Embedded Files
Grade 8
Grade 8 Curriculum
Grade 8 Curriculum
The Language Arts curriculum is organized into units of study (please see four unit descriptions below). Woven throughout these units are areas of direct instruction that include opportunities for students to strategically apply their reading and writing strategies, to respond to text both orally and in writing, and to study and apply grammar conventions.
The ultimate goal is to prepare our students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. The structure and delivery model of our grade 8 Language Arts program is in alignment with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as both guide our students to apply their reading, writing, speaking, listening and language skills for authentic purposes.
Within our flexible structure:
Within our flexible structure:
reading and writing are valued as complex and highly social activities
time is provided for students to read and write
the close study of genre enables students to become more skillful readers and writers
independent reading helps students discover their interests and appreciate reading for pleasure
students are provided with opportunities to communicate clearly and listen respectfully to the ideas of others
technology is authentically used as a means to enhance student learning
Unit 1: Elements of Fictional Narrative & Literary Analysis
Unit 1: Elements of Fictional Narrative & Literary Analysis
Enduring Understandings
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that…
Literature illustrates the power of empathy.
Reading literature shapes our perspectives about ourselves and the world in which we live.
Writers use specific elements and techniques to tell stories and to create themes.
Essential Questions
Essential Questions
Students will keep considering…
How do we come to terms with an imperfect society?
How does the way we handle conflict reveal our character?
How does reading narrative fiction help us understand who we are?
Unit 2: Literary Journeys & Discovering Growth Through Adversity
Unit 2: Literary Journeys & Discovering Growth Through Adversity
Enduring Understandings
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that…
The hero’s journey narrative reflects the universal human desire for growth, self-discovery, and the pursuit of a meaningful life.
Each of us is on our own personal journey.
The hero’s journey can be found in ancient and modern texts.
Adversity can be part of the journey to self discovery.
Essential Questions:
Essential Questions:
Students will keep considering...
How does the author’s use of patterns within storytelling enhance the reader’s understanding?
What drives our desire for adventure, self-discovery, and the pursuit of a greater purpose, and how does the hero’s journey narrative capture these universal aspirations?
What do literary heroes teach readers about perseverance?
How do challenging experiences encourage personal growth?
Unit 3: Multiple Perspectives & Critical Reading of Texts
Unit 3: Multiple Perspectives & Critical Reading of Texts
Enduring Understandings
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that…
Each of us has unique experiences and perspectives that inform our world view.
There is value in being an informed individual who is aware of multiple perspectives.
There is power in using research to take a stance and express an opinion.
Essential Questions
Essential Questions
Students will keep considering...
How can we be critical consumers of information that we encounter?
Why is it valuable to consider multiple perspectives?
How do we use sources responsibly to support an argument?
Unit 4: Shakespeare's Form & Narrative Writing
Unit 4: Shakespeare's Form & Narrative Writing
Enduring Understandings
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that…
Classical literature is timeless and has influenced many modern works.
Shakespeare created language that we use today.
Shakespeare develops universal themes, which allow readers to share a common experience.
Essential Questions
Essential Questions
Students will keep considering...
Why do Shakespeare’s works hold universal appeal and themes?
How does the reading of Shakespeare’s work enhance the understanding of contemporary literature and popular culture?
How do readers’ experiences change when they are charged to bring a work to life?
Reading
Reading
The Reading Curriculum is unit-based and organized according to genre. Units include: historical fiction, narrative nonfiction, traditional literature, fictional narrative, and poetry. Thus, students explore the text structures imbedded within the various genres as they discover universal themes such as courage, confrontation and compassion through deep study. By examining works of literature and nonfiction, students are able to move beyond the “who, what, when, where, and why” of text to uncover the theme, message, and author’s stance.
Writing
Writing
Writing instruction places an emphasis on assisting students to write narratives, explanatory text and arguments. Students are also provided with opportunities to develop their abilities to plan, revise, edit, and publish other types of text. The importance of the reading-writing connection is stressed as students are required to draw upon their knowledge of text structures and author’s craft as they write to inform, explain and share their opinions. Students are also required to use text evidence as they write in response to print and digital media.
Speaking and Listening
Speaking and Listening
Students are guided to develop a range of broadly useful oral communication and interpersonal skills. As members of the classroom community, students are provided with opportunities to work together, to express and listen carefully to the ideas of others, to integrate information from oral, visual, quantitative, and media sources, to evaluate what they hear, to use media and visual displays strategically to help achieve communicative purposes, and to adapt speech to context and task.
Language
Language
The expectation is that students will understand and apply the essential “rules” of standard written and spoken English as a matter of craft and informed choice.
8th Grade Independent Reading
8th Grade Independent Reading
We encourage our students to enjoy independent reading throughout the entire year. Please check with your English/Language Arts teacher and/or Library Media Specialist for independent reading recommendations and resources.
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