8th Grade English Syllabus 2010
by Carol Braun
July 26, 2010
8th Grade English
Mrs. Cordry
2010-2011
I welcome you to 8th grade English and to our classroom! I
am Mrs. Cordry, and I am very excited about the challenges
that lie before you and me this year. Your
critical-thinking skills will be polished, and you will
learn many of life’s lessons through the reading
selections. Writing practice will make yourself more
clearly understood to your readers and to yourself, as well.
Finally, grammar, which many groan about, is an essential
ingredient of all we study in language. In order to help
all students stay on track, we will incorporate an online
tool called MOODLE this year.
Materials needed for class:
4 different colored highlighters: yellow, pink, green,
orange
Paper
Blue pen
Pencil with eraser
3 ring binder
6 dividers for the binder, labeled:
Reading/Literature/Poetry, Writing, Vocabulary,
Grammar, Projects, Homework
First Nine Weeks:
L-J Vocabulary Pre-test
L-J Vocabulary work throughout nine weeks
Literature terms, including project for terms
Traits of Effective Writing Unit
Essay: Goals for 8th grade English
Essay: Descriptive Writing
Personal Reading Time
Grammar: Parts of Speech: Nouns, Verbs, Adverbs, Adjectives,
Pronouns
Punctuation: Periods, Question Marks, Exclamation Points,
and Commas
Mechanics of Writing: Capitalization, singular and plural
words
Novel: To Kill a Mockingbird and project
Blogging
Second Nine Weeks:
L-J Vocabulary work throughout nine weeks
Literature book: Lean on Me, Justin Lebo, Neighbors, The
Winter Hibiscus, Homecoming, User Friendly, The Two
Brothers, The Peacekeepers, The Torn Invitation
Essay: Descriptive Essay
Essay: How-to
Grammar: Pronoun, Preposition, Conjunction, and Interjection
Mechanics: Sentence Structures, Acronyms, Numbers, and
Abbreviations
Punctuation: Semicolon, Colon, and Quotations Marks
Blogging
Personal Reading Time
Third Nine Weeks:
L-J Vocabulary throughout nine weeks
This quarter will be spent on daily essay writing and
revising, using our prior learning of vocabulary, reading,
punctuation, grammar
Literature Book: The Case of the Uncooked Egg, The Piece of
Straw, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Monkey’s Paw, A Letter
from a Concentration Camp, Turmoil in a Blue and Beige
Bedroom
Personal reading time
Blogging
Fourth Nine Weeks:
L-J Vocabulary work throughout nine weeks
Review Grammar, Mechanics, and Punctuation
Blogging
Novel: Where the Red Fern Grows with project
Speeches
Letter Writing
Personal Reading Time
Poetry Unit, including a project-Including the Monster Mash
from literature book
Makeup work must be complete within two days of return to
school. It is up to the student to come to me to get makeup
work. If it is not made up, it will result in a zero for
that grade. If a student knows they will be out prior to the
absence, they must get work before absence and turn it in
before absence.
Any student caught cheating, including plagiarizing, will
receive a 0 and a detention. A work detention will be given
to any student not completing homework, as they have plenty
of time to complete it.
I am looking forward to a fun and rewarding year. If you
have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to
contact me at the school at (402) 645-3326 (402) 645-3326,
at my home (402)806-6876, or via email at scordry@esu5.org
I encourage and appreciate all parental involvement.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Cordry
