Course Description: The eighth grade English Language Arts program will develop students’ critical thinking skills, strategic approach to reading a wide variety of texts, and clear articulation of views and ideas within the frame of a sustained argument. The course will focus on the following areas set by the Virginia Standards of Learning:
·Word origins, analogies, and figurative language
·Literary elements
·Themes and inferred main ideas, cause-effect relationships, and drawing conclusions
·Critical reading and reasoning skills
·Using writing as a tool for learning academic concepts.
·Planning, drafting, revising, and editing narratives, expository, persuasive, and informational pieces through a series of weekly writer’s workshops
·Research
·Interviewing skills
Grading: Each student’s grade will be calculated as follows
WeightsScale
-30% Tests A 90-100
-25% Classwork B 80-89
-20% Projects C 70-79
-15% Quizzes D 60-69
-10% Homework F 50-59
Materials
Every student will need:*
-2 composition notebooks
-pens/pencils, including a red or green pen for writer's workshop
-1 inch binder
-Handheld Sharpener
-Notecards
*We will use many materials in the class to create interactive notebooks. These items will include: glue, colored pencils, tape, scissors, and highlighters. Other appreciated supplies are tissues, hand sanitizer, soap, and paper towels.