Welcome to English Studies 8. I am excited for you to be a part of my class! I am confident we will have a great year! Please show up ready to learn and always be prepared for class with all required materials. Thoroughly read through this syllabus – it will help you get a better understanding of the course and my expectations. It’s going to be a fantastic year!
ljking@greenville.k12.sc.us|Dr. Laura King
SUPPLIES: pencils, paper, highlighter, colored pencils, 1 - Composition Book
COMMUNICATION
My email address is ljking@greenville.k12.sc.us. I will respond to your emails as quickly as possible. My telephone number is (864) 355- 8527. This phone number will directly connect you to my voicemail. Please leave your name and a phone number, so I can address your needs when I am finished teaching.
Student Backpack is an essential tool for accessing grades and Google Classroom will be your greatest asset for staying up to date. Please be sure to regularly check both places for assignments and/or missing assignments.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Students entering eighth grade continue to develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and creativity. Eighth-grade students should be reading a variety of rich and challenging texts, closely, proficiently, and independently. As part of their close examination of literary text structure, eighth-grade students begin to examine how an author manipulates time to create mystery and suspense. Eighth graders move from examining an author’s use of rhetorical appeals into analyzing how an author uses rhetoric in texts. Throughout the year, eighth-grade students refine their written and oral communication skills to communicate to a variety of audiences. Students write shorter and longer narratives, arguments, and informational texts. Lastly, students in eighth grade participate in academic discussions and communicate appropriately to a variety of audiences while considering new ideas and diverse perspectives of others.
CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
While in my classroom, I expect students to work with urgency while treating each other with high levels of respect and compassion. I will make every effort to ensure you have an 8th grade ELA experience that encourages your love of reading and increases your ability to communicate your thoughts effectively. This means that our classroom environment must be a safe place to work and express our ideas in an organized manner. Any behaviors that threaten this environment will be subject to Woodmont Middle School’s discipline policy. Please see the student handbook for additional information.
GRADING Major Assessments (3 minimum) 50% Minor Assessments (8 minimum) 50%
Major Assessments include tests, formal writing, or culminating projects. Students will receive notice in advance and will go through the necessary teacher-directed study and preparation for any major assessment. Students, however, should also spend time preparing for major assessments at home.
Minor Assessments will include reading assignments, bellringer quizzes, classwork, skills-based quizzes, small writing assignments, and informal presentations.
Make-up Work/Late Policies It is the responsibility of each student to inquire about make-up work upon returning from an absence. Students must also check google classroom for classwork and homework information for any days missed. Work turned in after the due date posted in Google Classroom / Backpack will receive a 10% grade deduction for each day it is late. Assignments should be completed and submitted on time. Assignments more than 5 days late will not be graded.
Redo/Retake/Revision Policies: For major assessments, test corrections are available upon request. Major assessments will have one retake opportunity. Once the quarter ends, grades cannot be altered.
English Studies 8 Overview:
🐭Unit 1: Gadgets and Glitches Students will consider the ways technology both makes our lives better and creates challenges. Students will conclude the unit by writing an argument about a topic related to technology.
💀Unit 2: Thrill of Horror During this unit, students will complete an author study of Edgar Allan Poe. They will also close-read The Tell-Tale Heart for various literary elements while continuing their understanding of characteristics and writing conventions associated with writing literary texts. Additionally, students respond to text dependent questions for the literary texts read to practice citing evidence and providing commentary.
📰Unit 3: Places We Call Home Students will learn about how places shape people’s identity and sense of belonging. Students will conclude the unit by writing a short story about a character who faces a problem related to a place or an informative essay about how a specific place can present challenges or obstacles for individuals. Note: The textbook suggests a short story with this unit. If students need more practice with informative essays, consider using an informative prompt instead and use the indicators and targets listed under Alternative Informative Prompt at the end of the unit suggested pacing.
⭐Unit 4: The Fight for Freedom This unit explores Civil War-related literature, including Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!", firsthand narratives from enslaved people, and writings by abolitionists. Through these texts, students will engage with the emotional and historical complexities of the Civil War era, deepening their understanding of the struggle for freedom and the human cost of conflict. The unit is closely tied to Social Studies, allowing students to make connections between historical events and their literary representations, fostering a richer comprehension of both the historical and cultural contexts of the Civil War.
🕍Unit 5: Voices of the Holocaust The drama, The Diary of Anne Frank, portrays a much more realistic teenage Anne, who is occasionally self-absorbed, moody, and obsessed with growing older. Although the war and the Holocaust still loom over the action in this adaptation, the focus is much more on Anne and the sometimes-strained relationships shared between the cramped inhabitants of the secret annex. As students read this text in a reader’s theater format, they will draw connections between this text and various historical documents from the Holocaust.
⭐Unit 6: Finding Your Path In this unit, students will study The Outsiders: a story of peer pressure, rebellion, and identity that centers on two rival groups of teens, the lower-class Greasers and the more well-heeled, popular Socs. It includes fighting, underage drinking, delinquent behavior, a rumble, a fatal stabbing, and a suicide. But the feelings of being ostracized are timeless -- which is why this book is still so relevant more than 40 years after its original publication. As students read, they will practice literary analysis skills and analyze powerful writing elements used by the author.