English 8 Parents and Guardians
I’m submitting this early due to my absence Friday. This has been an enlightening week as we examined Thomas More’s Utopia and had many discussions of its merit and whether we agree or disagree with More’s solutions to society. I am looking forward to starting The Giver next week!
Week in Review:
· Monday 3/14: We carefully read excerpts from Thomas More’s Utopia for societal issues addressed by More and discussed the definitions of a “utopia” and “dystopia.”
· Tuesday 3/15: Students looked at specific vocabulary words found in Utopia, identifying context clues for the word as it’s used in a sentence and coming up with their own definitions.
· Wednesday 3/16: Student wrote an initial draft of a thesis related to their Utopia prompt. We also worked on multiple choice questions that are similar to SBAC format.
· Thursday 3/17: Students wrote paragraphs on Utopia. Following the submission of their writing, students began read the Scholastic Scope article “Welcome to the Future.”
· Friday 3/18: Students will turn in work related to “Welcome to the Future” as well as their independent reading assignment. They also will get a new list of vocab words and they will work on flashcards in class.
Upcoming Dates in English 8:
· Friday March 25: List 8 flashcards due
· Friday April 1: Vocab Quiz 8
You can quote me:
Next week we begin reading The Giver. If you have not read it, it’s an interesting look at a dystopian society where feelings have been eliminated to to achieve order. I describe it as the “older sibling” to all the popular young adult dystopian future books popular right now (Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, etc.). It’s a quick read and absolutely worth your time if you wish to follow along with us!