Grade Eight: Identity, Rights, and Power
Year-long / Required in 8th grade
In eighth-grade English, students begin the year with a survey of short stories with a focus on analyzing the use of literary devices and elements in discussion and writing. They then extend these skills to novel, drama, and non-fiction study. Students also engage in year-long vocabulary and conventions practice. Throughout the year, a thematic focus on identity, rights, and power offers opportunities for cross-curricular explorations with social studies and religion.
Grade level: 8
Credits earned: 1 MS English
Grade Eight Writing: Growing Our Academic Voice
Year-long / Required in 8th grade
8th grade writing prepares students for success in academic writing for upper school and beyond. Students develop their academic voices by tackling three major essay styles that they will encounter again and again in their academic career: argumentative, analytical, and the ever-daunting research paper. Through teacher-led modeling, exploring exemplar texts, frequent peer and teacher review, and breaking down major pieces of each essay into digestible chunks, students will move forward from this course with confidence and a renewed sense of their own academic voice. In particular, we will focus on the building blocks of rhetoric and persuasion, literary analysis, and author choice, exposing students to foundational genres of academic writing. This course will also focus on the mechanics and “nitty-gritty” of academic writing that can be a challenge point for students, including embedding direct quotes and MLA citations/formatting. 8th grade writing is anchored in student choice – students will be able to select topics, current events, and reading materials for writing prompts, igniting their passions and interests as they build new academic writing skills.
Grade level: 8
Credits earned: 0.5 MS Writing