GriffinMiddle School

Eighth Grade Language Arts Syllabus

First Nine Weeks

678-842-6917

We Made AYP two years running,

and we plan to make it again!!!

Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year here at Griffin! We are excited about the new year, and looking forward to teaching your child! Below is the Language Arts syllabus for the year. It will give you a general overview of our expectations during the course of the year.

Homework Hotline #: If you would like to know the homework assignments for your child, you can contact the Homework Hotline to find out. The number is 770-795-5720. Our individual extensions change yearly, so as soon as we learn our new extensions, we will share that with you.

Texts, CD, and Workbooks:

  • McDougal Littell Literature. Replacement cost: $77.19
  • McDougal Littell Writing & Grammar Workbook. Replacement cost: $1.50
  • McDougal Littell Literature, grade 8 The InterActive Reader and Writer for Critical Analysis. Replacement cost: $1.50
  • McDougal Littell Literature. Writesmart CD-ROM. Replacement cost: $98.79
  • Prentice Hall’s Reader’s JourneyStudent Work Text. Replacement cost: $20.00

Blue or Black ink pens, only

#2 pencils

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Course Overview:

Definition:

Eighth Grade Language Arts is a challenging course designed to prepare students for the certain challenges that lie ahead. This is not only a pivotal year for students who are preparing for the next step in their academic careers (high school), but it is also a “high stakes” year for state testing. The Georgia State Writing Test is administered in January, and the Criterion Referenced Competency Test is administered in April. Eighth grade students must do well on each of these tests in order to advance to the High School level.

Our Strengths: How are we successful in preparing our students for such challenges? Our team of professional educators collaboratively designs coursework based on the Georgia Performance Standards which will ensure student success. Classroom differentiation is our focus as we design our curriculum and lesson plans based on the individual needs of our students’ strengths and weaknesses. We determine the needs of our students by a series of assessments and learning activities which guides our instruction on a daily basis.

Course Design: The course is divided by literary genres, within which we focus on strategies and techniques of both reading and writing that are specific to the genre. Below is the breakdown of our scope and sequence for the year:

Unit / Course Focus / Description / Duration
One / Narrative / Students learn the techniques that real authors use to engage their audience and keep them enthralled and entertained. By employing figurative language, imagery, suspense, and a host of other exciting strategies, students transform their writing from a list of facts to a “must read” literary work of art! / 3 weeks
Two / Expository / Students learn valuable communication skills to inform, using a variety of organizational structures, e.g.: problem/solution, compare/contrast, chronological order, etc. Developing a strong thesis statement is also the focus of this unit. / 6 weeks
Three / Persuasive / Students learn the art of debate and argumentation; how to state a position, develop a sound thesis statement, support claims with verifiable evidence, anticipate counter-arguments, and organize thoughts into a well written, convincing paper. / 6 weeks
Four / Standards Review / Prior to the Georgia State Writing Assessment, the state has allowed for three weeks of GPS review to ensure student retention, understanding, and success. / 3 weeks
Five / Research/
Technical / Students learn about the finer skills of the research process, including how to:
  • develop sound questions to guide research,
  • locate credible information quickly,
  • determine credibility of various websites,
  • organize notes via note cards,
  • utilize MLA format for works cited pages, title pages, and in-text citations.
The process culminates in the creation of a multi-genre project with a variety of differentiated choices for students to communicate their research, including a variety of technical writing pieces. / 8 weeks
Six / Response to Literature / Students learn how to develop authentic responses to literature, by employing specific strategies involving the connection of text evidence and opinion. Students will read a variety of literature during the course of the unit and will reflect upon their understanding of the text by making associations to self, others, and the world around them. / 6 weeks
Seven / Poetry/Drama / Students continue to hone their response to literature skills by applying them to both poetry and drama. During the course of this unit, students will
  • learn about various types of poetry, meter, rhythm, and the use of concrete language.
  • become the characters in a play as they learn how dramatic literature differs from other forms of prose, e.g.: stage direction, voice, plot advancement through characterization, etc.
/ 4 weeks

Reading Skills and Strategies:

Throughout the duration of the school year, students will be held to a high standard for reading, both in the classroom and outside of the classroom.

  • Throughout the year, students will be reading interchangeably between the two textbooks we have just adopted, along with outside articles and short stories that the teacher deems educationally prudent.
  • Students will have parallel reading novels that we will read in conjunction to the work we are doing in class. This is in support of the 25 book campaign outlined in the Georgia Performance Standards.
  • Reading Strategies will be taught to students from the full range literary genres listed in the table above, ranging from fictional chapter books to informational and persuasive texts.

Grading:

How Grades are Weighted / Grading Scale
Participation / 10% / A=90-100
Homework/Class work / 20% / B=80-89
Formative Assessments / 30% / C=74-79
Summative Assessments / 40% / D=70-73
F=69 and below
  • Homework will not be accepted late. Make-up work will be accepted according to school policy.
  • This syllabus is subject to change in order to accommodate class needs. Students will be notified when changes are made.

Late Work Policy:

All assignments are due at the beginning of the class period on the assigned due date. Students who are absent when a major project is due will be expected to present that project on the day of their return. If a student is not prepared to do this, the student will begin to lose points for every day an assignment is not turned in. Students have the option of emailing their project to the teacher to avoid this situation prior to the due date or to turn in the project early. If a student is legitimately absent on the due date, that student must provide official documentation (physician’s note, written parent excuse) to the attendance office to avoid the deduction of points.

Classroom Expectations: Expectations of students' classroom behavior and academic performance are high. Regular attendance is critical to successful completion of this course, and students with a high absentee and/or tardy rate will likely do poorly in the course. The following are the primary guidelines and expectations for this course and the classroom:

1.Seating will be assigned.

2.Tardiness will not be an acceptable behavior. (see student handbook for policy)

3.Students will not be allowed to use the restroom during class unless they receive permission from their teacher. Students must fill out the hall pass section of their own student handbook. Permission to use the restroom is at the teacher’s discretion.

4.Students must bring all required materials to class every day. A prepared student is a good student!

5.Students will be expected to behave appropriately within the classroom and to be respectful of the learning of others. Students who cannot behave appropriately will receive consequences commensurate to his or her level of classroom disruption.

6.No food, drinks, gum, or candy will be allowed in class without a written excuse from a parent or a medical doctor.

7. Students will not be excused from class to make phone calls.

8. Headphones, gaming systems, CD players/radios, cell phones, pagers, hats,

and/or other disruptive materials are not allowed at Griffin Middle School, and will be confiscated on sight by the teacher. All confiscated items will be turned over to the main office within 24 hours.

Academic Integrity:

Cheating is considered a serious matter. The parents of a student who has been involved in cheating will be notified and the student will receive a grade of zero for the test and U in conduct. The student will also be referred to his/her administrator for disciplinary action. Repeat offenses will result in the assignment of in-school suspension, per school policy.

For this course, academic dishonesty is defined as, but is not limited to, the following acts:

  • Copying anyone’s answers to questions, exercises, study guides, class work, or homework assignments
  • Plagiarism: Taking any information verbatim from any source, including the Internet, without giving proper credit to the author, or rearranging the order of words and/or changing some words as written by the author and claiming the work as the student’s own. On research assignments, failure to include parenthetical documentation within the research paper will be considered an act of plagiarism.
  • Looking onto another student’s paper during a test or quiz.
  • Having available any study notes or other test aids during a test or quiz without the teacher's permission.
  • Collaborating on assignments when independent work is expected.
  • Purchase of and/or use of assignments completed by students previously enrolled in the course OR from the internet.

Advanced Content/Advanced Math: The curriculum and instructional strategies for this course are differentiated in content, pacing, process skills emphasis, and expectation of student outcomes from the typical grade level course. Curriculum content has been designed for mastery and extension of Georgia’s state performance standards. This course is appropriate for students who have high achievement and interest in Language Arts. The district has established criteria and guidelines that identify students who will be successful with the advanced curriculum offered in Language Arts. Students are placed in this class according to specified indicators of demonstrated exceptional ability and motivation. Students must meet continuation criteria to remain in the class.

Additional Information: In order to remain in any Advanced Content/Advanced Math/A.O.L. class, students must maintain a minimum of an 80 at the end of the 9 weeks. If the average is below an 80 at the end of a grading period, the student will be placed on probation. This probation continues for the remainder of the school year. If the grade drops below an 80 for a second time in the school year, the student may be removed from the class for one semester and must apply for re-entry.

I have read the above information and fully understand the expectations of the Eighth Grade Language Arts Department.

Parent Signature

Name of Child

Date