English 8

Class Syllabus 

Course Description: 

This course will target students’ growth in the areas of reading, writing, listening, speaking, and discussion. Reading strategies, critical thinking skills, and vocabulary building comprise the main elements of reading instructions. Through fiction, nonfiction, and poetry reading, students will practice reading strategies and comprehension skills. The focus of writing will be on narrative, informational, persuasive, and research writing. The overall goal of the class is to increase literacy and the writing ability of students.

Course Resources:  

Collections 8 Textbook (short stories, poetry, drama) 

Digital readings

Commonlit.org

Novels: The Boy in Striped Pajamas, Diary of Anne Frank, Independent readings 

Reading Instruction will focus on:  

Short stories, nonfiction, drama, poetry, novels, narrative, and released reading assessment materials.  Reading comprehension and critical thinking strategies, elements of literature, poetic elements, text features, summarizing, analysis, and all Common Core State Standards. 

Skills Focus- 

Writing Instruction will focus on:  Narrative, Informational (Explanatory), research, and Persuasive Writing and Four or more complete essays and/or letters  

Literary writing—providing text-based responses to literature and poetry  

Responses to nonfiction articles and essays 

Short Story Unit (Plot, Setting, Character, Theme) 

Vocabulary — Commonly confused words, Literature Dependent words 

Grammar — Parts of speech, basic sentence structure Speech/Oral Presentation 

Research Process and Note Taking Informational Writing (research paper)