Date: September 29th, 2023

Home Connection

Highlights of Unit 1: Rights of Passage

Dear Family,

In this unit, students will investigate milestones on the path to growing up, considering how singular experiences can change a life. Students will read a variety of texts, watch a video, and view media as they discuss the Essential Question for the unit.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

As a class, in small groups, and independently, students will work to answer this question: What are some milestones on the path to growing up? Give your student the opportunity to continue the discussion at home.

TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR STUDENT

•  What are some of the ways you could answer the question What are some milestones on the path to growing up?

•  Do we grow more from experiences we repeat a lot, or from single particularly memorable experiences?

•  Why do you think stories about rites of passage are so popular in the media and in books and film?

UNIT 1 SELECTION TITLES, AUTHORS, GENRES

Whole-Class Learning:

• Short Story - “The Medicine Bag” by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

• Media: Video - “Apache Girl’s Rites of Passage” by National Geographic

SMALL-GROUP Learning

• Letters -  “You Are the Electric Boogaloo” by Geoff Herbach; “Just Be Yourself!” by Stephanie Pellegrin

letter

• Poetry Collections - “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde; “Translating Grandfather’s House” by E.J. Vega

• Short Story - “The Setting Sun and the Rolling World” by Charles Mungoshi

 INDEPENDENT Learning

Your student will choose one of the following to read independently. You may want to read it as well so that you can discuss it together.

• Memoir - “Cub Pilot on the Mississippi” by Mark Twain

• Autobiography - from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

• News Article - “Quinceañera Birthday Bash Preserves Tradition, Marks Passage to Womanhood” by Natalie St. John

• Reflective Essay - “Childhood and Poetry” by Pablo Neruda

• Short Story - “The Winter Hibiscus” by Minfong Ho

 TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR STUDENT

•  How did you choose which selection to read?

•  What is the most interesting aspect of the idea of rites of passage that you learned from your reading?

PERFORMANCE TASKS AND PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT

Your student will need to answer the question What rite of passage has held the most significance for you or for a person you know well? He or she will write a nonfiction narrative and give an oral presentation, drawing on knowledge gained from the selections studied in this unit as well as the Performance Tasks he or she completed.

 Whole-Class Learning Performance Task

After completing the Whole-Class section of the unit, students will learn how to write a nonfiction narrative. They will then write a narrative answering this question: What event changed your understanding of yourself, or that of someone you know?

 Small-Group Learning Performance Task

After completing the Small-Group section of the unit, your student will work with his or her group to present a nonfiction narrative in which they address the question What defines an event or experience in a young person's life as a milestone or rite of passage?

End-of-Unit Performance-Based Assessment

At the end of the unit, your student will pull together his or her learning by completing a Performance-Based Assessment answering this question: What rite of passage has held the most significance for you or for a person you know well? In response to that question, students will write a nonfiction narrative and prepare an oral presentation.

Activities and assignments in Unit 1 will help your child meet the following Common Core State Standards for reading literature, informational texts, writing, and speaking and listening. Here are some key standards students will work toward in this unit.

Reading

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

• Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.

Writing

• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

• With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

Speaking and Listening

• Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.

• Present claims and findings emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

• Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.

Thank you for your continuing support!

January 4th, 2024

Home Connection

Highlights of Unit 3: What Matters

Dear Family,

In this unit, students will learn about standing up for one’s rights, considering what rights are worth standing up for and when to stand up for them. Students will read a variety of texts and view media as they discuss the Essential Question for the unit.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

As a class, in small groups, and independently, students will work to answer the question When is it right to take a stand? Give your student the opportunity to continue the discussion at home.

TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR STUDENT

•  What are some of the ways you could answer the question When is it right to take a stand?

•  What do these texts say about what matters? How do people know when the time is right to stand up?

•  Why do you think people standing up for their rights is so popular in the media and in books and film?

UNIT 3 SELECTION TITLES, AUTHORS, GENRES

 Whole-Class Learning

National Geographic magazine article - “Barrington Irving, Pilot and Educator”

opinion piece - “Three Cheers for the Nanny State” Sarah Conly

opinion piece - “Soda Ban? What About Personal Choice?” Katrina Trinko

SMALL-GROUP Learning

speech - “Words Do Not Pay” Chief Joseph speech

nonfiction narrative - from Follow the Rabbit–Proof Fence" Doris Pilkington

media: video - “The Moth Presents: Aleeza Kazmi”

INDEPENDENT Learning: Your student will choose one of the following to read independently. You may want to read it as well, so that you can discuss it together.

memoir - from "Through My Eyes" Ruby Bridges

poetry - “The Unknown Citizen” W. H. Auden

biography - "Harriet Tubman:  Conductor on the Underground Railroad" Ann Petry

TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR STUDENT

•  How did you choose which selection to read?

•  What about standing up for what matters did you find most interesting from your reading?

PERFORMANCE TASKS AND PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT

Your student will need to answer the question Is it important for people to make their own choices in life? He or she will write an argument and give an oral presentation, drawing on knowledge gained from the selections in this unit, as well as from the Performance Tasks he or she completed.

 Whole-Class Learning Performance Task

After completing the Whole-Class section of the unit, your student will learn how to put together an argument in the form of a problem-and-solution essay. He or she will write an essay to answer the questions What is a problem you think needs to be solved? How would you solve it?

 Small-Group Learning Performance Task

After completing the Small-Group section of the unit, your student will work with his or her group to develop an oral presentation addressing the question When you take a stand, how much does winning matter?

 End-of-Unit Performance-Based Assessment

At the end of the unit, your student will pull together his or her learning by completing a Performance-Based Assessment addressing the question Is it important for people to make their own choices in life? In response to that question, he or she will write an argument and give an oral presentation to the class.

Activities and assignments in Unit 3 will help your student meet the following Common Core State Standards for reading literature and informational texts, writing, and speaking and listening. Here are some key standards students will work toward mastering in this unit.

Reading

• Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.

• Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

• Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

• Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.

Writing

• Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

• Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

• Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

Speaking and Listening

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

• Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

Thank you for your continuing support!

Tuesday, February 21st, 2024

Home Connection

Highlights of Unit 5: Invention

Dear Family,

In this unit, students will learn about invention, considering concepts such as inspiration and perseverance. Students will read a variety of texts and view media as they discuss the Essential Question for the unit.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:

As a class, in small groups, and independently, students will work to answer the question Are inventions realized through inspiration or perspiration? Give your student the opportunity to continue the discussion at home.

TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR STUDENT

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question: Are inventions realized through inspiration or perspiration?

• What do these texts say about what compels people to invent? Are inventions ever successful on the first try?

• Why do you think inventions are so popular in the media and in books and film?

UNIT 5 SELECTION TITLES, AUTHORS, GENRES WHOLE-CLASS LEARNING

• “Uncle Marcos” from The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (novel excerpt)

• “To Fly” by Neil deGrasse Tyson (essay)

SMALL-GROUP LEARNING

• “Nikolas Tesla: The Greatest Inventor of All?” by Vicky Baez (biography)

• from The Invention of Everything Else" by Samantha Hunt (novel excerpt)

• “25 Years Later, Hubble Sees Beyond Troubled Start” by Dennis Overbye (science article)

• “Sounds of a Glass Armonica” (media: video)

INDEPENDENT LEARNING

Your student will choose one of the following to read independently. You may want to read it as well, so that you can discuss it together.

• “Ada Lovelace: A Science Legend” by James Essinger (web article)

• “Fermented Cow Dung Air Freshener Wins Two Students Top Science Prize” by Kimberley Mok (web article)

• “Scientists Build Robot That Runs, Call It ‘Cheetah’ ” by Rodrigue Ngowi (news article)

• from The Time Machine by  H. G. Wells (novel excerpt)

• “Icarus and Daedalus” by Josephine Preston Peabody (myth)

TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR STUDENT

• How did you choose which selection to read?

• What about the idea of invention did you find most interesting from your reading?

PERFORMANCE TASKS AND PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT

• Your student will need to answer the question Which invention described in this unit has had the biggest impact on humanity? He or she will write an argument and give a speech, drawing on knowledge gained from the selections in this unit, as well as from the Performance Tasks he or she completed.

Whole-Class Learning Performance Task

After completing the Whole-Class section of the unit, your student will learn how to put together an argument. He or she will write an argumentative essay to answer the question Which text—“Uncle Marcos” or “To Fly”—best describes the dream or fantasy of human flight?

Small-Group Learning Performance Task

After completing the Small-Group section of the unit, your student will work with his or her group to conduct a debate addressing the question Are inventions realized through inspiration or perspiration?

End-of-Unit Performance-Based Assessment

At the end of the unit, your student will pull together his or her learning by completing a Performance-Based Assessment addressing the question Which invention described in this unit has had the biggest impact on humanity? In response to that question, he or she will write an argument and give a speech.

Activities and assignments in Unit 5 will help your student meet the following Common Core State Standards for reading literature and informational texts, writing, and speaking and listening. Here are some key standards students will work toward mastering in this unit.

Reading

• Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

• Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

• Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept.

Writing

• Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

• Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

• Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

Speaking and Listening

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

• Present claims and findings emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Thank you for your continuing support!

April 10th, 2024

Home Connection

Highlights of Unit 2: Holocaust

Dear Family,

In this unit, students will learn about the Holocaust. They will read accounts by victims and survivors and will consider concepts such as how such a terrible thing could come to happen, and how do people move on from an atrocity without forgetting it entirely. Students will read a variety of texts and view media as they discuss the Essential Question for the unit.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: As a class, in small groups, and independently, students will work to answer the question How do we remember the past? Give your student the opportunity to continue the discussion at home.

TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR STUDENT

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question How do we remember the past?

• What do these texts say about the Holocaust? How do people deal with the knowledge that something so terrible happened?

• Why do you think the Holocaust is so often featured in the media and in books and film?

UNIT 2 SELECTION TITLES, AUTHORS, GENRES

WHOLE-CLASS LEARNING

drama: The Diary of Anne Frank, Act 1 by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich

drama: The Diary of Anne Frank, Act 2 by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich

media/timeline:  “Frank Family and World War II Timeline

SMALL-GROUP LEARNING

diary entries: from Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

speech:  “Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize” by Elie Wiesel 

media/graphic novel: from Maus by  Art Spiegelman

INDEPENDENT LEARNING

Your student will choose one of the following to read independently. You may want to read it as well, so that you can discuss it together.

television transcript: “Saving the Children” by Bob Simon 

reflective essay:  “A Great Adventure in the Shadow of War” by Mary Helen Dirkx 

informative article:  “Irena Sendler: Rescuer of the Children of Warsaw” by Chana Kroll 

historical writing: “Quiet Resistance” by Ann Byers 

news article:  “Remembering a Devoted Keeper of Anne Frank’s Legacy” by Moni Basu 

first-person account:  “I’ll Go Fetch Her Tomorrow” by Bloeme Emden, memoir

TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR STUDENT

• How did you choose which selection to read?

• What about the Holocaust stood out the most to you from

your reading?

PERFORMANCE TASKS AND PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT

Your student will need to answer the question How can literature help us remember and honor the victims of the Holocaust? He or she will write an explanatory essay and give an oral presentation, drawing on knowledge gained from the selections in this unit, as well as from the Performance Tasks he or she completed.

Activities and assignments in Unit 2 will help your student meet the following Common Core State Standards for reading literature and informational texts, writing, and speaking and listening. Here are some key standards students will work toward mastering in this unit.

Reading

• Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

• Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

• Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.

• Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.

Writing

• Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

• Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

Speaking and Listening

• Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.

• Present claims and findings emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Thank you for your continuing support!