ELA 8

English/ Language Arts 8 will pick up where students left off in 7th grade, and prepare students for the rigors of Morro Bay High School ELA classes. The class will focus on three major topics: Justice, Equality, and Genocide. Each of these topics will incorporate reading (both fiction and non-fiction), writing, language (vocabulary and grammar), as well as speaking and listening.

Justice:

To start the year, students will explore the concept of justice. What is justice and how is it determined? How can we create a society that ensures the rights of all? We will be reading Reginald Rose's play 12 Angry Men, and reading Walter Dean Myers' realistic fiction novel, Monster. Students will learn about the legal system and courtroom procedure. They will learn to make claims supported by evidence and reasoning, and identify faulty or weak claims. Students will write narratives, informational/ explanatory pieces, as well as arguments.

Equality:

Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness..." How has our nation grappled with living up to this ideal? In this unit, we will read from primary documents related to this quest, including Jefferson, Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and W.E.B. duBois, and Martin Luther King. Jr. We will also use Laurie Halse Anderson's historical fiction novel, Chains. Students will use their analytical abilities to engage in Socratic Seminars.

Genocide:

Finally, we will look at the disastrous consequences for a society that ignores justice and equality. In this unit, we will study The Diary of Anne Frank and the Holocaust. Students will make arguments about what can be done to guarantee that our promises of equality and justice are more than just ideals.