Mrs. DeShazo's

8th Grade ELA



Unit Goals

This class will target students’ growth in the areas of reading, writing, listening, speaking, discussion, reflection, and viewing. Reading strategies, critical thinking skills, and vocabulary building make-up the focus areas of this class. Through fiction, nonfiction, and poetry reading, students will practice reading strategies and comprehension skills. The focus of writing will be on narrative, informational, argumentative, and research writing. The overall goal of this class is to increase the literacy and writing ability of students.


Class Overview

Authentic, grade-level text sets

  • Integration of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language standards

  • Backward design

  • Embedded supports for diverse learners

  • Consistent unit and lesson structure


  • Unit 1 Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Unit goal: Students read literary and informational texts about knowledge and intelligence to understand what happens when humans try to manipulate the minds of others and how our understanding of intelligence has evolved over time. Students express their understanding of these ideas by exploring how authors draw on traditional stories and develop characters and themes to teach us about ourselves and others


  • Unit 2 How Sugar Changed the World by Marc Aronson

Unit goal: Students read literary and informational texts to understand the impact that sugar production and trade had on the economic and social course of world history, including in Louisiana. Students express their understanding by exploring conflicting information about sugar through research, determining text credibility, and comparing and contrasting texts to make informed claims


  • Unit 3 Call of the Wild by Jack London

Unit goal: Students read literary and informational texts about human interaction with animals and nature. They understand how authors portray animals to serve a purpose and make a comment about human interaction with animals. Students then explore scientific and personal accounts of animal cognition to express their understanding of Jack London’s portrayal of Buck and his interaction with humans in The Call of the Wild.


  • Unit 4 The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe

Unit goal: Students read literary and informational texts to understand the role of the narrator and point of view. Students also understand how the narrative voice of a text can blur the line between fact and fiction. Students express their understanding through writing in different points of view and examining motives and bias in various media.

Mrs. DeShazo's Weekly Schedule


Advisor Period 7:20 - 7:45

1st Period 7:50 - 8:48

2nd Period 8:52 - 9:49

3rd Period 9:53 - 10:50

4th Period 10:54 - 11:51

5th Period 11: 55 - 12:51

Lunch 12:52 - 1:12

6th Period 1:16 - 2:13

7th Period 2:17 - 3:14



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