Who is Mrs. Trueman?
Where did Mrs. Trueman Teach Before Sears?
Sears School: 7th Year
•Wilmette Junior High School: 8th Grade LA and Literature
•Lake Bluff Junior High: Writer in Residence
•North Chicago High School: English: 10 & 12
•Faith, Hope, and Charity School: Writing Specialist
•Osaka, Japan: English to Japanese Businessmen
•National Board Certification : English/Language Arts 13-18++
English Language Arts
Common Core
Writing Shift:
Increase Writing from
Sources
CCSS Writing Instruction Emphasizes:
Use of evidence to inform or to make an argument.
Includes short, focused research projects.
Students develop college and career-ready skills through
written arguments.
• Respond to the ideas, events, facts, and arguments
presented in the texts
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Key Reading Shifts in
English Language Arts
Common Core Standards
1. Regular practice with complex texts and their academic
language
Rather than focusing solely on the skills of reading and writing, the
ELA/literacy standards highlight the growing complexity of the texts students
must read to be ready for the demands of college, career, and life.
2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from
texts, both literary and informational
The Common Core emphasizes using evidence from texts to present
careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear information. Rather than
asking students questions they can answer solely from their prior knowledge
and experience, the standards call for students to answer questions that
depend on their having read the texts with care.
3. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction
Students must be immersed in information about the world around
them if they are to develop the strong general knowledge and vocabulary they
need to become successful readers and be prepared for college, career, and
life.
8th Grade ELA Curriculum
2015-2016
Trimester 1: No Limitations: An examination of perseverance through
character study.
Students will build upon their study of character by examining those who persevered in a variety
of challenging circumstances.
Literature choices: Variety of short stories, poems, non-fiction texts, and anchor novels such
as: The House on Mango Street and And Then There Were None.
Trimester 2: Taking A Stand: An exploration of identity,
discrimination, and tolerance through fiction and non-fiction texts.
Students will evaluate intricate arguments by interpreting words and language and analyze how it
creates specific effects that impact the meaning and the tone.
Literature choices: Variety of short stories, poems, non-fiction texts, and anchor
novels such as: Fahrenheit 451, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Of Mice and Men, and The
Pearl.
Trimester 3: Making Discoveries: A study of real and make believe
worlds to understand how point of view impacts texts.
Students will assess how point of view shapes the content and the style of a text.
Literature choices: Variety of short stories, poems, non-fiction texts, and anchor novels such
as: Night, “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “Flowers for Algernon”.
Preparation for High School
Township Language Arts Articulation Committee
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9th Graders Need to Be Prepared to:
Be able to write a thesis statement.
Be able to read, comprehend, and analyze
NON-FICTION text.
Be able to annotate text.
Be able to find a variety of resources as
references.
Be able to summarize text for analysis.
Be able to think critically and to make
personal connections as written through text.
Be able to write an essay that can prove
research, formulate and discuss an argument,
and to explain a complex idea into simplistic
terms while making literary connections.
Be able to avoid plagiarism.
Be able to make quotations from research and
simple text within paragraphs and throughout
papers.
New Trier Test Date: December 5, 2015
Language Arts / Writing
•Based on the 6 Traits of Writing: ideas,
organization, word choice, sentence fluency,
voice, and conventions
•Formal essay assignments are about 2-4
typed pages except for the 8th grade research
project: 5-10 pages typed.
•All units of study have at least five writing
assignments
•All CCSS standards are taught and
mastered by 8th Grade Project.
•All writing products are housed in personal
portfolios and shared at conferences.
• Grading rubrics are used for every
assignment and are the same for both the
rough draft and for the final assessment.
•Grammar and mechanics are taught
through mini-lessons and practiced through
IXL program.
Independent Reading
Students will be required to read
approximately one book a month
within the curricular genre/theme.
Mrs. LeBris will give “book reviews”
and suggested bibliographies at the
start of every month.
We are encouraging the students to
familiarize and use the school and the
public libraries.
Students are required to complete a
project for each trimester. Projects will
include creative writing, art, and oral
presentations.
Due dates for this project will be given
one month ahead of time.
Questions or Concerns?
How to contact me:
847-256-5006 ext. 3845 or
847-853-3845
atrueman@kenilworth38.org