English 8

First Trimester: We began the school year by introducing ourselves, creating autobiographical poems, and going through class policies and procedures. Students read and signed Google Account and Chromebook acceptable use practices (parents need to sign their student's form, too). Students shared their summer choice book reading presentations, as well.

Then we moved onto our study of Greek mythology based on the assigned summer reading book: D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. Students learned about the ancient Greek creation myth and worldview, the Titans, and the Olympian gods. Students created a mythology biographical poem and a myth to explain a natural phenomenon. Students peer edited the latter and then revised.

Students paired up to research the nine Muses and their mother, Mnemosyne / Mneme. They taught the class and demonstrated their Muse. Projects ranged from a song to a video to a dot-to-dot sheet to a written and oral quiz, all student created. Students also took a plagiarism quiz.

We finished reading Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, in preparation for our Oct. 30 field trip to the Shakespeare Theatre to see the play. (We will rehearse and perform a shortened version of the play in May at the Diocesan Shakespeare Festival.) Students watched a 2015 Globe production and took an open book quiz.

Now, we have moved onto the Civil War. Students have read Gary Paulsen's novel Soldier's Heart, are answering study guide questions in Literature Circles, have mapped the protagonist's journey with Google Maps, will look at poetry from the era, and will conduct some additional research.

As we approach the National Day on Writing on Oct. 19, students will study the personal narrative using their Voyages textbook and workbook exercises, by writing their own narratives, and by reading excerpts from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.