Teacher: JoHannah Joines / Wendy MIller
Email: mjoines@greenville.k12.sc.us wemiller@greenville.k12.sc.us
Phone: 864.355.1938 Mrs Joines 864.355.1955 Mrs Miller
Website: https://sites.google.com/greenvilleschools.us/mrsjoines
Office Hours: Tuesday afternoons from 3:15-3:45 (please have a ride to pick you promptly at 3:45) or Thursday mornings 7:40-8:10 (Don’t forget to get a pass from me so you will be allowed to come down the hall). Note: Students need to make arrangements with me ahead of time so I will know how to plan for the session.
Course Description:
Course Number: 20013800
English Studies 8 is designed to prepare students for College and Career readiness as required by the South Carolina State Standards. The curriculum exposes students to a variety of genres, both literary and informational. Placement recommendations: Successful completion of grade 7.
Read and analyze fiction and nonfiction texts.
Write for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Participate in whole group and small group discussions using accountable talk strategies.
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Unit 1: Gadgets and Glitches
Unit Essential Question: Does technology improve or control our lives?
Key Learning Objectives:
Analyze plot
Identify central idea and details
Analyze organization
Analyze irony
Analyze claim and evidence
Analyze graphic features
Analyze rhetoric
Write an argument: evidence, rhetoric, transitional words/phrases
Unit 2: The Thrill of Horror
Unit Essential Question: Why do we sometimes like to feel frightened?
Key Learning Objectives:
Analyze literary criticism
Analyze point of view
Analyze suspense
Analyze foreshadowing
Analyze epic poetry
Analyze an adaptation
Assessments:
Write a literary analysis
Cold Read Unit Assessment
Unit 3: Places We Call Home
Unit Essential Question: What are the places that shape who you are?
Key Learning Objectives:
Analyze plot
Analyze themes
Analyze character
Analyze narrative structure
Analyze imagery
Evaluate a document
Write a short story or informational essay
Novel Study: The Outsiders
Unit 4: The Fight for Freedom
Unit Essential Question: What will people risk to be free?
Key Learning Objectives:
Analyze autobiography
Analyze structure
Analyze setting
Analyze literary devices
Analyze biography
Analyze word choice
Analyze figurative language
Assessments:
Write a research report
Cold Read Unit Assessment
Unit 5: Finding Your Path
Unit Essential Question: How do the challenges of today help you shape your future?
Key Learning Objectives:
Analyze perspectives
Analyze structure
Analyze author’s purpose
Compare poetic structure
Analyze claim and evidence
Identify counter claims
Analyze rhetorical devices
Assessments:
Write an argument
Cold Read Unit Assessment
Unit 6: The Legacy of Anne Frank
Unit Essential Question: What can we learn from tragic events?
Key Learning Objectives:
Analyze drama
Analyze diary
Make inferences
Analyze appeals
Analyze rhetorical devices
Analyze sound devices
Analyze figurative language
Assessments:
Write a personal narrative
Cold Read Unit Assessment
Review for SC Ready
-Textbook: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) into Literature 8 + Grammar Practice 8
-The Outsiders by SE HInton "The Outsiders," by S..E Hinton, is a coming-of-age story set in 1960s Oklahoma, exploring themes of social class, violence, and belonging through the eyes of Ponyboy Curtis, a young greaser.
-Surviving Hitler by Jack Mandelbaum “Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps is a biographical account of Jack Mandelbaum, a young Polish Jew, who was torn form his family and forced into the horrors of Nazi concentration camps during World War II
-Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepytys This novel follows Lina, a fifteen year old girl, as she, her mother, and brother struggle to survive in one of Stalin’s infamous Siberian work camps
-Once by Morris Gleitzman Once is the story of a young Jewish boy who is determined to escape the orphanage he lives in to save his Jewish parents from the Nazis in the occupied Poland of WWII.
Composition Notebook
Three prong folder (provided)
Notebook paper
Pen/pencil/highlighters
Wired earbuds
Be prepared to work/discuss in class everyday
Have your materials ready at the beginning of class each day
Work for the entire class period
Daily starter activities are expected to be completed within the first 12 minutes of class.
-Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes will begin with a journal prompt
-Tuesday/Thursday classes will begin with a grammar activity
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
Tests and Major Projects/Writing = 50% (3 per quarter)
Daily Assignments, Quizzes, and Minor Projects/writing = 50% (8-10 per quarter)
*NEW THIS YEAR Parent/guardian Initial: _____ Student Initial: _____
**There is no longer a grade floor for students. The actual grade the student receives will be recorded. **Student Backpack is an essential tool for accessing grades.
Greenville County Schools is committed to Building a Better Graduate by creating college and career ready students. As such, students must develop character traits that align with workplace expectations. Some examples of these include responsibility, strong work ethic, and self-direction. Students are expected to give their best effort when completing assignments and should strive to complete them by the due date. Students are expected to turn in ALL assignments and should never have a Not Handed In (NHI) recorded in the grade book. Extra opportunities are available for students to make up work through ROAR, tutoring times, and at other times designated by the teacher. Late work will be accepted within 5 days from the due date. Points will not be deducted for late work.
Since the goal is for students to master content and skills, students will be allowed to retake/redo major tests only; however, students must commit to doing their part in preparing for the re-test. Students must initiate the request to retake/redo a test within 5 days of receiving the grade on the test. Students are allowed to retake/redo a major test one time and only one major test per class can be retested each quarter. The student must complete a BRMS Request to Retest form, which can be found in the teacher’s Google classroom, and submit the form to the teacher. The form must be signed by the parent and student prior to being submitted. Teachers may also require a student to take a retest. Following a re-test, the higher grade will be recorded in the grade book.
In order to retest the student must complete two of the tasks listed below to prepare for the re-test.
_X_ Attend a minimum of one tutoring session with the teacher during office hours. THIS IS REQUIRED.
___Review notes, study guides, and other related materials.
___Prepare flashcards, Quizlets, or other strategies to review content.
___Other __________________________________________________________________
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. Students can be required to attend teacher tutoring sessions or academic intervention sessions in order to make up missed work.
Magic School
STUDENTS MAY ONLY USE MAGIC SCHOOL AI WHEN SPECIFICALLY DIRECTED BY THE TEACHER.
Students will use MagicSchool AI, a generative AI platform designed specifically for education. As tools like ChatGPT and Gemini become standard in the professional world, utilizing MagicSchool prepares students for the future workforce by teaching safe and responsible technology use.
Students will use these tools for real-time feedback and dynamic problem-solving. To ensure appropriate use, teachers retain access to all student chats. MagicSchool strictly protects privacy and does not collect or utilize student data. All AI software, including MagicSchool, complies with GCS Board Policy and Administrative Rule IA.
Generative AI
This course will ONLY utilize MagicSchool AI to supplement traditional instruction. Greenville County Schools prioritizes the ethical use of these technologies for brainstorming and self-guided learning.
Critical Thinking First: AI must not replace original thought or coursework.
Academic Integrity: Using AI to complete and submit assignments as original work constitutes plagiarism.
Required Citation: If teacher-approved, all AI use must be properly cited.
Content Awareness: Students must remain vigilant regarding potential biases and inaccuracies in AI-generated content.
Policy Compliance: All AI programs align with GCS Board Policy and Administrative Rule IA.
Parent/guardian Signature: _____________________________ Date: _____________________
Student Signature: _____________________________________ Date: _____________________
Math 8 Syllabus - Blue Ridge Middle School
Wendy Miller
Room: 817
Miller: 810
Phone: 864 - 355 - 1937
Miller: 864-355-1955
Email Address: mfalls@greenville.k12.sc.us
Miller: wemiller@greenville.k12.sc.us
Website (hyperlink)
Tutoring Times: Tuesday/Thursday 3:45-4:15 pm
South Carolina Reveal Math (Course 3) - McGraw Hill
ALEKS student software
The standards for Math 8 continue the work started in sixth and seventh grades in these four strands: Data, Probability, and Statistical Reasoning (DPSR); Measurement, Geometry, and Spatial Reasoning (MGSR); Numerical Reasoning (NR); and Patterns, Algebra, and Functional Reasoning (PAFR). Woven throughout all four strands are concepts building on students’ understanding with problem solving to provide context to the problems they are solving, which will foster critical thinking and collaboration skills.
For a complete understanding of the essential knowledge and skills in mathematics, read the SCCCR Mathematics Standards in their entirety; the five process standards will be incorporated throughout this course.
8.DPSR.1.1 Create and analyze scatter plots to represent numerical data sets in mathematical and real-world situations.
8.DPSR.2.2 Calculate and interpret the probability of compound independent and dependent events.
8.PAFR.1.1 Define an equation in slope-intercept form (y = mx + b) as being a linear function
8.PAFR.1.2 Identify and describe the constant rate of change and the y-intercept of a linear function.
8.MGSR.1.2 Find the distance between any two points in the coordinate plane using the Pythagorean Theorem.
8.MGSR.1.3 Given the Pythagorean Theorem, determine unknown side lengths in right triangles in mathematical and real-world situations.
8.MGSR.2.1 Determine missing angle measurements created when parallel lines are cut by a transversal.
8.NR.1.1 Convert any form of a rational number to any other form including fractions (mixed numbers), decimals, and percentages.
8.NR.2.2 Classify and order the subsets of real numbers in the number system including natural, whole, integer, rational, and irrational numbers.
8.PAFR.3.2 Approximate non-perfect square roots and cube roots to nearest tenth. Limit to square roots less than or equal to 400 and cube roots less than or equal to 1,000.
8.PAFR.2.1 Solve multi-step one variable equations and inequalities with variables on both sides with rational coefficients.
8.MGSR.3.7 Describe the effect of a series of transformations, including dilations, translations, rotations, and reflections, on two-dimensional figures using coordinates on the coordinate plane.
8.MGSR.3.1 Describe the results of transformations on a given figure using geometric terminology from the definitions of the transformations.
The instructional resources used in this course consist of eight units:
Unit 1 - Introduction to Math 8
Review of graphing and identifying points on the coordinate plane
Unit 2 - Congruence and Similarity
Describe the characteristics of translations, reflections, rotations, and dilations.
Translate, reflect, rotate, and dilate figures.
Describe a sequence of transformations that map one figure (a preimage) onto another (the image).
Explain why two figures are congruent using rigid motions.
Determine whether a pair of triangles is similar by using Angle-Angle Similarity.
Find distances or lengths that are difficult to measure directly by using properties of similar triangles.
Unit 3 - Linear Relationships and Equations
Graph a proportional relationship and describe the slope as the constant of Proportionality.
Compare two different proportional relationships by comparing the slopes.
Explain why the hypotenuses of similar triangles have equal slopes.
Derive the equations y = mx for a line through the origin and y = mx + b for a line intercepting the y-axis at b.
Solve linear equations with variables on both sides.
Determine the number of solutions to linear equations.
Unit 4 - Understand and Analyze Functions
Identify and use qualitative features of relationships.
Determine if a relation is a function by using a table or mapping diagram.
Represent functions in different forms and determine if a function is linear or nonlinear from multiple representations.
Analyze functions to interpret their rate of change and initial values.
Compare functions represented in different forms.
Unit 5 - Patterns of Association
Represent bivariate data on a scatter plot.
Investigate and interpret patterns in bivariate data.
Unit 6 - Angles, Triangles and the Pythagorean Theorem
Explore using relationships among angles formed when two parallel lines are crossed by a transversal.
Explore the relationships between the interior and exterior angles of a triangle.
Calculate and estimate square roots.
Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to determine the measures of the sides of a right triangle, to determine the length of a diagonal line on the coordinate plane, and in real-world applications.
Use the converse of the Pythagorean Theorem to analyze triangles.
Unit 7 - Volume
Find the cube root of a value.
Find volumes of cylinders, cones, and spheres and use volumes to solve problems.
Use volume formulas to solve problems in a context.
Unit 9 - Irrational Numbers and Exponents
Explore converting rational numbers into repeating decimals.
Use a number line to locate, compare, and order rational and irrational numbers.
Generate equivalent expressions using zero and negative exponents and properties of powers.
Consumable Textbook (provided by teacher)
Pencils
Notebook paper
Chromebook (provided by BRMS)
While in my classroom, I expect students to…