Course Description:

Eighth grade English involves exploring fiction and nonfiction, composing essays and creative writing pieces, improving listening and speaking skills, and further developing students’ study and organization skills.

Expectations:

In order to have a successful year, it is important for us to establish a safe and enjoyable learning environment for our work together.

The key component is RESPECT.

We need to respect each and every individual's ideas and feelings, as well as my right to teach and learn, and every student’s right to learn and teach.

ASSESSMENT:

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS:

Out of respect for ourselves and others, students need to be prepared for each and every class. When students arrive prepared, they are ready to work together and the environment feels productive for everyone involved.

Formative Assessments track a student’s consistency and work ethic, much like practices do in sports.

Work ethic is considered a part of student  learning, and these assignments and quizzes serve as practice and assessments for their current level of understanding.

Therefore, formative assessments may not be retaken and should serve as an indicator of what a student needs to read, practice, or review prior to the next assessment.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS:

Summative assessments indicate a student’s overall progress in learning, understanding, and being able to use the skills addressed in each unit of study. Using the sports metaphor, these assignments, projects, and tests are like a player’s performance in a regular season game. (It is always best when students, parents, and teachers remember that middle school is not the World Series.)

Unlike a game in sports, a summative assessment may, under special circumstances, be retaken.  The student must set up a time to meet with Mr. Elliott and discuss the process. Any opportunity for reassessment of these assignments is based on individual circumstances and is granted at the discretion of the teacher.

Learner Expectations:

The following categories will be used to designate purpose and areas of focus in assessing student learning in English.

Self-Directed Learner - Student is independently motivated to work towards improvement.

As evidenced by: completes work on time, comes to class prepared, demonstrates diligence in class and on homework assignments.

Knowledgeable Person - Student knows and understands the content information ...

As evidenced by: quizzes, tests, writing assignments, class discussions, projects, and other formative and summative assessments.

Critical Thinker - Student uses complex reasoning strategies to analyze information, solve problems, and make connections between new learning, prior knowledge, and other curriculum ...

As evidenced by: quizzes, tests, writing assignments, class discussions, projects, and other formative and summative assessments.

Effective Communicator/Producer - Student effectively and clearly expresses ideas to diverse audiences, through diverse methods, and for a variety of purposes, culminating in a quality product …

As evidenced by: quizzes, tests, writing assignments, class discussions, projects, and other formative and summative assessments.

Please note that one assessment may include four separate grades to reflect the student’s process.

Anticipated Syllabus:

As the school year begins, students create graphic and poetic expressions of their life experiences. As the year progresses, students continue discovering their own voices and writing styles by examining and writing about art works, short stories, poetry, and essays.

Our first novel of the year is Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, an extraordinary piece of literature that explores the importance of living a personally meaningful life in the time each of us is given on this planet. The novel helps students understand the perspective gained from contemplating the possibility of eternal life, along with the finite inevitability of every individual life. The words “Carpe diem!” become real for every reader.

During the school year, our reading will explore works about history and current events. Fiction and nonfiction works  include those exploring the human quest for individual freedoms and civil rights, and those seeking to help us understand the nature and impact of biases and discrimination. Some of our work will focus on antisemitism, especially  as it fueled the Holocaust. Further study will look at  the impact of war on individuals as well as society today. 

Resources may include The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Night, Escape from Saigon, All the Broken Pieces, The Long Walk to Water, Animal Farm, and excerpts from The House on Mango Street.  Short stories will include Amy Tan’s “Fish Cheeks”and Langston Hughes’ “Thank You Ma’am” among other age appropriate classics such as those found in the collection Flying Lessons & other stories. 

A poetry unit will include sonnets of Shakespeare along with classic works by Robert Frost and other contemporary poets.

We will also be doing a film study of historically relevant titles, such as “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “Selma.” Please see the daVinci film list for other possibilities.

During the spring, we will be studying Shakespeare. Our study will focus on Romeo and Juliet and will  include workshops led by professional actors. If possible, we will attend a performance by a professional theater company. We will also look at two interpretations of this classic, the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli and the 1996 Baz Luhrmann films, to help students understand the timeless quality and universal nature of Shakespeare's work.