modern interpretations of a Shakespearean drama.

I CAN Actively participate in purposeful discussions of the selected texts in both small group and whole class settings * Read closely and make logical inferences from complex texts * Identify purposeful use of imagery and diction in poetry and analyze the effect or purpose of the use of the device * Analyze how point of view or purpose influences style and content of text * Summarize a passage * Evaluate argument and claim in text * Evaluate information from multiple formats and media * Prepare for and participate effectively in discussions and collaborations including speaking clearly and persuasively * Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text * Analyze diction * Cite textual evidence * Determine theme * Compare and contrast the structure of two texts * Understand figurative language * Determine the nuances in word meanings * Write routinely in expository form * Analyze author’s purpose * Research the origin of allusions * Research to find modern meaning and usage of allusions * Present research to peers *Analyze the plot structure of a drama