English Language Arts Curriculum at ARMS for 2004 – 2005

We study English language arts to create, understand, interpret, connect, shape, and play with our world.

We do this through reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking.

8^th Grade English Language Arts at ARMS

Updated - September 8, 2004

Transformations

Enduring Understandings: Change is an inevitable part of life.  Change can create transformation.

Essential Questions: What does it mean to change?  To transform? How does change create transformation?  What can people do to make change transformational?  How does transformation look in different disciplines?) How do we recognize change? (concrete/abstract? sudden/subtle? temporary/permanent?) How do we recognize change when in the middle of it? (adolescence…..)

Novels:

Whirligig- Fleischman

The Skin I’m In- Flake

Jacob Have I Loved- Paterson

The Winter Hero – Collier

Night – Wiesel (this is a high school selection)
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes - Crutcher

Extension Titles:
Ender's Shadow - Card
Speaker for the Dead - Card

Novels:

True Believer- Wolff

Tangerine – Bloor

The Cay- Taylor

The Education of Little Tree – Carter

The last Mission – Mazer

 Stories:

“The Goodness of Matt Kaiser – Avi
“Flowers for Algernon” - Keyes

Speaking Out

Enduring Understandings: Speaking out against injustice creates empowerment.

Essential Questions: What is injustice? What prevents someone from speaking out (internally/externally)? What can people accomplish when they speak out?  Why does a writer use different styles of writing?

Novels

A Step from Heaven – Na

Famous All Over Town – Santiago

Speak – Anderson

Maniac Magee – Spinelli

The Windsinger – Nicholson

Poems:

Langston Hughes

May Angelou

Novels

Cry, the Beloved Country – Paton

Nothing but the Truth – Avi

To Kill a Mockingbird - Lee

Monster – Myers

Wringer – Spinelli

Stories:

“What’s Inside?” – Avi

Introductory Children’s Book

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A Wolf – Sieska

Speaking Out

Enduring Understandings: Speaking out effectively against injustice creates empowerment.

Essential Questions: What is injustice?  What prevents someone from speaking out (internally/externally)? What can people accomplish when they speak out?  How do people effectively speak out?

Novels    

Ender’s Game – Card H

Famous All Over Town – Santiago M

Speak – Anderson M

Maniac Magee – Spinelli L

Monster – Myers M

Cry, the Beloved Country – Paton H

Nothing but the Truth – Avi L-M

                        H(high)    M(medium)    L(low)

Mentor Text

Hey Diddle Diddle - Sciezka

Speeches (Video & hard copy)

MLK (1963)

Chief Joseph Speaks

JFK (1963)

Eli Weisel

Student speeches

History Speaks – In Process

Enduring Understandings: History comes alive through words of people telling their stories—it helps us to imagine and connect to the past and therefore have a better view of the present.

Essential Questions: How do historical diaries, autobiographies, and memoirs make history come alive? How is reading a primary source different than reading a novel?  How do we know what we know? How can you relate or connect to the writer as a person? Can you speak out even if you don’t plan to share your words with an audience?

Readings

The Diary of Anne Frank

Red Scarf Girl

Zlata’s Diary

Why Do They Hate Me?

Choice of Weapons

Readings

Warriors Don’t Cry

We are Witnesses (extension)

Tisha

To Be a Slave (extension)

Farewell to Manzanar

Hello Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Enduring Understandings: We read Shakespearean plays because they are universal, timeless and relevant to our lives.

Essential Questions: What was entertainment like in Elizabethan England?  How is it different today?  How is it the same? How do we make meaning from language that is unfamiliar to us? What causes social relationships to be in a state of flux?  How does reading fantasy and magic help us to think about our lives?

Drama:

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – William Shakespeare (parallel text edition)

Film:

Judi Dench and Kevin Kline versions of the play.

Of Mice and Men (Under revision)

Enduring Understandings: It takes looking at a wide variety of sources & techniques to critically evaluate a book.

Essential Questions: What makes a book good?  Is portraying racism or sexism racist?  Is Of Mice and Men a good book? or sexist? How do you recognize foreshadowing & symbolism? How does the title relate to the book?

Core Title:

Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck

Video

Of Mice and Men – Sinese :

Personal Narratives

Enduring Understandings: Our personal experience can be meaningful to others and when shared honestly have the potential to change/impact others’ lives.

Essential Questions: What does it mean to be human?  How do each of us experience our humanness?  What are universal human experiences?  How do we share our universal human experiences?

Core Texts (in progress)

A personal narrative written by the teacher

“To Express How Much” from Lost and Found

“The ‘N’ Word: It Just Slips Out” from Starting with I

Supplemental Texts (in progress)

“Why does the sky turn red when the sun goes down?”

“Seventh Grade” from Hear My Voice

“Short Cut to Independence” from Starting with I

“Chinese in New York, American in Beijing” from Starting with I

“Good Enough for Me” from Teen Ink: Our Voices, Our Visions

"All American Slurp" from American Street
"Wrong Lunch Line" from American Street
"Two Kinds" from America Street

Immigration

Enduring Understandings: Every individual has his or her own story.  Learning someone’s perspective leads to greater understanding.

Essential Questions: Why do some people immigrate? What is someone’s personal story of immigration to the United States?  What are the skills necessary to interview someone well?  What does it mean to write from a certain perspective or point of view?  How can you incorporate voice into your writing?

Readings

Seedfolks – Fleischman (read aloud)

Perfection Learning immigration stories

Readings

Children’ books

Poems stories

Feature Articles

Enduring Understandings:

Essential Questions:

Feature Articles: Crafting the News (pilot – draft document)

 (integrated WR2/English/Exhibition unit)

Enduring Understandings: A well crafted newspaper article can work to inform, persuade, and transform.

Essential Questions:

      English:  What does a feature article look like?  How does it differ from an essay or a news article? How do I match my writing style to audience need?  What’s the right amount of information in getting my main message to the reader?  Am I successful and effective in getting my message across?

         WR2:   What research tools can I access in writing my feature article?  What sources are reliable and accurate in researching my feature article?  What is the effective format for presenting my              information?

Mentor Texts:

Assorted feature articles

Online:

Assorted sites and resources

Courage & Determination – Proposed, but not officially accepted