8th grade English
All 8th grade English classes will have an end of course assessment worth 10% of the student's grade. This will be given in a pretest and a final with only the final counting towards the final grade.
All 8th grade English students will need a 70-100 page spiral or composition notebook for their "English Journal." This is for our daily board work which includes writing on a journal prompt and D.O.L. (daily oral language=grammar). It will be collected and graded periodically.
All 8th grade English students will be taking the Direct Writing Assessment (DWA) in the 9th grade, usually during the fall. It will be an expository essay. Because of this, we teach three different expository essays each trimester to 8th graders so they can be prepared for this required state testing. They are as follows:
8A will cover compare/contrast, 8B will cover cause/effect, and 8C will cover problem/solution.
All 8th grade English teachers has chosen their own novel to teach. Ms. Hodge's novel is The Giver by Lois Lowry.
First Trimester: 8A
Focuses on fiction, grammar, literary elements, short stories, and includes a novel. There will be a required fictional independent book project. This will be presented to the class.
Second Trimester: 8B
Focuses on poetry, grammar, poetry elements, poems, and includes a novel. There will be a required independent poetry portfolio assignment. This will be presented to the class.
Third Trimester: 8C
Focuses on nonfiction, grammar, short stories, and includes an in-depth study of The Diary of Anne Frank. There will be a required nonfiction independent book project. This will be presented to the class.