Welcome to an Awesome Community of Learners!
8th Grade Vanguard Pre-AP/GT English, T.H. Rogers, 2015-16
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”
Ms. Hendricks, Room 215, lhendri2@houstonisd.org
Planning Times: 3rd and 5th periods
Overview
This course is based on the Laying the Foundation Skills List for 8th grade Pre-AP English,
which includes all Close Reading, Grammar, and Composition concepts in the state TEKS and
additional concepts aligned to the SAT and both AP English exams: Language and Composition
(taken in 11th grade) and Literature and Composition (taken in 12th grade). Thanks to the
excellent foundations provided by Ms. Crawford, Ms. Porterie and Mr. McClellan, we will
review basic literary and grammatical concepts and move on to more complex concepts such as
allusion, appeals, annotation, archetype, concession/ counterargument, direct and indirection
characterization, epiphany, euphemism, types of irony, juxtaposition, sentence manipulation,
theme, syntax, tone, shift, types of meter, subtext, symbolism, and rhetorical purpose. We will
focus on not just correctly identifying devices but on analyzing the effect of these devices and using
stylistic imitation to integrate these concepts into our own writing, fostering a culture of thinking.
Please note that many handouts will not be posted online due to copyright restrictions. I keep
extra copies in my room.
Course Goals and Learning Outcomes
1. Develop students’ Habits of Mind and communication skills through reading, writing,
and speaking activities and assignments in order to prepare them for success in high
school, in college courses, on standardized tests, and in the working world.
2. Help students develop a deepened understanding of literary devices, thematic ideas and
historical issues present in influential literary works.
3. Challenge students to connect their own personal experiences and ideas with those in
literature and to listen to and respect classmates’ diverse experiences and perspectives.
Specific Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will have: completed a project demonstrating literary
analysis of the hero’s journey; engaged in process piece writing in the composition of a
short story; added 300 SAT-level words to their vocabulary; written a personal poem;
written literary analyses; engaged in performative Shakespearean drama; demonstrated
mastery of diverse syntactical patterns.
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Classroom Norms
All students are expected to model proper behavior. Our classroom scholarly code of conduct is
as follows:
1. Be prepared.
2. Be prompt.
3. Be on-task.
4. Follow directions.
5. Respect yourself, your school, and others.
Non-adherence to this code will result in conduct cuts. Other intervention strategies include
teacher-student conferences, parent contact, and lunch detentions. Please see the T.H. Rogers
School Handbook for more information about the conduct cut system.
Core Readings
One summer novel (Ender’s Game, The Once and Future King, or Watership Down)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (fall)
Night by Elie Wiesel (winter)
Nonfiction speeches and historical research documents related to novels and themes
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (winter/spring)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare (spring)
1 outside novel/ nonfiction work per semester related to our current unit based on guidelines
WRITING
Writings will include a poem, a fall group project (hero’s journey), a personal narrative piece, a
short story, timed in-class essays, major analytical essays and the process pieces leading up to
them (e.g., Dialectical Journal, Body Paragraphs, Intro/Conclusion, Rough Draft, Revised Draft,
Edited Draft), and a spring Shakespearean performative project.
VOCABULARY
As in the 6th and 7th grades, students will use Vocabulary Workshop to add 300 SAT-type words to
their vocabulary this year. In order for us to complete all units, students will frequently have
Vocab. homework (exercises and/ or review) as well as other homework.
DISCUSSION
Active, considerate, evidence-based class discussion is an essential skill for high school and
college. We will regularly engage in graded class discussions, adding skills such as volume, eye
contact, posture, gestures, Law School (cold call), self-regulated volunteering, tracking, name
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and text references, elaboration, concision, precision, and concession/ counterargument to our
skills base.
GRADING
Tests/Performance Assessments 40%
Classwork 30%
Quizzes 20%
Homework 10%
Retesting: If a student earns less than a 70 on a test, s/he must attend tutoring and complete a
retest (for a maximum grade of a 70) within five school days.
Extra credit: I do not offer extra credit to individual students.
Plagiarism/copying / cheating (including partial copying) = automatic 0 for assignment AND
automatic P for cycle.
Intervention / Tutoring: Students with grades below an 80 should attend tutorial sessions to
ask more questions before they turn in work, to get help reviewing and editing errors in their
writing, and to review content prior to tests or quizzes. Students should see me to schedule after
school or lunch tutorials.
Late Work
ONE late daily assignment is accepted 1st semester for 50% credit; NO late work is accepted 2nd
semester.
Absences
-If a student is absent the day an assignment is due, it must be turned in upon his/her return.
-It is the student’s responsibility to determine any make-up work assigned on the day(s) s/he
was absent. Assignments are due according to the number of days absent. (i.e.: 1 absence = 1
day make-up). If a student is absent, s/he should obtain notes from a classmate and see me
during lunch (signed planner required) or after school with any questions.
Required Daily Class Materials
1. 1.5-2” white binder with the following dividers:
1 – Lit./Rhetor. Terms
2 - Vocabulary
3 – Current Unit
4 – Grammar/ Writing
5 – Scholastic/ Creative
6 – Prev. Unit Samples
Notebook paper throughout or at back
2. Vocabulary Workshop book
3. Black or blue ink pen; pencil
4. Five highlighters (each a different color)
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5. Red pen for peer review / self-correcting
6. Flash drive and/or Google Docs or other similar account to store docs online
7. Composition book
About Me: I graduated summa cum laude from Texas Christian University with a double major
in English and Religion and a minor in Women’s Studies (B.A.). I earned my M.A. in the
Teaching of English from Teachers College , Columbia University (NYC). I enjoy studying the
intersection between history, culture, literature and the multiform nature of language. I am
excited about the partnership with students and family that will make this year successful! Go
Rams!
Contact information: If you have a question or concern, please feel free to e-mail me at
lhendri2@houstonisd.org and/or leave a message with the office staff at (713) 917-3565. Also,
please check Schoolwires regularly for important class information.