Upper level English off to a strong start
8th graders are busy too!
by Julie Carter
September 01, 2007
Juniors have been introduced to the beginnings of American Literature. We have read Puritan authors and an early narrative of the slave experience. We will view the movie Amistad in conjunction with slave literature. Next week we will begin our study of The Crucible, a modern play by Arthur Miller set during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
In addition, we study a new set of 10 vocabulary words each week. The first book report is due September 14. We have discussed how to write this report, and students have a copy of the rubric that will be used to grade the project.
English IV
Both senior classes have begun the year studying the history of British literature by reading the epic poem Beowulf. We also read a selection from The Iliad by Homer. We have compared the Homeric epic to the characteristics of the Anglo Saxon epic. To conclude the unit we will write a descriptive essay about a character from one of the pieces we read in class.
Vocabulary units are due each week, English IV is due on Friday, and College Prep is due on Thursday. All seniors have a book report due Sept. 18. Some students have finished reading their first book and are beginning to write the reports already.
8th Grade English
The 8th grade began the year with a group novel study, reading The Light in the Forest. This novel takes place during early colonial America. True Son, the protagonist, encounters many difficulties dealing with family and cultural problems.
The 8th grade also completes a unit of vocabulary each week. The workbook is due on Friday, and the test over the 10 words is given on Tuesday.
We have also been reviewing rules of capitalization. We have been busy!
Literature and Technology
Only one student enrolled in debate this fall, which makes competing very difficult! We have shifted the focus of the course to literature and technology. The student and teacher select novels from recommended reading lists for college. We read the novels and the student will generate a technology based project to illustrate the key themes of the book. Our first selection is Slaughter-House Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
A big thank you to both the school library and the city library for helping all of us locate books we would like to read. We appreciate having this support for our program.
