8 th Grade Curriculum Night January 8, 2013

1. 8th Grade Curriculum NightJanuary 8, 2013 Ms. JoAnn DiGiandomenico Foreign Language Department Head Ms. Margaret Hagemeister English Department Head

2. Spanish CourseSequence

3. French CourseSequence

4. German and Latin Course Sequences

5. Mandarin Chinese 1 (grades 9-12) • Mandarin Chinese 2 (grades 10-12) Mandarin Chinese

6. Recycle information from Spanish 1 with little or no review • Apply previously learned material to produce a new product Honors Traits for Foreign Language

7. Spanish 20 (Honors) • Four grammatical structures from Spanish 1 • Four new grammatical structures • Vocab quizzes are definitions with word bank, current and recycled vocab • Spanish 21 (CP) • Recycled vocabulary from Spanish 1 • One new grammatical structure • Vocab quizzes include visuals and prompts Honors Traits for Foreign Language

8. Highly organized and excellent time management • Able to take adequate notes and access information quickly • Confident that they can do challenging work • Self-directed • Willing to acknowledge and tolerate risk • Willing to accept constructive criticism • Critical thinker. Able to make abstract connections. • Can construct new patterns from existing ideas Honors Traits For All Students

9. Classic and Contemporary Works: • Primary Works: Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Odyssey, selected short stories, poetry from Literature and Language (text). • Additional Selections may include Bad Boy: A Memoir of Walter Dean Myers, When I Was Puerto Rican, The Gospel According to Larry, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Forgotten Fire, Witness, Homecoming, A Christmas Carol, The Chocolate War • CCSS and MA ELA Framework Standards emphasize fiction and informational texts (non-fiction). English - Literature

10. All students at each grade level complete core writing assignments, which follow the writing process. • Prewriting (brainstorming, graphic organizer, prewriting, freewriting, etc.) • Drafting • Feedback/reflection (teacher, peer, self – may be formal or informal) • Revision • Final Draft (graded using rubric) • Teachers differentiate and scaffold assignments, depending on the needs of the students. English - Writing

11. Argumentative: Literary criticism, theme explication, “Shades of meaning” exercise • Informational: Articles of the week, teen urban issue project, issues tracking, research connection to literature, analysis of rhetorical strategies • Narrative: Add new scene to book, POV paper, write a modern tragedy, God/Goddess project, sonnet writing Writing to be College and Career Ready

12. Writing Skills by Grade Level (Grade 9)

13. In addition the the core writing assignments, students engage in a number of additional writing experiences, both formal and informal, throughout the year. • A few examples: • Argumentative/Persuasive pieces • Open Response • Timed Writings • Blogs and Journals • Discussion Forums • Responding to Texts (literary and informational) • Quick write (reading quiz, ticket to leave, etc.) • Projects English - Other Experiences