FALL SEMESTER SYLLABUS
EIGHTH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS
2013
-Course expectations
1. Objectives/procedures/expectations
2. Supplies/Organization
3. Off-campus lunch/Speeches/First Grade Introductions/Goals
-Literature
LITERATURE TEST 1: The Chocolate War
- Composition
1. Writing Portfolio introduced
COMPOSITION 1: Expository

Book Review, DUE AUGUST 22 (1 st Day of
School)
2. Resume and Personal Narrative
RESUME DUE, FRIDAY, AUGUST 30
PERSONAL NARRATIVE DUE, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
- Parallel Reading
1.
Parallel reading guidelines
2.
Introduction to reading portfolio, journals, projects
3.
Students complete AR tests for summer reading, select new books for outside parallel reading
- Literature: Nonfiction
Strategies for critical reading of nonfiction (633) a.
Observation: “Single Room, Earth View” b.
Speeches: “The New Frontier” (645) “’I Have a Dream’” (164) and “’Glory and Hope’” (506) c.
Narrative Essay: “The Washwoman” (650) d.
Reflective Essay: “A Celebration of Grandfathers” (662) e.
BIOGRAPHIES/AUTOBIOGRAPHIES
 “from ‘A Lincoln
Preface’” (152), “from ‘Rosa Parks: My Story’” (168), “from

‘Tuesdays with Morrie’” (950) f.
“To the Residents of A.D. 2029” (495)
LITERATURE TEST #2 Nonfiction
Short Stories
Strategies for critical reading a.
PLOT: “The Most Dangerous Game” (18) b.
CHARACTER & IRONY
 “Blues Ain’t No Mockin’ Bird”
(570) and “Checkouts” (282) c.
POINT OF VIEW
 “The Cask of Amontillado” (6) d.
SETTING: “The Interlopers” (304) e.
THEME

“A Worn Path” (Hand out) f.
SCIENCE FICTION WRITING PROJECT
 “Zero Hour”
(Hand out)
- Grammar
-Composition
Chapter 13: The Parts of a Sentence
GRAMMAR TEST 1: Parts of a Sentence
PERSONAL RESUME: FINAL DRAFT
COMPOSITION 2: Personal Narrative, FINAL DRAFT
COMPOSITION 3: Comparison and Contrast Expository Essay
- Parallel Reading
1.
Parallel Reading Assignment #1 Due Friday, SEPT. 13
2.
Parallel Reading Assignment #2
-Vocabulary
1.
2.
Units 1 & 2 quiz
Units 3 & 4 quiz
- Literature: Short Stories Cont.
- Grammar
Chapter 14: Phrases
GRAMMAR TEST 2: Phrases

- Composition
COMPOSITION 4: Final Draft—Compare and Contrast Expository Essay
COMPOSITION 5: Writing a Short Story; Science Fiction Short Story
Writing Contest (Begin at the end of September)
- Parallel Reading
1. Parallel Reading Assignment #2 Due Friday, OCT. 4
2.
Parallel Reading Assignment #3 Due THURSDAY, OCT. 25
- Vocabulary
1.
Units 5 & 6 quiz
2.
Units 7 & 8 quiz
-Literature: Poetry
1.
Use Strategies for Reading Poetry (892)
2.
IRONY, TONE, & SYMBOL
 “The Road Not Taken” (188), “Caged
Bird” (293)
3.
WORD CHOICE AND IMAGERY

“The Listeners” (122), “Beware:
Do Not Read This Poem” (124), “Slam, Dunk, & Hook” (228),
“Jabberwocky” (400), “Eulogy for a Hermit Crab” (916), “An Ancient
Gesture” (1052), “Siren Song” (1054)
4.
NARRATIVE POETRY

“The Raven” (940)
5.
SONNETS AND HAIKU

“Three Haiku” (956), “On the Grasshopper and the Cricket” (958), “Sonnet 30” (960)
6.
LYRIC POETRY

“Pride” (167), “I Hear America Singing” (172),
“maggie and milly and molly and may” (327), “Fire and Ice” (472),
“The Horses” (474), “Summer” (927), “The Bells” (930)
LITERATURE TEST 6: Poetry
- Grammar/Mechanics
Capitalization
Major forms of punctuation: commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes,
- Composition italics, quotation marks
COMPOSITION 5: Descriptive Essay

Poetry Notebook: Haiku, Lyric, Sonnet, Symbolic, Narrative
- Parallel Reading
Parallel Reading Assignment #4 Due Friday, NOV. 15
Begin Parallel Reading Book #4 (Students' choice)
- Vocabulary
1. Units 9 & 10 quiz
- Literature/Parallel Reading
Parallel Reading Assignment #5 Due on Friday, DEC. 6
- Grammar
GRAMMAR TEST 3: Capitalization/Punctuation
EXAMS
EXAM REVIEW, FINAL ASSEMBLY