8 th Grade Language Arts

1. 8th Grade Language Arts

2. Standards:The course is aligned with the Common Core English Language Arts Standards, Grade 8, 2014, Georgia State Department of Education (http://www.georgiastandards.org).

3. Course Outline:

4. *Introductory Unit: Introduction to 8th Grade Language Arts / Curriculum Preview Monday, August 11- Wednesday, August 20, 2014

5. *Unit #1: Culture and Belonging Thursday, August 21- Friday, September 26, 2014

6. *Unit #2: The Thrill of Horror Monday, September 29- Friday, October 31, 2014

7. *Unit #3: The Move Toward Freedom Monday, November 3- Wednesday, December 17, 2014

8. *Unit #4: Approaching Adulthood Monday, January 5- Friday, February 20, 2015

9. *Unit #5: Anne Frank’s Legacy Monday, February 23- Friday, April 3, 2015

10. *Unit #6: The Value of Work Monday, April 13- Friday, May 22, 2015

11. Textbook / Workbooks:Houghton-Mifflin-Horcourt’s Georgia Collections(with Close Reader and Common Core Assessment workbooks)

13. Daily supplies needed: necessary book and workbook; USB flashdrive (4 GB or greater preferred); one 1-inch or 2-inch binder with pockets; looseleaf college ruled notebook paper; pencils; black or blue ink pens; 5 tab dividers labeled as: (1) Class Documents, (2) Class Starters, (3) CW / HW, (4) Vocabulary, and (5) Research; hand held pencil sharpener (recommended)

14. Classroom Donations: Classroom donations of hand sanitizer / hand sanitizing wipes, Clorox disinfectant wipes, Kleenex, and paper towels are greatly appreciated.(can earn extra credit by next Wednesday)

15. Grades are weighted as follows: tests and major projects count twice; quizzes count 1 ½; daily grades, class starters, student participation, etc. count once. (Note: some assignments may count more i.e. research)

16. Grade Goals: Students in honors classes are expected to maintain an 85+ avg. to be considered for Pre-AP Literature in 9th grade. Academic students must maintain at least a 90.

17. Make-Up Work: Students will need to check the designated page on the class website in order to keep up on missed work (located under Information). Students will get one make-up day per day they are absent.

18. Academic Opportunities: If a student needs to work with me outside of normal class time for tutoring / additional instruction, make-up, and project completion, times will need to be arranged during my planning with a connections pass or after school. I may also choose to assign a work time to a student because of missing work that is not being fulfilled (students will not receive full credit for late work).

19. STAY ENGAGED WITH…. 1. Class Website: www.mrreddish.com

20. AND 2. Remind 101 Texting Service

21. Daily Class Expectations:

22. 1. Begin with the end in mind! Set goals!2. Come to class on time and prepared with all materials.

23. 3. Give your best self at all times!4. Participate each day.5. Show respect in all things at all times.

24. 6. Have a good attitude and focus on the positive.

25. 7. Raise your hand to be recognized. When engaging in class discussions, listen, be polite, and be respectful of others’ comments. You may not always agree with what is being said, but you should always be professional / respectful.

26. 8. Believe in your own self worth. Everyone has something valuable to say and present in class / through assignments!

27. 9. At the end of class, stay seated, remain quiet, clean your area, and wait to be dismissed by the teacher.

28. Daily Procedures: When Entering the Classroom / Beginning of Class

29. 1. Wait outside the door until students from the last class leave the room.Remember to always come to class with a positive attitude and ready to learn!

30. 2. Enter quietly, go directly to your desk, and square away materials. This includes doing your pencil sharpening at the beginning of class.

31. 3. Immediately begin the Class Starter on the Promethean board. If you have completed the “warm-up” in advance, review your work, look over your homework for this class, and sit quietly.

32. 4. Wait for further instructions and wholeheartedly participate!5. All classroom / school rules and policies apply each day!

33. Daily Procedures: If you are tardy

34. *Be prepared to show a pass.*If you do not have a pass, be prepared to get a tardy. Frequent tardies will bring about consequences.

35. Daily Procedures: Listening and responding in class

36. *Raise hand to be recognized.*Be considerate of others. Listen attentively while others are speaking. Do not rattle papers and books.*When working in groups, always work quietly using a soft voice.

37. Other Daily Procedures

38. *Throw trash away at the end of class.*When visitors come into the classroom, quickly look and then continue your work. Be polite.

39. *When announcements are being made—STOP everything and listen! This applies to the teacher or the intercom.

40. *Follow announced procedures for drills, going to the Media Center, going to lunch, etc.

41. Types of Assignments throughout the year….

42. Class Starters:During the first 5 minutes of class, you should work to complete these and keep them in your notebook. While there are no notebook checks, daily class starters will be collected and graded throughout the year (typically bi-weekly).

43. A Typical Day in Class:Literature Analysis / Evaluation Workshop with constant response to literature writing (constructive response / longer response)

44. Essays:1 essay per unit with revision (Units #1-4)

45. Projects for the Year:1st Nine Weeks: Newsletter / Newspaper Project2nd Nine Weeks: Poetry Project3rd Nine Weeks: Research Project (Final Submission as this takes place throughout the year)4th Nine Weeks: Career Project / Legacy Project

46. Questions?????