Course Objectives

How did we get here? Our goal in Grade 8 Language Arts is to answer that question by examining the wealth of literature that has emanated from the United States. Starting in the Colonial Period and continuing through the present day, our readings will range from fiction to non-fiction, poetry to essays, drama to journalism and nearly everything in between. Group discussions and individual reflections based upon our readings will help us to gain a better understanding of how literature, in all of its forms, has inspired, provoked, and enlightened citizens of this country and the world. By grappling with the elements of literature found in these works and others, we will continue to develop our own skills as writers, readers, critical thinkers, and speakers.

 

Course Texts

• Daily GRAMS Workbook

• The Crucible by Arthur Miller

• Slave Narratives ed.* Henry Louis Gates and William L. Andrews

• Great Short Stories by American Women ed. By Candace Ward

• Trifles by Susan Glaspell*

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

• The Jungle by Upton Sinclair*

• Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

• Night by Elie Wiesel

 

Course Outline

I. Fall Trimester     
Colonization of North America to Pre-Civil War

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Slave Narratives ed.*

Projects:

• Response: Nothing But the Truth

• Historical Fiction

• Documentary Project: The Crucible – Then and Now

• Speech: Narrative/Informative    

 

II. Winter Trimester

The Civil War Era to World War I

Great Short Stories by American Women ed. By Candace Ward

Trifles by Susan Glaspell*

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair*

Projects:

• Response: Adv. of Hunckleberry Finn

• Nonfiction essay

• Research project and presentation: Television newsmagazine

• Speech: Compare/Contrast 

 

III. Spring Trimester

The 1920’s to present day

Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Night by Elie Wiesel

Projects:

• Response: To Kill a Mockingbird

• Research project and presentation: Documentary presentation on the 1920’s and the Great Depression

• Speech: Persuasive

• Short story

 

Required Materials

1. One section of a 3-ring binder for Language Arts class handouts and notes

2. Composition book (marbled or other type with sheets that do not tear out)

 

Assessment

Each student’s grade will be based on the following items:

1. In-class Activities:  With each unit, students will complete activities for their portfolios that connect the material with another discipline or a real-world situation. Projects will be graded using a rubric.

2. Tests:  There will be 3 tests per trimester and each will be worth 100 points.  Students will be given approximately a week’s notice before all tests.  Students who miss a test due to an unexcused absence should be prepared to take the test upon their return to school. Students who miss a test due to an excused absence have two days to schedule a make-up time.

3. Reading Quizzes:  There will be several quizzes per trimester and each will be worth 5-25 points.  Quizzes will be announced at least one day before they are given.  These quizzes will follow the same make-up policy as tests.  Sometimes pop quizzes will be given for the students’ use in assessing what they do and do not know.  No grade will be given for these quizzes.  

4. Journal:  The student will keep a journal in which daily writing assignments and homework activities will be kept. Ideas from the journals will be a major source of classroom discussion.  The teacher will periodically collect journals to read and assess.  The journal will be worth 100 points at the end of each trimester.  

5. Participation:  All students will begin with 50 daily points for the trimester.  For each day that they are not prepared for class, they will lose points. In addition, students who choose to be disruptive or not participate in class discussions will lose daily points.

6. Exam:  At the end of each trimester, students will take a 150 point test on the larger themes and topics covered to that point.

 

Student grades will be determined by adding all the points the student has earned and dividing by the total points possible. Students will keep track of their own progress on their grade record sheet.  This sheet should be kept in the student’s portfolio or notebook, and parents are welcome to check this sheet and other portfolio work any day before or after school. 

Class Expectations

All students should arrive in class prepared not only with homework and materials, but also with a willingness to engage in a discussion and to consider all perspectives. That said, no one has to love everything we read for this class, nor do we all have to agree on every viewpoint raised by a piece of writing or by a classmate or even by the instructor. Disrespect, however, toward each other’s ideas, opinions, questions, and interpretations will not be tolerated.

 

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