This year we will explore how thinkers and writers use their voices—to celebrate, to persuade, to question, to critique, and to urge people to act. We will also explore how our own thinking, speaking and writing can impact our community and the world around us.
Our work begins with a close examination of who we are—our likes and dislikes, our beliefs and biases, and how these are formed through our experiences and shaped by our community. From there we’ll consider how personal qualities influence how we view and interact with the world.
Studies will be divided into themes of genre and/or topic, as highlighted below:
approximate timing
themes/
genres
reading
focus
writing
speaking & listening focus
September–November
belief and action
The Giver by Lois Lowry; essays from NPR’s “This I Believe” series
responses to literature, including journals, test responses and analytical essays
discussion and interpretation of literature—supporting ideas using evidence from text
December
poetry vs. prose
Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
poetry and prose
spoken word
January–mid-March
literary classics
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
outlines, analytical essays, writing from different points of view
March
Harlem Renaissance
poems, essays and short stories
to be determined
April
writing and speaking as tools for social justice
essays and speeches by a variety of people; research materials related to student topics
research-based persuasive essays; developing and justifying arguments
informative and persuasive speeches
May–June
Our timing is flexible as we allow sufficient time to explore topics in depth. Students are expected to keep track of assignments and updates in their planners. Parents, please be sure you are signed up for the weekly 8th grade newsletter to see what’s coming up in terms of specific studies and assignments due.