Week 1(2) – Study Guide – ELA 8th

Unit 1(Is “Better” Always Better?): A Literary Unit based on the short story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes

Guiding Questions:

  • Is our desire to seek improvement through technological advancement/artificial means handicapping us as a society?
  • What do our judgements about the imperfections of others reveal about our own character? How do our fears about others’ opinions of us affect our behaviors and goals? Should we change ourselves or encourage change to fit our idea of what is “better”?
  • What constitutes intelligence and can testing actually measure it?

Assignment / Due Date / Parent Signature
(Bonus Point Each Day Signed)
Monday
  • Turn-in Completed Essay/Posters (50 Points)
  • SLTs – in class essay.

Tuesday
  • Receive vocabulary for first test.
  • Review essay/poster projects.
  • Close readings of two stories.
/
  • Study vocabulary – test 8/31/16.

Wednesday
  • Close reading of “IQ to the Test”
  • Start reading first story while taking notes (Cornell Notes).
/
  • Study YOUR story notes – test 8/31/16.

Thursday
  • Read “What is the Rorschach Inkblot Test?” and perform tests in pairs.
  • Continue reading story while taking notes.

Friday
  • Cold Read Assessment (50 Points)
  • Discuss & begin poetry assignment (50 Pts).
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  • Study Vocab & Story – TEST 8/31/16.
  • Poetry Assignment Due Monday 8/29.

Week 1 - 8th Grade Grammar

You will receive grammar reminders when I notice patterns of errors in your writing. For the first week while I evaluate your writing – know these basic rules and tips.

  • Parts of a Paragraph - The basic paragraph consists of three parts:
  • Topic Sentence: The main idea of each paragraph is stated in a topic sentence that shows how the idea relates to the thesis or overall focus of the paper. Generally, the topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph. All subsequent points made in the paragraphs should support the topic sentence.
  • Supporting Details: Supporting details elaborate upon and prove the topic sentence. Supporting details should be drawn from a variety of sources including research and experiences, depending on the assignment, and include the writer’s own analysis.
  • Concluding Sentence: Each paragraph should end with a final statement that ties together the ideas brought up in the paragraph and emphasizes the main idea one last time. If the assignment is longer, it should transition to the ideas of the next paragraph.
  • More Paragraph Rules:
  • Either skip a line in between paragraphs OR indent the first line of each paragraph.
  • Put only one main idea per paragraph.
  • Aim for three to five or more sentences per paragraph, even though a paragraph can be shorter.
  • Make your paragraphs proportional to your paper. Since paragraphs do less work in short papers, have short paragraphs for short papers and longer paragraphs for longer papers.
  • If you have a few very short paragraphs, think about whether they are really parts of a larger paragraph—and can be combined—or whether you can add details to support each point and thus make each into a more fully developed paragraph.
  • Essay Transitions:

  • To Show Sequence:
/
  • To Give an Example:
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  • To Summarize or Conclude:

  • first
  • second
  • third
  • next
  • then
  • following this
  • subsequently
  • finally
/
  • for example
  • for instance
  • in this case
  • in another case
  • on this occasion
  • in this situation
  • take the case of
  • to demonstrate
/
  • in brief
  • on the whole
  • summing up
  • to conclude
  • in conclusion
  • as I have shown
  • as I have said
  • consequently

Week 1(2) – Reading Vocabulary Words – ELA 8th

From the short story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes

plateau / a time of little change after more rapid change
vacuous / showing a lack of intelligence or thought
opportunist / a person who takes advantage of any opportunity to achieve a goal, with little regard for moral principles.
senility / the condition where one shows a decline or deterioration of physical strength or mental functioning, especially short-term memory and alertness, as a result of old age or disease
regress / a return to a less developed condition
Rorschach / a personality test using ink blots, developed by Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach
illiteracy / a lack of ability to read and write
apathetic / not interested or concerned; indifferent or unresponsive
subconscious / the totality of mental processes of which the individual is not aware; unreportable mental activities
inferior / lower than a given reference point
deterioration / a gradual decline, as in quality, serviceability, or vigor
vacant / characterized by, showing, or proceeding from lack of thought or intelligence
impaired / weakened or damaged
petition / a formally drawn request, often bearing the names of a number of those making the request, that is addressed to a person or group of persons in authority or power, soliciting some favor, right, mercy, or other benefit:
shrew / a mean, nagging woman
psychology / the science of human and animal behavior.
contrary / opposite in nature or character
instability / the tendency to behave in an unpredictable, changeable, or erratic manner
neurosurgeons / a doctor who performs surgery of the brain or other nerve tissue.
intelligence / capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.