8TH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS – SYLLABUS



8TH  GRADE LITERATURE AND ENGLISH-LANGUAGE ARTS

SYLLABUS 2011-2012 MRS. MCGILL

 

The 8th grade Literature and English-Language Arts course is a standards-based program.  The primary source of instruction will be from the state-approved, school-adopted language arts program by McDougal Littell: The Language of Literature (LOL), and Language Network.  Materials from other sources will be supplemented as necessary.

CLASS MATERIALS: Success in the classroom begins with being properly prepared. Students are required to have the following materials in class every day. Failure to report to class with these materials will result in a phone call home.

 

1. College-ruled spiral notebook

2. Binder with college-ruled paper and dividers

3. 2 Pencils (sharpened before class)

4. Red ballpoint pen

5. Novel (SSR)

 

LITERATURE OBJECTIVES:

 

Using a thematic approach to literature, “ Traveling Through Time,” students will:

  •  explore various genre of literature by reading short stories, poetry, drama, and novels

     and by participating in class discussions, literature response journals, literature circles,

     and project assignments

  •  demonstrate knowledge of the various elements of literature by analyzing class

      assigned readings, producing book reports, and through tests

  •  develop understanding of content vocabulary related to reading focus

  •  enrich vocabulary through study of non-content related vocabulary

  •  read independently and demonstrate reading comprehension by receiving a passing

      percentage (80% or higher) using the Accelerated Reader (AR) program

 

GRADING POLICY:

 

Students earn credit through accumulation of points from all assignments and tests.  Academic grades are assigned using the following scale:

 

              90 – 100% - A

              80 -   89% -  B

              70 -   79% -  C

              60 -   69% -  D

              59% and below will result in a failing mark.

 

Final academic grades are calculated using the following weighted scale:

 

55% -  Literary Response and Analysis – 45% Tests/Projects; 10% Homework

literary elements, novel units, LOL Anthology

 

30% -  Reading Comprehension – 20% - Independent Reading - Accelerated Reader Goal

10% - AR Genre Goal, Wordly Wise Part E

 

15% - Word Analysis, fluency, and systematic vocabulary development - 15%

Wordly Wise vocabulary program – Multiple Choice Tests, Cloze Tests

LITERARY RESPONSE AND ANALYSIS

 

Students will understand and analyze the differences among various categories (novels, short stories, poetry) and genres of literature in terms of their structure and purpose. 

 

During exploration of each piece of written work we will focus on elements of literature to include:  setting and mood, irony, plot structure and conflict, foreshadowing and flashback, characterization, point of view, inference, and theme.  Students will be expected to define the various literary elements and identify the elements used in literature in assigned exercises, projects, and tests.  

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

Independent Reading (AR) - Goal

 

Students are required to read, independently, selections from the Accelerated Reader (AR) list.  Silent reading time is usually scheduled in class every day and students will have one Library session per week to read; however, students are expected to read nightly at home. 

 

Students are required to read a minimum of 600 pages in the first trimester, and 800 pages in the second and third trimesters.  To receive credit, students must pass the AR test with a score of at least 80%.  The A/R test consists of knowledge (recall) and basic comprehension level questions only; therefore, an 80% or higher score indicates that adequate comprehension of the novel was achieved.

 

AR Genre Goal

As part of the minimum pages required per trimester, students will be assigned at least one Literary Genre (science fiction, historical fiction, biography, etc.) which they must include in their selection of independent reading (AR). To receive credit, students must pass the AR test with a score of at least 80%.

Wordly Wise, Part E

 

Students will work on vocabulary development and enrichment from the Wordly Wise program.  Part E consists of a non-fiction passage in which the Wordly Wise vocabulary words are used.  Students are required to read the passage and answer 15 questions using knowledge of the passage, vocabulary word definition, context clues, etc.

 WORD ANALYSIS, FLUENCY, AND SYSTEMATIC VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT

 

Using the Wordly Wise program, students will be expected to apply the vocabulary words in meaningful activities.  These may include sentence combining, word association activities and exploring relationships between words.  Students will demonstrate knowledge of the definitions and application of words through a multiple choice test and cloze test.

ENGLISH

 

The English component of this class consists of three main California Writing Standards:  Writing Strategies, Writing Applications, and Written and Oral English Language Conventions.

 

GRADING POLICY:

 

Students earn credit through accumulation of points from all assignments and tests.  Academic grades are assigned using the following scale:

 

              90 – 100% - A

              80 -   89% -  B

              70 -   79% -  C

              60 -   69% -  D

              59% and below will result in a failing mark.

 

Final academic grades are calculated using the following weighted scale:

 

20% - Spelling Tests (15%); Spelling Homework (5%)

20% - Grammar Tests (15%); Grammar Homework (5%)

20% - Writing Strategies – mini-lessons, outlines, quick writes, short paragraphs)

40% - Writing Applications – formal essays

      

WRITING STRATEGIES / WRITING APPLICATIONS

 

As students advance in school they need to express their ideas in a more formal written format.  Students will progress through the stages of the writing process with the various writing styles to include:  technical writing and narrative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive essays.  Each trimester a formal writing assignment will be assigned.  Students will be expected to turn in a final copy that has gone through the writing process and demonstrates a command of standard English writing conventions including correct sentence structure, use of grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.

 

WRITTEN AND ORAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS

 

Grammar:

Language Network by McDougal Littell will be the primary book for grammar instruction with supplementary materials as needed. 

 

Spelling:

Vocabulary and Spelling by McDougal Littell will be used for spelling word lists. The on-line program “Spelling City” will be used for spelling practice.

WRITTEN WORK REQUIREMENTS:

 

All assignments must have the following in the upper-right hand corner:  first and last name, section, date, and assignment title. All computer-generated/typed assignments must be: 1 ½ spaced, font type Times New Roman, and font size 12.  Assignments not following these requirements will not be accepted.

 

LITERATURE/ENGLISH-LANGUAGE ARTS HOMEWORK POLICY:

 

Homework must be turned in on the day it is due.  NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR ANY REASON (except for excused absences.)

 

If a student is absent, it is the student’s responsibility to ask for missed assignments on the day of return to class.  The student has three days to turn in the missed assignment(s) for credit.  If a test is missed, the student will take the test within two days of returning to class. If the missed work/test is not made up within the time frames above, the student will receive a zero.

Class Website and Grades - Website:

My class website can be accessed from the San Pasqual Schoolwires website shown above. Websites may include state standards, daily and weekly agendas, homework assignments and due dates, project instructions, informative websites, test/quiz review games, online quizzes, lesson tutorials, etc. The website will be updated every Monday and as needed throughout the week.

Parents and students may view grades for every class on Genesis which can be accessed from any computer with internet capabilities.

Students and parents are expected to view class websites and login to Genesis frequently to monitor progress! If you do not have internet access, please contact me and I will send a grade report home each week.

COMMUNICATION

The best way to contact me is via email. My email address is: michelle.mcgill@. You may also call me and leave a message at 760-745-4931, extension 1601. I usually reply to student and parent emails and phone calls within 24 hours.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please sign and return.

 

I have read the 8th Grade Literature and English-Language Arts syllabus and understand my responsibilities for this class.

 ______________________________                            ____________________________

Student Name                                                                    Student Signature

 

 

I have read the 8th Grade Literature and English-Language Arts syllabus and have discussed it with my child.

 

_______________________________ ________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature Date

 

I do not have internet access and will need printed progress reports sent home.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download