1. Curriculum Night 2014-2015 8 th Grade English Language Arts Ms. Steffen

2. Ms. Steffen OWelcome to 8th grade! I am excited to get to know each of you. OI majored in Secondary English Education at the University of Florida. OI have been teaching Language Arts at Centennial Middle School for 9 years. OI truly love the art of language and hope to share it with all of my students.

3. 8 th Grade Expectations O Late Work O Students will be assigned to lunch bunch if they do not complete practice work O Supplies O Pens, pencils, and highlighters O Red folders O College-Ruled Loose Leaf Paper O Composition Book O Always keep a chapter book with you in your backpack for SSR!

4. Advanced ELA O In Class Writing O Literature Circles O Independent Reading Requirement O Critical and Higher Level Thinking O Above Grade Level Selections O Cooperative Learning Environment O Rigor, Rigor, Rigor!

5. Writing O Arguments to support claims O Informative/Explanatory O Narrative O Research/Evidence based O Presentation with Commentary

6. Reading O Literary TextInformational Text O Cite textual evidence*Cite Evidence O Determine theme*Central Idea O Narrative analysis*Text Connections O Compare and contrast*Meaning of Words O Points of view and Phrases O Text to film comparison*Paragraph Structure O Allusion*Media and Argument Analysis * Authors POV

7. Units of Study O Module 1 O Focus: Reading Closely and Writing To Analyze O Black Swan Green O Romeo and Juliet O Standards O Theme or central idea O Analyze complex characters O Author’s choices O Informative/Explanatory

8. Units of Study O Module 2 O Focus: Working with Evidence and Making Claims O The Tell-Tale Heart O Oedipus the King O Standards O Point of view O Comparing Themes O Informative/Explanatory O Draw evidence to support claims

9. Units of Study O Module 3 O Focus: Building and Communicating Knowledge through Research: The Inquiry and Writing Processes O Animals in Translation (Mysteries of Autism) O Standards O Cite strong evidence O Central idea O Author’s purpose O Comparing mediums O Research

10. Units of Study O Module 4 O Focus: Understanding and Evaluating Argument: Analyzing Text to Write Arguments O Sugar Changed the World O Fahrenheit 451 O Standards O Compare and contrast texts O Development of central idea O Analyze figurative and connotative language O Delineate and evaluate an argument O Argument Essay

11. How Can You Help? You are the most influential person in your child’s life. Your presence is evidence of your commitment to your child’s success. O Ask your child to share one part of his or her day with you… (sweet/sour, highs/lows) O Check the website and online grades. O If you have any concerns about your child here at school, never hesitate to email! O Look for progress reports 4 th -5 th week. O NEVER hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. We have the same goal for your child which is to help him/her reach his/her highest potential! We’re in this together.

12. Questions/Concerns O Email: lsteffen@kyrene.org O Phone: 480-541-6523