Language Arts 8 Year Plan/Course Outline I.V.

Macklin Public School

Through developing skills in listening, speaking, viewing, reading, writing and representation, the Language Arts program for grade eight will assist students to grow in their knowledge of language, to appreciate its value in their lives and to use it in everyday life. All of the knowledge, skill and attitude objectives, as per the curriculum, revolve around the above six strands, and will be incorporated into seven main units throughout the year with a focus on reading, writing, and literacy.

General Objectives: 1. Reading Students will:      Read for knowledge and enjoyment Develop the ability to comprehend what they read Develop the ability to make inferences about what they read Expand their vocabulary Appreciate a writers use of language

2. Speaking Students will be encouraged to:     Express their ideas and opinions Participate in group discussions Express themselves clearly Speak on a variety of topics

3. Listening Students will develop:     Their ability to listen courteously Their ability to listen attentively Their ability to comprehend what they hear Their ability to give feed back from what they hear

4. Writing Students will be able to:    Express their ideas and opinions in written form Improve their editing skills Write creatively with reduced mechanical errors

5. Viewing Student will be able to:   Draw inferences from a visual stimuli Realize that visual materials are an important part of todays communication

6. Representing Students will be encouraged to:  Express their ideas and opinions through art and drama

Unit One Reading (September)

Focus: Reading strategies and reading comprehension This unit is designed to introduce students to reading strategies and to practice reading comprehension skills, in order to assess student ability. Concepts covered in this unit will be constantly reinforced throughout the year. y y y y Strategies: Think-Writes, I wonders, Making Connections, Visualizing, inferring. Reading comprehension worksheets Introduce book talks District Reading Assessment-The Ontario Comprehension Assessment (OCA)

Unit Two Writing (October- November 15)

Focus: Writing mechanics, essay writing This unit will begin with lessons on grammar, spelling and vocabulary. It will then focus on types of writing, the writing process and writing a five paragraph essay. y y y y Grammar, spelling, vocabulary, sentence structure Paragraphs (descriptive, narrative, persuasive, expository) Writing process Basic five paragraph essay o Structure o Thesis o Peer editing

Unit Three Speaking & Listening(November 15 Dec 15)

This unit will help to improve students speaking and listening skills. It will also focus on persuasive writing and speaking. y y y y y y y Listening Booklet Public speaking tips One minute speeches Class discussions Present Book Talks Persuasive Speech

Unit Four Viewing& Representing (January)

This unit will allow students to draw inferences from a movie medium and realize that visual materials are an important part of todays communication. y y y y Watch a movie with guided questions and complete a creative project Scene analysis and discussion Comprehension questions Characterization, plot, setting, theme, symbolism, conflict review

Unit Five Reading Part II (February - March)

Focus: Poetry & Short Stories This unit will focus on the elements and structure of short stories, poetic forms and devices as well as reading, interpreting and analyzing poems and stories. y y y y y y y Elements and structure of short stories Plot diagrams Comprehension Reading strategies Class discussions Poetic forms and devices Types of poems

y y y y

Analyzing poetry Literary elements Figurative language Symbolism, mood, theme

Unit SixWriting Part II (April)

Focus: Short story and poetry writing This unit will use the knowledge that students gave gained about short stories and poems from the previous unit, to write and publish their own work. There will also be mini lessons on grammar and writing mechanics as a refresher. Students will complete activities using the writing process to practice their writing skills. They will then complete various writing assignments: poems and short stories.

Unit Seven Reading Part III, Viewing& Representing (May)

Focus: Novel Study Students will complete a class novel study. y y y y y y y y Story elements Guided questions Comprehension Class discussion Journaling Film study Project / Essay District Common Assessment-The Ontario Comprehension Assessment (OCA)

Ongoing Throughout the year      Daily language workouts based on grammar and punctuation Journal writing Daily silent readingDEAR time (10 min) District reading assessments (dates to be determined) District final (dates to be determined)

Resources y y y y Sightlines Novel study packs Supplemental literature from a variety of sources A variety of print and video materials

Enrichment and Remediation Extra help and mini lessons will be given to allow for all ability levels to be successful. Study strategies, organizational strategies and tips for effective reading and writing will be given on an ongoing basis. Students will work in partners and groups, to share ideas. Peer editing will be used for much of the writing, where stronger students can help those experiencing difficulty. Material will be reviewed on a regular basis.

Evaluation The following mark breakdown will apply to Language Arts: Assignments, Projects, Quizzes, Summative Assessments Final Exam 80% 20%

Materials needed: Organization and neatness are crucial to the success of any junior high student. Notes and homework need to be dated and kept accessible for future reference. All students must have the following: Language Arts Binder (separate from other binders) Dictionary at home Thesaurus (optional) Scissors, pencil crayons, ruler, glue, pens, pencils Smartphone/IPOD Protocol: The expectations in Mr. Ralston and Mr. Peters classroom will be consistent and followed stringently. Our philosophy is that there is a role for these devices in the 21st century classroom in the proper context. This does NOT mean students have open access to these devices. They may be used to check TWITTER for homework updates, look something up (under the supervision or permission of the teacher), or listen to music in individual work activities. We will be clear on when it is acceptable to use these devices with verbal and visual communication. If our expectations are violated, phones and/or listening devices will be taken away and given to administration as per the policy in the common areas of the school. Repeat offenders will have their phone/listening privileges revoked indefinitely. We believe through responsible usage, students can use these devices to aid in their everyday learning.