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A real Ashbrook 8th-grader reading over Memorial Day weekend!
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What we'll learn:
In eighth-grade English we will learn like we are in our first year of high school, with challenging books, deep discussion, and high expectations in writing (long, sustained, critical, deep). A significant shift in 8th grade is that the onus becomes truly on individual students to take responsibility for their learning, their effort, and their success. A new feature in 8th grade is Socratic Seminar, in which students evaluate others, evaluate themselves, and lead discussion among themselves in a group. In general, learning becomes much more student-motivated in 8th grade, and the sky is the limit!
Upcoming Due Dates:
Mar 3- multi genre project on The Glass Castle
Winter 2019-20 : Poe stories, TBD, Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale
Year-At-A-Glance |
NOVELS
My Antonia by Willa Cather, 1984 by George Orwell, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth by Sojourner Truth, and a variety of Literature Circle titles such as Night by Elie Wiesel, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and Into Thin Air by John Krakauer. POETRY A variety of poems by Edgar Allan Poe, Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, and others. STORIES A variety of stories such as "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Other Town" by Steven Millhauser, NON-FICTION A variety of non-fiction culled from magazines, newspapers, biographies, and textbook. Our non-fiction titles: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Glass Castle, Invisible Man Got the Whole World Watching, The Soul of an Octopus, Educated. DRAMA Othello by Shakespeare, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry FILM The Importance of Being Earnest, other films as related to Shakespeare study and/or student interest. A documentary will also be included (in the past it has been Spellbound and Food Inc). GRAMMAR/Vocab Various exercises from the WordSource text book. Particular attention to sophistication and style , striving for perfection in spelling and grammar. Aiming forward for high school and college writing. Wordly Wise 3000, ed. 4, level 9 |
Course Documents:
| grade_8_core_english_2019-20.docx |
Grade 8 Multi-genre project for Non-Fiction Lit. Circles, spring term 2020, Ms. Gottlieb
You must complete reading The Glass Castle first.
Create a table of contents and place your pieces in a folder in order. If there is an art piece that will not fit, simply hand that in along with the folder.
GENRES, A): [pick 3 out of the following 4. These will earn writing points.]
A dialogue (think of it as a short scene) between two figures in the book. This should be taken from the text itself, using quotations. You will need to set up the context for this exchange by giving a brief explanation of what it is. Include brief stage directions for what the persons having the dialogue need to do (sit down, move across the room, etc.) Look at a play (such as “A Raisin in the Sun,” for formatting).
A profile of one of the academic institutions that Jeannette Walls attends, or a corporate entity that she worked for.
An article that relates thematically to your book from a reliable news outlet or magazine (online is fine). Print out the article (clearly cite it and use a legitimate source), and at the end attach a 1-page summary of the article, written entirely in your own words, which explains its argument and your agreement or disagreement.
A letter written from the perspective of the author of your book. It could be written to another figure in the book, to a fan, to a newspaper, etc. This should be written in the persona and language of your author, and signed: e.g. Jeannette Walls (as imagined by Katherine Parrish). It should address events of the book.
GENRES, B): [pick 1 out of the following 3. This will earn project points.]
A piece of art related to your book that exemplifies the plot, characters, and/or themes. This should be chosen by someone in your group with an artistic bent and totally handmade. It can be made on a separate piece of paper and attached to the poster, rather than on the poster itself. This could also a model of one of the structures they live in.
A brief comic strip illustrating an aspect of the book. It’s connection to the book should be evident. Use conventions of graphic novels and comics.
A map, created by you, that depicts a certain location in which the Walls live, a journey within the memoir (from one location to another), or an overall map from beginning to end, labelled.
You must complete reading The Glass Castle first.
Create a table of contents and place your pieces in a folder in order. If there is an art piece that will not fit, simply hand that in along with the folder.
GENRES, A): [pick 3 out of the following 4. These will earn writing points.]
A dialogue (think of it as a short scene) between two figures in the book. This should be taken from the text itself, using quotations. You will need to set up the context for this exchange by giving a brief explanation of what it is. Include brief stage directions for what the persons having the dialogue need to do (sit down, move across the room, etc.) Look at a play (such as “A Raisin in the Sun,” for formatting).
A profile of one of the academic institutions that Jeannette Walls attends, or a corporate entity that she worked for.
An article that relates thematically to your book from a reliable news outlet or magazine (online is fine). Print out the article (clearly cite it and use a legitimate source), and at the end attach a 1-page summary of the article, written entirely in your own words, which explains its argument and your agreement or disagreement.
A letter written from the perspective of the author of your book. It could be written to another figure in the book, to a fan, to a newspaper, etc. This should be written in the persona and language of your author, and signed: e.g. Jeannette Walls (as imagined by Katherine Parrish). It should address events of the book.
GENRES, B): [pick 1 out of the following 3. This will earn project points.]
A piece of art related to your book that exemplifies the plot, characters, and/or themes. This should be chosen by someone in your group with an artistic bent and totally handmade. It can be made on a separate piece of paper and attached to the poster, rather than on the poster itself. This could also a model of one of the structures they live in.
A brief comic strip illustrating an aspect of the book. It’s connection to the book should be evident. Use conventions of graphic novels and comics.
A map, created by you, that depicts a certain location in which the Walls live, a journey within the memoir (from one location to another), or an overall map from beginning to end, labelled.
