Welcome to 8th grade English.
This year we will be working together reading classic American literature,
including many short stories, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Lawrence &
Lee's Inherit the Wind, Elie Wiesel's Night, and Simon Wiesenthal's The
Sunflower.
The study of literature teaches all students an intellectual discipline that
defines critical thinking in every field and fosters academic success in
every subject of study.
Following is a list of what we'll be working on each quarter in English class:
First Quarter
Summer reading - Book Review
Classic American short stories:
The Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce
The Drummer Boy of Shiloh by Ray Bradbury
The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
The Invalid's Tale by Mark Twain
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell
Independent Book Project
Second Quarter
English & American History Book Project
Selected poetry and analysis
Independent Book Project
Third Quarter
Classic American Novel: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Classic Film: To Kill a Mockingbird directed by Robert Mulligan
Independent Book Project
Fourth Quarter
Novels of the Holocaust:
Night by Elie Wiesel
The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal
Friedrich by Hans Peter Richter
Research paper in conjunction with American History class
Ongoing:
Multiple Intelligences exploration
Daily Journal entries
Editing and Grammar Skills
Vocabulary study
Nonfiction text exploration
Study skills/organization/goal setting
Reader's Response Journals
Writer's Workshop
MCAS preparation