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literature & composition class for 8th graders

Intro to Lit & Comp
The Fine Print

Course Goals

  • Read novels, plays, short stories, poetry, and non-fiction for enjoyment and to improve critical reading skillfulness

  • Engage in informal (discussion forums), instructional (parts-to-whole practice), and formal (essay) writing

  • Hone the expression of ideas to demonstrate clarity, coherence, and perceptiveness

  • Learn and practice several types of writing, including expository, compare and contrast, persuasive, and literary analysis essays

  • Collect research sources, scrutinizing the credibility of websites and writers

  • Receive incremental writing instruction with detailed, individual feedback

  • Construct and refine the parts of an essay, practicing and then applying learning to 4- or 5-paragraph essays

  • Learn and apply basic formatting and citation conventions in accordance with the newest MLA 9 guidelines

  • Fine-tune grammar through workbook practice and editing

  • Learn and apply new vocabulary in a variety of ways

  • Engage in active discussions each week—both guided and student-led—on topics relating to the week's reading and writing

  • Offer and receive helpful and positive peer feedback on writing forums

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Course Resources

Texts and Materials:

 

Reading
  • Animal Farm, George Orwell

  • The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

  • The Call of the Wild, Jack London

  • Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

  • The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle

  • Julius Caesar (No Fear Shakespeare). William Shakespeare

  • The Miracle Worker, William Gibson

  • A Single Shard, Linda Sue Park

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