Quarter One
Unit One: The Thrill of Horror
Essays/Projects/ Presentations:
“Scary Story" narrative essay on a real-life, or imagined scary experience.
“Poetry Portfolio” of various structured, unstructured, free verse and concrete styles: Sonnet,
Limerick, Haiku, Senses poem, “I Am” poem, Emotion poem, etc.
Quarterly Book Report: Five-paragraph summary book report
Short Stories:
“The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs
“The Outsider” by H.P. Lovecraft
“The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
“The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe; or, “The Cask of Amontillado”
Poems:
“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe
“I Heard a Fly Buzz” by Emily Dickinson
“A Narrow Fellow in the Grass” by Emily Dickinson
“Frankenstein” by Edward Field
Essay:
“Man-Made Monsters” by Daniel Cohen
Unit Two: The Move Toward Freedom
Novella:
Soldier’s Heart by Gary Paulsen
Short Stories:
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce
“The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” by Ray Bradbury
“A Mystery of Heroism” by Stephen Crane
Biography
“My Friend Douglas” by Russell Freedman
“Harriett Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad” by Ann Petry
Journal:
“Civil War Journal” by Louisa May Alcott
Poems:
“Oh Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman
“Courage” by Anne Sexton
“Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou
“Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou
“We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
“Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
Speeches/Socratic Seminar:
“The Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln
“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Standards Covered: Quarter One
Reading Standards:
Writing Standards:
Speaking/Listening Standards:
Language Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.2
Determine a theme or central idea
of a text and analyze its
relationship to the characters,
setting, and plot; provide an
objective summary of the text
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3
Write narratives to develop real or
imagined experiences or events
using effective technique,
descriptive details, and wellstructured sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1.D
Recognize and correct
inappropriate shifts in verb voice
and mood and tone
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.4
Determine the meaning of words,
including figurative and
connotative meanings; analyze
impact of word choices on meaning
and tone, including analogies or
allusions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.5
Compare/contrast the structure of
two or more texts and analyze how
the differing structure of each
contributes to its meaning/style.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3.A
Engage and orient the reader by
establishing a context and point of
view and introducing a narrator
and/or characters; organize event
sequences that unfold naturally
and logically.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3.B
Use narrative techniques, such as
dialogue, pacing, description, and
reflection, to develop experiences,
events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.6
Analyze how differences in the
points of view of the characters
Determine how dramatic irony
creates suspense or humor.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.2
Determine textual theme and
analyze its development over the
course of the story and its
relationship to the characters,
setting, and plot; provide an
objective summary of the text
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3.C
Use a variety of transition words,
phrases, and clauses to convey
sequence, signal shifts from one
time frame or setting to another,
and show the relationships among
experiences and events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3.E
Provide a conclusion that follows
from and reflects on narrated
experiences/events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1
Engage effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions (one-onone, in groups, and teacher-led)
with diverse partners on topics,
texts, and issues, building on
others' ideas/expressing their own.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.A
Come to discussions prepared,
having read or researched material
under study; explicitly draw on that
preparation by referring to
evidence on topic, text, or issue to
probe/reflect on ideas discussed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.B
Follow rules for collegial
discussions and decision-making,
track progress toward specific goals
and deadlines, and define
individual roles as needed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.C
Pose questions that connect the
ideas of several speakers and
respond to others' questions and
comments with relevant evidence,
observations, and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.7
Analyze the extent to which a
filmed or live production of a story
or drama stays faithful to or
departs from the text or script,
evaluating the choices made by the
director or actors.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.5
Peer revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach, focusing on
how well purpose and audience
have been addressed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.D
Acknowledge new information
expressed by others, and, when
warranted, qualify or justify own
views in light of the evidence
presented.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2
Demonstrate command of
capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.A
Use comma, ellipsis, dash to
indicate a pause or break
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.B
Use an ellipsis to indicate an
omission.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.C
Spell correctly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4.A
Context clues to interpret the
meaning of a word or phrase.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4.B
Greek or Latin affixes and roots as
clues to the meaning of a word
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.5
Demonstrate understanding of
figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
Quarter Two
Units: The Move Toward Freedom (cont.), Culture and Belonging, Anne Frank’s Legacy and
Approaching Adulthood
Essays/Projects/ Presentations:
Modern Language Association (MLA) research PowerPoint presentation on chosen author
Quarterly Book Report: Character Bottle
Novel: Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Play: “The Diary of Anne Frank” by Francis Goodrich and Albert Hackett
Essay: “What to Bring” by Naisha Jackson
Standards Covered: Quarter Two
Reading Standards:
Writing Standards:
Speaking/Listening Standards:
Language Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.5
Compare/contrast the structure of
two or more texts and analyze how
the differing structure of each
contributes to its meaning/style.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.6
Determine an author's point of
view or purpose in a text and
analyze how the author
acknowledges and responds to
conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.5
Peer revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach, focusing on
how well purpose and audience
have been addressed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.6
Use technology, including the
Internet, to produce and publish
writing and present the
relationships between information
and ideas efficiently.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2
Demonstrate command of
capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.7
Evaluate the advantages and
disadvantages of using different
mediums (e.g., print or digital text,
video, multimedia) to present a
particular topic or idea.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.2
Determine a theme or central idea
of a text and analyze its
development over the course of
the text, including its relationship
to the characters, setting, and plot;
provide an objective summary of
the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.3
Analyze how particular lines of
dialogue or incidents in a story or
drama propel action, reveal aspects
characters, or provoke a decision.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.7
Analyze the extent to which a
filmed version of a story or drama
stays faithful to or departs from
the text/script, evaluating choices
made by the director or actors.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.7
Conduct short research projects,
drawing on several sources and
generating additional related,
focused questions that allow for
multiple avenues of exploration.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.8
Gather relevant information from
multiple print and digital sources;
assess the credibility and accuracy
of each source; quote/paraphrase
others’ data and conclusions while
avoiding plagiarism and following a
standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.A
Come to discussions prepared,
having read or researched material,
by referring to evidence on the
topic, text, or issue.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.4
Present claims and findings in a
focused, coherent manner with
relevant evidence, valid reasoning,
and well-chosen details; use
appropriate eye contact, adequate
volume and clear pronunciation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.5
Integrate multimedia and visual
displays into presentations to
clarify information, strengthen
claims and evidence, and add
interest.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.A
Use comma, ellipsis, dash to
indicate a pause or break
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.B
Use an ellipsis to indicate an
omission.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.C
Spell correctly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.3.A
Use verbs in the active and passive
voice and in the conditional and
subjunctive mood to achieve
particular effects (e.g., emphasizing
the actor or the action; expressing
uncertainty or describing a state
contrary to fact).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4.C
Consult general and specialized
reference materials (e.g.,
dictionaries, glossaries,
thesauruses), print and digital, to
find the pronunciation of a word or
determine or clarify its precise
meaning or its part of speech.
Quarter THREE
Units: Anne Frank’s Legacy and Approaching Adulthood
Essays/Projects/ Presentations:
MLA formatted Persuasive Essay: Holocaust topic
Quarterly Book Report: Newspaper-Style book report
Novels: The Book Thief by Mark Zusak (Advanced)
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Non-fiction Stories: “Driving Distracted”
Poetry: “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde
“Teenagers” by Pat Mora
“The Road not Taken” by Robert Frost
Standards Covered: Quarter Three
Reading Standards:
Writing Standards:
Speaking/Listening Standards:
Language Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.1
Cite the textual evidence that most
strongly supports an analysis of
what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.2
Determine a theme or central idea
of a text and analyze its
relationship to the characters,
setting, and plot; provide an
objective summary of the text
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.4
Determine the meaning of words—
figurative and connotative—;
analyze impact of word choices on
meaning and tone, including
analogies or allusions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.5
Compare/contrast the structure of
two or more texts and analyze how
the differing structure of each
contributes to its meaning/style.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.1.A
Introduce claim(s), acknowledge
and distinguish the claim(s) from
alternate or opposing claims, and
organize reasons/evidence logically
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.5
Peer revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach, focusing on
how well purpose and audience
have been addressed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.A
Come to discussions prepared,
having read or researched material,
by referring to evidence on the
topic, text, or issue.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.C
Pose questions that connect the
ideas of several speakers and
respond to others' questions and
comments with relevant evidence,
observations, and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.1.A
Explain the function of phrases and
clauses in general and their
function in specific sentences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.7
Analyze the extent to which a
filmed version of a story or drama
stays faithful to or departs from
the text/script, evaluating choices
made by the director or actors.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.6
Use technology, including the
Internet, to produce and publish
writing and present the
relationships between information
and ideas efficiently.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.7
Conduct short research projects,
drawing on several sources and
generating additional related,
focused questions that allow for
multiple avenues of exploration.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.8
Gather relevant information from
multiple print and digital sources;
assess the credibility and accuracy
of each source; quote/paraphrase
others’ data and conclusions while
avoiding plagiarism and following a
standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.1.B
Choose among simple, compound,
complex, and compound-complex
sentences to signal differing
relationships among ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.2.A
Use a comma to separate
coordinate adjectives (e.g., It was a
fascinating, enjoyable movie but
not He wore an old[,] green shirt).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.5
Demonstrate understanding of
figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.5.A
Interpret figures of speech (e.g.
verbal irony, puns) in context.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.5.B
Use the relationship between
particular words to better
understand each of the words.
Quarter Four
Units: Approaching Adulthood and The Value of Work
Essays/Projects/ Presentations:
Argumentative oral presentation (with partner)—Topic of controversy (Advanced)
Argumentative oral presentation (with partner)—Soc or Greaser?
Mythological Creature project
Animal Farm book cover design (Advanced)
Play presentation—in conjunction with outside reading book report
Quarterly Book Report: Play presentation with dialogue
Novels:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare (Advanced)
Animal Farm by George Orwell (Advanced)
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
Excerpt: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (story and play versions)
Short Stories: Various Greek and Roman myths
Argument:
“Teens Need Jobs, Not Just Cash” by Anne Michaud
“Teens at Work” from The Record-Journal
Poems: “Out, Out” by Robert Frost
“Chicago” by Carl Sandburg
“My Mother Enters the Work Force” by Rita Dove
Standards Covered: Quarter Four
Reading Standards:
Writing Standards:
Speaking/Listening Standards:
Language Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI. AND RL.8.1
Cite the textual evidence that most
strongly supports an analysis of
what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI AND RL.8.2
Determine a central idea of a text
and analyze its development over
the course of the text, including its
relationship to supporting ideas;
provide objective summary of text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.3
Analyze how particular lines of
dialogue or incidents in a story or
drama propel action, reveal aspects
characters, or provoke a decision.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.1.A
Introduce claim(s), acknowledge
and distinguish the claim(s) from
alternate or opposing claims, and
organize reasons/evidence logically
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.5
Peer revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach, focusing on
how well purpose and audience
have been addressed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1.A
Explain the function of verbals
(gerunds, participles, infinitives) in
general and their function in
particular sentences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1.B
Form and use verbs in the active
and passive voice.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.4
Determine the meaning of words,
including figurative & connotative
meanings; analyze impact of word
choices on meaning and tone,
including analogies or allusions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.7
Analyze the extent to which a
filmed version of a story or drama
stays faithful to or departs from
the text/script, evaluating choices
made by the director or actors.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.7
Conduct short research projects,
drawing on several sources and
generating additional related,
focused questions that allow for
multiple avenues of exploration.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.8
Gather information from print and
digital sources; assess credibility
and accuracy of each source; quote
and paraphrase data/conclusions;
avoid plagiarism; format citations.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1
Engage in a range of collaborative
discussions with diverse partners
on topics, texts, issues, building on
others' ideas/expressing their own.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.A
Come to discussions prepared
having read or researched material
under study; explicitly draw on that
preparation and refer to evidence
on topic, text, or issue.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.C
Pose questions that connect the
ideas of several speakers and
respond to others' questions and
comments with relevant evidence,
observations, and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.D
Acknowledge new information
expressed by others, and, when
warranted, qualify or justify own
views in light of the evidence
presented.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.3
Delineate a speaker's argument
and claims, evaluate soundness of
the reasoning and relevance and
sufficiency of the evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.6
Use technology, including the
Internet to produce/publish writing
and present relationships between
information and ideas efficiently.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.C
Spell correctly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.5.A
Interpret figures of speech (e.g.
verbal irony, puns) in context.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.5
Demonstrate understanding of
figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.5.B
Use the relationship between
particular words to better
understand each of the words.