Curriculum Night Jessica Meade Eighth Grade Language Arts

Welcome to 8 th Grade LA! This year we will center our reading, writing, and thinking around a set of essential questions: What is empathy and how do we become people who work at understanding others? How does an individual’s response to prejudice and injustice reveal his/her true character? How are people transformed through their relationship with others? Can literature serve as a vehicle for social change? What is social justice? What responsibilities do individuals have in regard to issues of social justice? These are big questions, without easy answers- or perhaps no answers at all. But by thinking about them, we gain a better understanding of our relationship with the world.

Common Core: English/LA Demonstrate independence Build strong content knowledge Respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and subject area Comprehend as well as critique Value evidence Use technology and digital media strategically and capably Understand other perspectives and cultures

Term 1 Short Stories “The Open Window” (Saki) “The Taste of Melon” (Borden Deal) “The Scariest Thing I Know” (Dean Koontz) “Marionettes, Inc.” (Ray Bradbury) “The No-Talent Kid” (Kurt Vonnegut) “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” (Twain) Edgar Allan Poe Week Writing I Love Short, Short Stories Confess Oh, My Story

Term 2 Literary Analysis: Tom Sawyer A classic novel that exposes students to Americana Literature * read closely * write an analytical essay * present and defend a claim in a speech

Term 3 Alligator Bayou A tale of immigration, friendship, loyalty and betrayal set in 1890’s Louisiana. The unit includes multiple connections to our 8 th grade history classes, including topics of immigration, voting rights, and segregation.

Term 4 Warriors Don’t Cry In 1957, 15-year-old Melba Pattillo was part of the “Little Rock Nine” – a group of students chosen to integrate the all-white Central High School. This non-fiction memoir recalls Melba’s year, complete with her dairy entries, and newspaper articles.

Ongoing assignments for each Term Journal Writes Vocabulary Poetry Non-fiction articles

Vocabulary Vocabulary words come from our reading.  Words are assigned most 5 day weeks.  We go over words in class, then practice terms on Quizlet.com.

Ongoing Writing Lessons The Writing Process Grammar, Conventions, Mechanics Writing Tips and Strategies Author Imitation

Assignments/Homework Homework: Students are asked to record assignments in their planners at the end of every class. If they don’t have homework, students should record an N.H. Assignments are posted in the classroom. A student can also me if they have a question regarding homework. Homework is either the continuation of a lesson or the basis for the next day’s lesson in class. Assignments are available on my blog