GLEN RIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

 

Curriculum Guide

 

 

 

Course Title:                                       English 8

Subject:                                               English (literature, grammar and vocabulary)

Grade Level:                                       Grade 8

Department/School:                          English/Glen Ridge High School

Duration:                                            Full Year

Number of Credits:                             3

Prerequisite:                                       English 7

Elective or Required:                                     Required

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author:  JD Ruffilo

Date Submitted:  Summer 2006

 

Course Description

 

English 8 is a survey course comprised of units of poetry, non-fiction, fiction, and drama. Students will also participate in weekly grammar and vocabulary lessons to enhance reading and writing skills.  Students will also focus on such group skills as partner learning and large group discussion.  Each student will be required to do oral presentations along with specific writing assignments to prepare them for the GEPA as well as other assessments, writing classes, and advanced English classes.

GLEN RIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LANGUAGE ARTS MISSION STATEMENT

 

 

 

In order to pursue interdisciplinary lifelong learning, students need the skills to communicate effectively.  Through a challenging, sequential academic curriculum, the Glen Ridge Language Arts Literacy Program provides all students with varied and integrated experiences.  The skills of reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, presenting and researching will enable them to effectively participate in school and in society, respectful of various points of views while displaying creative and critical thinking skills.

 

 

GOALS OF THE GLEN RIDGE LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY PROGRAM

 

Provided with an environment that encourages creativity as well as expression of unique feelings and thoughts, students will:

 

  • become competent critical readers who learn to analyze, evaluate, reflect upon and respond to the ideas of others;
  • approach reading with an appreciation for a variety of literary styles, genres and contexts;
  • implement the writing process including: pre-writing, drafting, revising, proofreading and publishing;
  • write in clear, concise organized language that varies in content and form for different audiences and purposes;
  • apply appropriate conventions of spelling, grammar, punctuation and language usage;
  • speak for a variety of real purposes and audiences;.
  • listen interactively in diverse situations to information from a variety of sources;
  • view, understand and construct meaning from non-textual sources;
  • gather, evaluate, synthesize and cite data from a variety of technological sources and print materials;
  • share, display and/pr publish individual and collaborative products.

 

 

New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards

 

All skills of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards for Language Arts Literary are met and referenced throughout the content of this curriculum:

 

STANDARD 3.1:  (READING)  ALL STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND AND

APPLY THE KNOWLEDGE OF SOUNDS, LETTERS, AND WORDS IN WRITTEN

ENGLISH TO BECOME INDEPENDENT AND FLUENT READERS, AND WILL

READ A VARIETY OF MATERIALS AND TEXTS WITH FLUENCY AND

COMPREHENSION.

A. Concepts About Print

B. Phonological Awareness

C. Decoding and Word Recognition

D. Fluency

E. Reading Strategies (before, during, and after reading)

F. Vocabulary and Concept Development

G. Comprehension Skills and Response to Text

H. Inquiry and Research

 

STANDARD 3.2:  (WRITING)  ALL STUDENTS WILL WRITE IN CLEAR,

CONCISE, ORGANIZED LANGUAGE THAT VARIES IN CONTENT AND FORM

FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES AND PURPOSES.

A. Writing as a Process

B. Writing as a Product

C. Mechanics, Spelling, and Handwriting

D. Writing Forms, Audiences, and Purposes

 

STANDARD 3.3:  (SPEAKING)  ALL STUDENTS WILL SPEAK IN CLEAR,

CONCISE, ORGANIZED LANGUAGE THAT VARIES IN CONTENT AND FORM

FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES AND PURPOSES.

A. Discussion

B. Questioning (Inquiry) and Contributing

C. Word Choice

D. Oral Presentation

                     

STANDARD 3.4:  (LISTENING)  ALL STUDENTS WILL LISTEN ACTIVELY TO

INFORMATION FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES IN A VARIETY OF

SITUATIONS.

A. Active Listening

B. Listening Comprehension

                    

STANDARD 3.5:  (VIEWING AND MEDIA LITERACY)  ALL STUDENTS WILL

ACCESS, VIEW, EVALUATE, AND RESPOND TO PRINT, NONPRINT, AND

ELECTRONIC TEXTS AND RESOURCES.

A. Constructing Meaning

B. Visual and Verbal Messages

C. Living with Media

 

Curriculum Description

 

UNIT 1 - NON-FICTION SHORT STORIES  (Essays, Speeches, Autobiographies,

                                                                                    Biographies)

 

Objectives:

After the completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1.      Differentiate fact, opinion, bias, and propaganda. (R.08.3.1.G.1)

2.      Compare two works; produce evidence of reading. (R.08.3.1.H.5)

3.      Write with characters, dialogue, setting, conflict, resolution, and description. (W.08.3.2.A.1)

4.      Generate topics by considering purpose, audience, and form. (W.08.3.2.A.3)

5.      Use knowledge of specific genres when writing non-fiction. (W.08.3.2.B.1)

6.      Answer questions clearly with supportive evidence. (W.08.3.2.D.9)

7.      State a position clearly in a persuasive essay. (W.08.3.2.D.10)

8.      Present ideas in response to other speakers/students. (S.08.3.3.A.2)

9.      Listen actively to a different range of non-fiction pieces. (L.08.3.4.A.2)

10.  Recognize persuasive techniques and assess credibility. (L.08.3.4.A.4)

11.  Create and view presentations and reports using a number of multi-media resources to present different types of non-fiction. (V.08.3.5.C.3)

 

In addition to non-fiction selections covered in thematic units, this unit may include, but not be limited to:

·          from “Sharing the American Dream” by Colin Powell

·          “On Women’s Right to Suffrage” by Susan B. Anthony

·          “The Trouble with Television” by Robert MacNeil

·          from “The Baker Heater League” Patricia C. McKissack

·          “Harriet Tubman: Guide to Freedom” Ann Petry

·          “Baseball” Lionel Garcia

·          “Cub Pilot on the Mississippi” Mark Twain

 

Duration of Time: 4 weeks

 

Activities:

 

-         Students will write an autobiographical account of one of their favorite childhood games or activities. 

-         Testimonial/persuasive speech:  Students will prepare a testimonial or persuasive speech about a person they admire.

-         Article dissection:  Students will bring in an article from a newspaper or magazine and in pairs will determine the fact from the persuasive techniques.

 

                                


UNIT 2 – POETRY  (Lyric, Narrative, Cinquain, Free Verse, Concrete)

 

Objectives:

After the completion of the unit, students will be able to:

1.            Explain relationships between/among words. (R.08.3.1.F.5)

2.            Expand vocabulary by using idioms. (R.08.3.1.F.4)

3.            Identify and analyze literary techniques and elements. (R.08.3.1.G.8)

4.            Analyze poetic form. (R.08.3.1.G.10)

5.            Understand the use of idioms, analogies, metaphors, and similes. (R.08.3.1.G.11)

6.            Compare two works and produce evidence of reading. (R.08.31.H.5)

7.            Write personal pieces using specific detail. (W.08.3.2.D.4)

8.            Answer questions clearly and with supportive evidence. (W.08.3.2.D.9)

9.            Paraphrase, illustrate, clarify, and expand on a topic. (S.08.3.3.C.1)

10.        Integrate reading with writing, listening, and viewing. (L.08.3.4.B.2)

11.        Evaluate media messages for credibility. (V.08.3.5.B.2)

 

In addition to poetry selections covered in thematic units, or other pieces that may be incorporated, this unit may include but is not limited to:

·          “Harlem Night Song” L. Hughes

·          “Ring Out Wild Bells” A. Tennyson

·          “Thumbprint” E.Merriam

·          “Concrete Mixers” P. Hubbell

·          “The Choice” D. Parker

·          “Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind” W. Shakespeare

·          “For My Sister Molly Who in the Fifties” A. Walker

·          “Old Man” R, Sanchez

 

Duration of Time: 3 weeks

 

Activities:

 

-         Poetry Reading:  Students will rehearse and perform different types of poems for the class.

-         Students will create a poetry triptych in which they will compose two original poems and find a published poem that matches their theme creating a visual in which to present all of their works and theme.  Each poem must express and must showcase a different style of poetry we learned to write.

-         Pair poems:  While learning to write different styles of poems, students will begin poems then pass to a partner to complete.  As the poem changes, students will be forced to learn to edit work, practice flow and use multiple techniques to make poems fluid.

 

 

UNIT 3 - DRAMA

 

Objectives:

After the completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1.      Interpret text through journal writing, discussion, enactment. (R.08.3.1.G.13)

2.      Show how literature reflects on heritage, traditions and beliefs of authors. (R.08.3.1.H.2)

3.      Write with characters, setting, dialogue, conflict, resolution, and description. (W.08.3.2.A.1)

4.      Support positions and acknowledge opposing views. (S.08.3.3.A.1)

5.      Critique information viewed, heard, or discussed. (L.08.3.4.B.3)

6.      Compare and contrast how various forms of media cover the same topic. (V.08.3.5.A.4)

 

In addition to other pieces, the unit may include, but is not limited to:

·          from “The Governess” N. Simon

·          The Diary of Anne Frank, F. Goodrich & A. Hackett

 

Duration of Time: 3 weeks

 

Activities:

 

-         Students will read aloud in parts from The Diary of Anne Frank and practice using inflection and acting out the roles while discussing the text.

-         Students will write short scenes including such skills learned as stage direction.

-         Students will view a portion of The Diary of Anne Frank and compare it to another production of The Diary of Anne Frank in order to discuss the way in which directors and actors see things differently.

 

 

UNIT 4 - COMING OF AGE

                                                                                            

Objectives:

After the completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1.      Read selections in different genres that develop the theme of coming of age. (R.08.3.1.E.1)

2.      Understand how characters influence plot. (R.08.3.1.G.4)

3.      Demonstrate understanding of informational literature. (R.08.3.1.H.1)

4.      Show how literature reflects heritage, traditions, and beliefs of authors. (R.08.3.1.H.2)

5.      Generate and narrow topics by considering purpose, audience, and form. (W.08.3.2.A.3)

6.      Make inferences based on presentations and class discussions. (L.08.3.3.C.2)

7.      Compare and contrast various forms of media that address the same topic to make inferences. (V.08.3.5.A.4)

 

In addition to other pieces, this unit may include, but is not limited to:

·          “Raymond’s Run” T. Bambara

·          from “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” M. Angelou

·          from “A Painted House” J. Grisham

·          “Almost a Summer Sky” J. Woodson

·          The Contender R. Lipsyte

 

Duration of Time: 4 weeks

 

Activities:

 

-         Students will define and generate a list of what coming of age moments are in one’s life.

-         Students will research an individual (athlete could be most helpful) who came from poverty and rose to fame to come back to help his/her neighborhood.  Have each discuss the findings and analyze why that would be so influential.

-         Research/act out boxing terms and actions to understand scenes from the novel and connect learning.

 

 

UNIT 5 - MEETING CHALLENGES

 

Objectives:

After the completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1.      Compare and analyze several author’s perspectives of a character, personality, topic, setting, or event. (R.08.3.1.G.2)

2.      Analyze ideas and reoccurring themes found in texts such as coming of age, or good versus evil, across a variety of works. (R.08.3.1.G.3)

3.      Demonstrate the use of everyday texts and make judgments about the importance about such documents. (R.08.3.1.G.14)

4.      Read and compare multiple works related to the same genre, topic, and/or subject. (R.08.3.1.H.5)

5.      Generate and narrow topics by considering purpose, audience, and form with a variety of strategies. (W.08.3.2.A.3)

6.      Write responses to literature and develop insights into interpretations by connecting to personal experiences and referring to textual experience. (W.08.3.2.D.3)

7.      Write with clarity and using supportive evidence when answering open-ended and essay question. (W.08.3.2.D.9)

8.      Respond orally to literature. (S.08.3.3.A.6)

9.      Participate in class discussion appropriately. (S.08.3.3A.7)

10.  Demonstrate active listening by analyzing information, ideas, and opinions to determine relevancy. (L.08.3.4.A.2)

11.  Compare and contrast multiple forms of media covering the same topic to make assessments about the theme/topic. (V.08.3.5.A.4)

12.  Compare and contrast multiple forms of media sources of the same story, such as book and film versions. (V.08.3.5.B.5)

 

In addition to other pieces, this unit may include, but is not limited to:

·          “The Road Not Taken” R. Frost

·          “We Will Not Forget” E. Wiesel

·          “Thank you M’Am” L. Hughes

·          “Words to Sit in, Like Chairs” N. Nye

·          Night  E. Wiesel

 

Duration of Time: 4 weeks

 

Activities:

 

-         Generate class ideas of what types of struggles individuals must overcome in his/her life (emotional/physical/financial/etc.)  How and why do people react different ways?

-         Using www.unitedstreaming.com, preview night by showing clip of another teen’s account of his/her experience before introducing Elie Wiesel.

-         Discuss and define ideas of persecution/propaganda and have students research where persecution still happens in other places of the world and perhaps why it still occurs.

 

 

UNIT 6 - QUEST FOR FREEDOM

 

Objectives:

After the completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1.      Compare and analyze several authors’ perspectives of a character, personality, topic, setting, or event. (R.08.3.1.G.2)

2.      Identify literary techniques and elements such as figurative language, meter, rhetorical, and stylistical features of writing. (R.08.3.1.G.8)

3.      Write personal narratives, short stories, memoirs, poetry, and persuasive, and expository text that relate clear, coherent events or situations through the use of specific details.  (W.08.3.2.D.4)

4.      Support a position, acknowledging opposing views. (S.08.3.3.A.1)

5.      Solve a problem or understand a task through group cooperation. (S.08.3.3.B.4)