Mrs.

McGirt
8
th
Grade Reading/ Language Arts Syllabus
2014 - 2015
Course Description: Eighth Grade Language Arts is designed to involve the
student in applying reading, writing, listening, speaking, and career and
college readiness skills in a diverse and eaning!ul interdisciplinary anner"
#tudents will continue to develop an appreciation !or literature through the
study o! literary eleents in classic and conteporary selections$ however,
there will %e an ephasis placed on oving !ro the literal to the a%stract in
the students& critical thinking skills and in the use o! language"
Methods of nstruction: #tudents will %e engaged in the learning process
%y'
(ndividual e)ploration and research
*lass discussions
#all group tea oriented activities
+ands-on activities ,such as pro-ects and port!olio work.
/ral presentations
0ritten copositions
1(G#A0
Course Competencies
1. Use word recognition and vocabulary skills to communicate.
2. Apply strategies and skills to comprehend, respond to, interpret, or evaluate a variety
of texts of increasing levels of difficulty.
3. xpress, communicate, evaluate, or exchange ideas effectively.
!. Apply "tandard nglish to communicate
#. $egin to %ntegrate the &ommon &ore "tandards for &ollege and &areer 'eadiness
Course !he"es: 2ridges, *ultures, 3ower, and 3ersonal 2est
Course #$pectations:
Attendance is necessary to keep up with the class" (! a student isses
class tie, they are issing the instruction tie needed to learn a skill"
+owever, i! a student ust iss class, they are re4uired to ake up
issed work in a tiely anner" All assignents are placed in a 50hile
6ou 0ere /ut7 %inder that will %e placed at the !ront o! the roo"
#tudents are responsi%le !or going to the !older and o%taining all
issing assignents"
#tudents are e)pected to %e in their seat when the tardy %ell rings" (!
not, they will %e counted tardy' %eing counted tardy !our ties will
earn a lunch detention"
3lagiaris and cheating have no place in a counity o! learners"
Each student is re4uired to put !orth their personal %est" Everyone has
soething iportant and valua%le to add to our learning e)perience"
(! a student is suspected o! plagiaris or cheating, the parents and the
principal will %e noti8ed and conse4uences will %e deterined"
#tudents are re4uired to keep up with their assigned reading and turn
in assignents on tie" #tudents will lose valua%le learning
e)periences i! they coe to class unprepared" 3lanners will %e utili9ed
and check on a regular %asis in this class"
Classroo" #$pectations:
1" #tudents are E:3E*;E< to %e on tie !or class"
2" #tudents are E:3E*;E< to coe to class with all aterials daily"
=" #tudents are E:3E*;E< not to use pro!anity"
4" #tudents are E:3E*;E< to re!rain !ro eating, drinking, and>or
grooing in the
classroo"
5" #tudents are E:3E*;E< to respect theselves, all sta? e%ers, and
each other
as well as the property o! others"
@" #tudents are E:3E*;E< to use coputer so!tware, and reading,
aterials
appropriately at all ties"
A" #tudents are E:3E*;E< to a%ide %y all classroo and L* rules"
Classroo" Conse%uences:
1" Ber%al warning> *aution *ue *ard
2" #/<A 0riting
=" Lunch <etention
4" 3arental *ontact ,3hone call hoe or letter.
5" 3arent *on!erence
@" <iscipline re!erral
Ma&or 'or(s and Assign"ents: 0e have any e)citing and enriching
activities to look !orward to this year" #oe o! these will re4uire outside
preparation and the aid o! a parent to %e success!ul" +ere is a list o!
tentative pro-ects that each student will %e responsi%le !or"
n Class and )o"e Reading: #tudents are re4uired to read =0
inutes 8ve tie per week" ;he reading log will %e aintained in the
student %inder and will need to %e signed at least one tie weekly %y
parents" #tudents will read silently in class and will need in-class
reading aterials daily" ;his individual reading is in addition to the
Eighth grade selections which are' A Wrinkle in Time, Abraham Lincoln,
Uncle Toms Cabin, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, House of
he !cor"ion, Hunger Games, The Gi#er, an$ Lor$ of he Flies%
Research *aper and *o+er*oint: Each student will go through the
process o! researching a person ,;2<. and creating a 2 page research
report and 3ower3oint presentation" (t is iperative that your child
keep up with their work and deadlines" ;hey will %e responsi%le !or 20
note cards, 5 sources, an outline, works cited page, rough and 8nal
copy o! their paperC DLA Eorat
ndependent ,oo( Studies: Each nine weeks, students will %e
responsi%le !or an independent study o! a 8ction or non-8ction novel"
;hey will coplete this assignent through independent reading and
then creating a %ook review to share with the class"
Class -o.els: 0e will read and study several novels as a class.
Barious activities and pro-ects will %e tied to the novels" ;hese
readings ay include, %ut are not restricted to'
o A Wrinkle in Time
o Abraham Lincoln
o Uncle Toms Cabin
o The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
o House of he !cor"ion
o Hunger Games
o The Gi#er
o Lor$ of he Flies &alernae o"ion o Hunger Games'
-o.el #ssays: Each nine weeks will involve a thee and novels that
support that thee" ;he students will end the nine weeks with writing
various types o! essays that show their knowledge and coprehension
o! %oth the thee and the novels"
#nrich"ent: ;hroughout the year, the students ay %e presented
with optional enriching e)periences"
Mid/ter" and 0inal #$a": Language Arts </E# have a id-ter
and a 8nal e)a" ;he </L lessons that students coplete on a daily
%asis, and the graar lessons that ste !ro those, cover the
content that will %e assessed through these e)as"
Grading: #tudents will %e graded in a variety o! ways including !oral
assessents such as tests$ participations grades !or daily work$ and
authentic assessents using ru%rics !or oral presentations, pro-ects,
and written assignents" #tudents will %e encouraged to sel!
-evaluate their work and to evaluate their peers& work" ;he grading
scale is as !ollows'
100 - F= G A, Rubric G 4
F2 H I= G 2, Rubric G =
I2 H A0 G *, Rubric G2
@F H @5 G <, Rubric G 1
@4 and %elow G E , Rubric G 1
Re%uired Reading/Language Arts binder:
Grading: ;he %inder in this class is a ust have and is non-
negotia%le" #tudents will %e instructed on how to set up the %inder and
when it will %e checked" ;his will %e a grade and will %e utili9ed and
onitored <A(L6"
*ro.ided *en: ;his pen is !or Language Arts class only" (t is to %e kept
in your %inder and utili9ed daily" (! you are not using it !or other
purposes, it should last a while and ( will gladly replace it id-year" (!
you are constantly doodling with it, it will run out sooner and you will
replace it at your own e)pense"
!able of Contents: ;he %inder will need to %e set up as instructed
and %rought to class %oth periods every day" ;he ;a%le o! *ontents at
the %ack o! this sylla%us ust %e included in the %inder"
'ebsite:
;his year students ay %e turning in soe o! their written work via EDA(L"
;hey will %e posting discussions through our 0ee%ly site and various other
internet sources created %y Drs" DcGirt" Drs" DcGirt has developed a we%site
!or her I
th
grade students, which also has a link to 3ower#chool so that
students and parents can check grade updates, issing assignents, etc"
and %e a%le to counicate fre%uently and pri.ately with the teacher"
0e will also %e using G//GLE 4uite a %it, particularly G//GLE </*#"
#tudents will %e su%itting papers and pro-ects through G//GLE to %egin to
prepare as 21
st
century students and !or GL/2AL LEAJK(KGL
;hank you !or %eing involved and %eing active in your student&s educational
e)perience" ( look !orward to a great yearL
Drs" #tephanie DcGirt
I
th
grade Jeading Language Arts ;eacher> @-12 ;AG *oordinator
+ighland *ounity #chool <istrict
*lease log on to 2
http://"rs"cgirtsclass.+eebly.co"
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!able of Contents
. !able of Contents
. Signed Syllabus
. Reading Log 4di.ider5
6. Reading -otes 4di.ider5
6. 6ocabulary 4di.ider5
6. D7L 4di.ider5
6. Language Arts -otes 4di.ider5
6. )o"e+or( 0older