8th Grade Pre-A.P. Reading
McNabb Middle School
Ashley Pelfrey
2010-2011
Supplies
1 3-prong paper folder (with pockets)
Loose leaf paper
Pencils
*Students will also be asked to purchase two novels throughout the course of the year. The titles of
these novels will be provided to parents once they are finalized. Tentatively, the two novels are To Kill a
Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Night by Ellie Weisel. If students purchase their own copies, they will be
able to take them home and write in them. If you are unable to purchase these novels, please let me
know and other arrangements will be made. As soon as final decisions have been made regarding novel
choices, a letter will be sent home.
Team Rules
1. Be prepared.
2. Be polite.
3. Be positive.
4. Be productive.
5. Be prompt.
Consequences
1st infraction-conference with teacher to create a plan to avoid the behavior
2nd infraction-parent contact/ detention
3rd infraction-parent contact /morning or afternoon detention
4th infraction- office referral
Book Projects and Reading Logs:
Students will be required to read at least 90 minutes outside of class each week. Students will receive a
reading log every Monday, to be turned in on the following Monday. Parents or guardians must provide
a signature on the reading log to verify that outside reading has been completed. Students will also
answer questions about the material that they have read. Outside reading is not limited to novels and
may include short stories, poetry, magazine articles, and newspapers. However, students must read at
least one novel of their choice per grading period and complete a book project to demonstrate their
understanding of the reading. Reading logs and book projects will be worth 100 points per grading
period.
Reading Folders:
Students will be required to keep a reading folder for the year, which will be kept in the classroom.
These notebooks will be used to keep notes, complete bell work and class assignments, and turn in
homework. Because these folders will be kept in the classroom, I will send all graded assignments home
with students at the end of each grading period. If you would like to review completed assignments
before the end of the grading period, you may contact me to make arrangements.
Bonus Points:
Students will have several opportunities for bonus points throughout the year. If grades appear to be
suffering, students are encouraged to take advantage of bonus activities.
Communication:
Students and parents are encouraged to communicate with me through e-mail at
ashley.pelfrey@montgomery.kyschools.us. Information about homework, units, upcoming projects, and
school events can also be accessed on my class website at http://mrspelfreysclass.webs.com/ after
September 1, 2010. 8A teachers are also utilizing Twitter to communicate with students and parents. If
you have not received information concerning the 8A Twitter account, please let me know. Of course,
parents may also call during school hours to schedule a meeting or speak to me during my planning
time.
Assessments
Assessments are scheduled for the beginning and end of each unit. The pretest will assess the needs of
each individual student. If a student demonstrates proficiency in an area, he or she may be assigned an
enrichment activity instead of participating in regular instruction. Students will receive participation
points for the pretest. Each unit will be concluded with a unit assessment, which will occur every 4-6
weeks, depending on the length of the unit.
Unit 1 Fiction (Short Stories)
Skill
Introduction to Close Reading
and Annotation
Elements of Plot
Setting
Characters
Antagonist
Protagonist
Text
“Initiation”
Characterization
Direct
Characterization
Indirect
Characterization
Theme
“Lamb to the Slaughter”
Conflict
Internal conflict
“Cranes”
“The Sniper”
“Marigolds”
External Conflict
Foreshadowing
Predicting
Diction
Mood
Tone
Setting
Point of View
First Person POV
Voice
Omniscient
Third Person POV
Persona
Unreliable narrator
Voice
Diction
Tone
mood
Irony
Dramatic Irony
Verbal Irony
Situational Irony
Allusion
Allegory
Symbol
“The Most Dangerous Game”
“A Christmas Memory”
“Full Circle”
“The Interlopers”
“The Necklace”
“Baseball in April”
“The Cask of Amontillado”
“Poison”
“The Gift of the Magi”
“The Lady and the Tiger”
“Helen on Eighty-Sixth Street”
“The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind”
“Scarlet Ibis”
Unit 2: Poetry
Skill
Narrative Poetry
Theme
Similes
Metaphors
Extended metaphor
Direct metaphor
Implied metaphor
Text
“Exile”
“Folding Wontons In”
Catalog poem
Annotation
Sound devices
Figurative language
Haiku
imagery
Personification
Rhythm
“Woman Work”
“Daily”
“’Hope’ is the Thing with Feathers”
“Fog”
“Fire and Ice”
Collection of Haiku
“Boy at the Window”
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”
Rhyme
meter
Ballad
Rhythm
Rhyme
Repetition
Sonnet
Iambic pentameter
Iamb
Pentameter
Italian (Petrarchan) sonnet
Octave
Sestet
Shakespearian (English) sonnet
Lyric poem
Free Verse
Rhythm
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia
Imagery
Imagery
Line Break
Enjambment
Sound devices
Figurative language
Imagery
Details
Main Idea
Epic poem
Conflict
Foreshadowing
Figures of Speech
Epic simile
Character traits
Irony
Epithet
“Ballad of Birmingham”
“Once by the Pacific”
“Country Scene”
“The Gift”
“The Base Stealer”
“American Hero”
“Star Fish”
“A Blessing”
“-in Just”
Poet Study
Edgar Allan Poe (mini unit)
“The Raven”
“Bells”
“Poe’s Final Days”
“Poe’s Death is Rewritten as Case of Rabies, Not Telltale Alcohol”
“If Only Poe had Succeeded When He Said Nevermore to Drink”
“The Odyssey”
Unit 3: Novel Study
Skill
Text
Literary devices
Figures of speech
Sound devices
To Kill a Mocking Bird
Imagery
Detail
Unit 4: Drama
Skills
Drama
Play
Conflict
Tragedy
Tragic flaw
Comedy
Complications
Stage
Set
Lighting
Costumes
Props
Dialogue
Monologue
Dialogue
Soliloquy
Plot
Compare
Contrast
Unit 4: Novel Study
Text
from “Cyrano de Bergerac”
“Romeo and Juliet”
“Dear Juliet”
“Romeo and Juliet in Bosnia”
Night
Skills/ vocabulary
Annotation
Non fiction
Literary devices
Details
Memoir
Tone
Voice
Unit 5: Literary non-fiction
Text
Night
Biographies and Autobiographies
Skills/ Vocabulary
Autobiography
Literary devices
Sound devices
Figures of speech
Diction
Tone
Point of view
Text
“How to Eat a Guava”
First person point of view
Personal Essay
Students React to President Kennedy’s Death
Primary source
Biography
“A Warm, Clear Day in Dallas”
Literary devices
Sound devices
Diction
Tone
Point of View
Third person point of view
Secondary Source
Unit 6: Non Fiction/ Informational Text
Skills/ vocabulary
Article
Text features
author’s purpose
primary source
secondary source
main idea
Unit 7: Persuasion
Text
“Can Animals Think?”
“An American Story”
“Ex-Refugee is Nominated for Justice Post”
Skills/ vocabulary
Persuasive devices
Logos
Ethos
Pathos
Editorial
Loaded words
Connotation
Denotation
Text
“Rising Tides”
“An Arctic Floe of Climate Questions”
“Peace isn’t Impossible”
“In Defense of the Jury System”
“The First Americans”
“Should Public School Students Wear Uniforms?”
“Letter from Birmingham Jail”
“Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address”
“I Have a Dream”
“Gettysburg Address”
Unit 8: Reading For Life
Workplace and Consumer Documents
Skills
product information
contract
warranty
instructional manual
technical directions
works cited
internet sources
Text
Warranty
Product information
Instructional manual
Technical directions
Contract
Web site
Business letter
Minutes of a meeting
*The schedule and selection list is tentative and is subject to change.