8th Grade English Syllabus
(Honors and Regular)
Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School
Mr. Parker’s Website:
kinardenglish8.wikispaces.com
Instructor: Steven Ray Parker, M.A., M.Ed.
970-488-5476
The entire Core Knowledge Sequence can be found at: http://www.coreknowledge.org/download-the-sequence
In the Colorado Academic Standards for 8th Grade English, there are four standards (listed below). There are specific expectations for reading, writing, researching, and speaking/listening in the Core Knowledge Sequence, as well. The curriculum at Kinard CKMS honors the expectations of the state of Colorado, Poudre School District, and the Core Knowledge Foundation. Although the curriculum is similar in all 8th Grade English classes, the depth of discussion, study, expectations, and numbers of texts varies between Regular and Honors courses. In addition to learning the foundations of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama, students will:
Write / Read / Research / Speak/ListenParagraphs and Essays:
Ø Argumentative
Ø Narrative
Ø Compare/Contrast
Ø Literary Analysis
Additional Writing:
Ø Short-Constructed Responses
Ø Original Poetry
Ø Short Story
Ø Business Letter
Ø Research Paper
Daily practice with grammar, spelling, and mechanics / Major Works:
Ø Animal Farm
Ø The Good Earth
Ø Twelfth Night
Ø Night (PSD-approved 8th Grade novel)
Ø Selections from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Ø 40-Book Challenge for Honors students on an ALP or as a challenge
Other Texts:
Ø Five or more short stories
Ø Four or more essays and speeches
Ø Fifteen or more poems
Daily practice with vocabulary, including French foreign phrases and Latin/Greek root words / Present written research findings with attention to:
Ø Asking open-ended questions
Ø Gathering relevant data
Ø Summarizing
Ø Paraphrasing
Ø Quoting accurately
Ø Defining a thesis
Ø Organizing with an outline
Ø Integrating quotations from print and digital sources
Ø Assessing the credibility of sources
Ø Avoiding plagiarism
Ø Preparing a Works Cited page
Ø Evaluating reasoning
Research methods/products will be in MLA format. / Speech:
Ø Give a planned oral presentation
Ø Present information in diverse media formats
Ø Delineate speaker’s claims and reasoning
Ø Ask relevant interview questions
Discussions:
Ø Participate civilly and productively
Ø Prepare for discussions
Ø Follow rules for collegial discussions
Ø Connect and paraphrase ideas of several speakers
Formats: debate, fish bowls, Socratic Seminars
PSD Assessments:
PSD Fall Pre-Test (Paragraph) – Writing
Fall MAPs – Reading
Speech (3rd Quarter)
PARCC ELA – month of April – Reading, Writing, and Reasoning
Spring MAPs – Reading
PSD Spring Post-Test (Essay) – Writing