Edgewood Middle School
2014-2015
EIGHTH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS
SYLLABUS
Kayce Bradley
Room: 102
E-mail Address: kbradley@greenwood52.org
Course Description:
Eighth Grade Language Arts is designed to improve students reading, writing, and
grammar skills by using reading, writing, and speaking. In this course, students will be
exposed to literature, oral language, word identification, writing, vocabulary,
comprehension, and responding to open ended questions. These areas will be
presented through a combination of novel units, the Collections textbook by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, internet sources, informational literature, Scholastic
Scope Magazine, DVD clips, Daily Grammar Practice, and read alouds.
General Objectives:
The Literature and Language Arts curriculum is based on South Carolina State
Standards and the Common Core State Standards and has been designed to emphasize
the connection between reading and writing. In order to help students develop better
communication skills through reading, writing, speaking, and listening, a variety of
techniques are used throughout the year to guide students in the practice of these
different forms of communication.
Students will have a deeper understanding of reading literature and informational
texts through studying key ideas and details, craft and structure, integration of
knowledge and ideas, range of reading, and level of text complexity.
Students will further develop their skills and understanding of writing. Students will
take task, purpose, and audience into careful consideration; choosing words,
information, structures, and formats deliberately. They will combine elements of
various writing-using narrative strategies within arguments and explanations to
produce complex writing. Students will use technology strategically to create, refine,
and collaborate on writing. Students will become adept at gathering information,
evaluating sources, citing material accurately, reporting findings from their research,
and analysis of sources in a clear and cogent manner.
Students will further develop their skills and understanding of speaking and listening.
Students will take part in a variety of rich, structured conversations as part of a
whole class, in small groups, and with a partner which will build around important
content in various domains. They will contribute appropriately to conversations, make
comparisons and contrasts, and analyze and synthesize a multitude of ideas.
Course Requirements, Classroom Guidelines, and Expectations:
Success in the classroom is greatly
affected by the conduct of those in the
classroom. The following four school
wide rules have been developed to help
students be successful.
1. Follow directions.
2. Keep hands, feet, and other objects to
self.
3. Bring materials to class.
4. Show respect for yourself, your school
and others.
Materials
Grades
3Composition
notebooks
Pencils/Pens
Colored
Pencils
Index Cards
post-it notes
Graded assignments
include:
Tests/Quizzes
Class work
Homework
Projects
Papers
Notebooks
In addition, all students should follow all
district guidelines as specified in the
student handbook.
E- Everyone deserves respect.
M-Manners are important.
S- Safety at all times.
Homework
3-4 times a
week
Responses
Study for
quizzes and
tests
Readers’ and
writers’
notebooks
Stems
DGP
Grading Scale
Projects
93 – 100
A
85 – 92
B
77 – 84
C
70 – 76
D
0 – 69
F
Weighted Scale:
Tests/Projects count
three times.
Quizzes count twice.
Homework/Classwork
counts once.
- Research
Paper(s)
-Various
Essays
- Book
Reports
Tentative Course Outline
Unit 1: Story Elements:
Characters, Conflict, Theme,
and Suspense*
Unit 2: Informational and Argumentative
Text*
Informational Text Study:
Scholastic Scope Magazine and various other
Novel Study:
The Outsiders by SE Hinton
supportive texts
Literary Texts: (listed titles are
suggestions only and subject to change)
Poem: “Nothing Gold Can Stay” Robert
Frost
“Frankenstein” Edward Field
Literary Texts: (listed titles are suggestions only
and subject to change)
Poem: Various titles from textbook
Articles: “Man-Made Monster” Daniel
Cohen
Various Current Events
Articles
about Teen Violence
Short Stories: “ The Tell-Tale Heart”
Edgar
Allen Poe
“The Monkey’s Paw” W.W.
Jacobs
“The Outsider” H.P.
Lovecraft
Articles: “Is 16 Too Young to Drive a Car?”
Robert Davis
“Fatal Car Crashes Drop for 16Years-Olds, Rise for Older Teens”
Allison Aubrey
Media-Comparisons: “Your Phone Can Wait”
Stephanie Ramirez
“Driving Distracted”
Short Stories: : Various titles from textbook
and/or O.Henry Study- “Two
Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen”
“The Gift of the Magi”
Musical Drama: The Westside Story
Writing:
Found Poems
Argumentative Writing
Writing:
Expository Writing
Research Teen Violence
Biography Poetry
Vocabulary:
Greek and Latin Stem Words
Literature Related Vocabulary
Vocabulary:
Literature Related Vocabulary
Greek and Latin Stem Words
Projects:
Book Report #2- Paper Bag
Argumentative Writing
Projects:
Book Report 1- Graffiti Wall
“Where I’m From” Poem
Unit 3: SC PASS Test Writing*
Unit 4: Modern Fiction*
Texts:
South Carolina PASS and Common
Core Practice Items
Novel Study:
Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
Writing:
Test Writing- various types and
prompts
Literary Analysis Paper
Vocabulary:
Test Vocabulary
Greek and Latin Stem Words
Projects:
Book Report #3- Novel Magazine
Literary Analysis Paper
Literary Texts : (listed titles are suggestions only
and subject to change)
Poem: “Masks” unknown author
Articles: “Two Children Drown in
Submerged Car: Mother Arrested”
ABC News
“Why Did Missing Children Start
Showing Up on Milk Cartons?”
www.slate.com
“Should Struggling Students Be
Retained?”
"Siblings in Sports"
http://www.kidzworld.com/article/5950-siblings-insports
Small Voices, Saved Lives; Near
Misses on 9/11
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/03/near
.death.decisions/index.html
"Five Myths about Missing
Children"
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-0510/opinions/39160765_1_missing-children-unsolvedcases-david-finkelhor
Mythology: Pandora's Box Myth
http://greece.mrdonn.org/greekgods/panodora.htm
l
Short Stories: “The House”
(www.readwritethink.org)
“The Remarkable Rocket”
Oscar Wilde
Videos: “India’s Stolen Children” YouTube
“The Hidden Attic”
"Heaven's Gate Mass Suicide in
California: Some Early Remarks"
http://www.stelling.nl/simpos/heavgate.htm
YouTube- Teen Peer Pressure Video
youtube video: California dreams 2 x
11 Vote of Confidence
Writing:
Research on a missing child
Vocabulary:
Greek and Latin Stem Words
Literature Related Vocabulary
Projects:
Book Report #4- Ceiling Tile
Family Crest
PowerPoint on Irony
*Titles and timeframe are subject to change based on student mastery and interest.
Eighth grade standards can be found at the following website:
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/8