Generally Speaking in 8th Grade L.A.

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Knowing that things are always subject to change, what follows is an overview of the whatÕs, the howÕs, and the whenÕs in 8th Grade L.A.

Writing

á          Instruction and practice will take a natural progression from sentence structure and variety, to paragraph structure to multi-paragraph pieces.

á          Forms include persuasive, expository, narrative, and descriptive with emphasis on expository to align with BVSD content standards.

á          Writing instruction/practice occurs on a regular basis with daily practice. 

á          The writing process is taught and utilized with an emphasis placed on the revision step. 

á          The majority of writing feedback occurs within individual and small group writing conferences.  Six Trait/CSAP writing rubrics are utilized for formal writing assessment.

Reading

á          Reading instruction and practice occurs on an ongoing basis.

á          Students are expected to bring a book to class each day, but it is essential that books be brought to class on Thursdays and Fridays.

á          Daybooks and the Prentice Hall Literature Anthology may be used periodically.

á          Class novels are assigned throughout the year as follows: in October/November, possibly in March, in April/May.  These titles are U.S. Historical fiction titles that are on the BVSD approved novel list.

á          Choice books are selected by students with parent approval and are read throughout the school year. 

á          Students should be reading at home each night.  Time spent reading should be calculated based upon individual reading goals.

á          Students are encouraged to substitute magazines, technical manuals, etc. for novels occasionally.

Spelling &

Vocabulary

á          Words are chosen from ACT/SAT review lists.

á          These units appear periodically throughout the year.

á          Students are assigned ten words per week during units of vocabulary study.

á          Students are responsible for the following for each word: definition, part of speech, and meaningful sentence.

á          During novel or story studies vocabulary instruction and practice varies. 

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please refer to the Standards Based Grading information sent home at the beginning of the year for additional information.