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Syllabus 8th Grade ELA 2024/2025 Mr. Garner
Introduction
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to 8th Grade ELA. My name is Mr. Garner, and it is an honor to serve you as your ELA instructor this year. The goal of this class is to foster and nurture independent thinkers through challenging you, the student, to take charge of your own education and confront “failure”. We will strive to do this through reading quality literature, having hearty discussions, writing in different styles and formats, and conducting oral presentations. How well you do (or more to the point, what you learn) will depend on you.
Reading
Reading is a key component of this class.The reasons for reading so much in this class are to develop and/or maintain healthy reading habits, develop a familiarity with different types of literature, and foster critical thinking using “safe” examples within stories. The text types we will use included:
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Two class novels which are read exclusively in class with the accompaniment of an audio book.
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Independent novels. Students control text selection.They will have an entire quarter to read a novel (or biography, book of poems, collection of plays, etc) of their choice. You will need a minimum of three selections.
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Two plays, read aloud in class, in which students are asked to “play” the parts.
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Poetry, specifically song lyrics.
With each text we read, we will be examining how the author uses the literary elements, comparing the text’s contents to that of other stories (both fiction and nonfiction), and trying to glean ideas that one can use to better live our lives.
Communication
Being able to effectively communicate is a vital skill for an independent, educated human being. One of these modes of communication - and our second key class component - is writing. This year, we will be using the Institute for Excellence in Writing Style and Structure model for teaching writing. The units within this writing system are designed in such a way that each unit builds directly upon the skills learned in the previous units. We will begin by learning how to create simple paragraph outlines and work our way up to constructing formal critiques. We’ll also be using commonplace books, which is a simple system to keep track of read content, thoughts and ideas. Most of what we write about will have a connection to what we’re reading.
The third key component of this class - and our second mode of communication - is speaking. In this class, we will practice and develop sound speaking habits. Exercises that we perform will include one-on-one conversations with the teacher, small group discussions, reading aloud to an audience and formal presentations. What we orally present will have a connection to independent or class reading.
Obtaining Information
All of our class information can be found on Google Classroom. There are two primary locations. The first is the “Class Home Page “ or “Class Stream.” This is the first page that you see when you enter Classroom. Here, you’ll find class reminders and notes for either the all three ELA classes or specific information for your class. The second location is under “Classwork”, which is a tab located in the top/center of the screen when you’re on the “Class Home Page.” Here, everything is broken down by week and content type: Material, Class Participation, Assignment, and Quiz (IF it is completed digitally).
Expectations
1. Be on time. Make sure you are in your seat when the bell rings and your work is submitted in the proper location by the given due date. To make sure this happens daily, create and stick to a healthy schedule that is optimal for you.
2. Be respectful. Allow others to speak when we’re discussing material and share your ideas in such a way that isn’t offensive to others. This doesn’t mean you can’t disagree with others. Feel free to do so. However, you must respect the individual while disagreeing (and possibly disliking) their ideas.
3. Push yourself. The level of success you reach is dependent on how well you push yourself. Don’t settle for anything short of your best effort. If you do that, the grades will take care of themselves.
Grading
Grading in this course is driven by individual merit. There is no grading curve, nor is there any way to obtain extra credit. You will be allowed to revise writing assignments, FORMS centered on content reading and oral examinations to earn the grade (and knowledge/experience) that you’d like. These assignments have the highest value in this course. Most class participation work and all assessments are non-revisable. The score you earn is what will go in the gradebook. While their value isn’t as high as other pieces, poor scores can accumulate and have a negative impact on the overall grade.
Finishing work on time is important. You will be given ample time to finish assignments. Work submitted after the deadline will incur a grading penalty. Assignments turned in one day after the due date can earn up to 85% of the assignment’s total value. If it’s turned two days past the due date, you can earn up to 75% of the assignment’s total value. Beyond two days, the assignment’s value will top out at 65% of the assignment’s total value. Should a situation arise that prevents you from being in class or turning in an assignment on time, you must let me know. I have no doubt that we will be able to reach an understanding. In addition, traditional plagiarism or the improper use of an artificial intelligence device (ex. having a program write your answer/paper for you) will earn a zero in the grade book until the piece has been rewritten correctly.
Conclusion
If there is anything I can do to further assist you, please don’t hesitate to ask. My contact information is below. Thank you very much for your time. Hang Tough. Go Scotties.
Respectfully,
Nate Garner
509-291-7301, ex. 324
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