8th Grade English-Language Arts is an opportunity for students to prepare for a successful experience in High School English.  We will be reading a variety of literature, including short stories, novels, essays, poems and plays. Writing assignments will emphasize skills outlined in the Common Core Standards for 8th Grade Language Arts. These include literary analysis, creative writing, grammar, spelling, vocabulary and public speaking.  In addition to in-class work and assignments, students will be expected to be reading books outside of class.

Course Overview

• Writing
  Short Fiction/Memoir
  Literary analysis/Argumentative
  Informative/Explanatory
• Narrative
  Poetry

• Literature
  Core novels (at teacher’s discretion)
  The Diary of Anne Frank
  The Secret Life of Bees
  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
  Brown Girl Dreaming
  To Kill a Mockingbird
  Short fiction
  Self-selected independent reading
  Drama
  Poetry
  Non-fiction

• Conventions
  Sentence structure
  Grammar
  Capitalization
  Punctuation
  Spelling

• Reading Comprehension
  Active reading strategies
  Academic Vocabulary
  Creative book responses

• Literary Devices
• Figurative language
• Symbolism
  Plot Elements
  Theme
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• Textbooks
  Students may access textbooks online via Clever. 
  • California Collections

Students enrolled in John Adams Middle School are not required to pay any fee, deposit, or other charge for participation in an educational activity offered by the school or the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, except as authorized by law and consistent with the California constitution and Hartzell v. Connell (1984) 35 Cal.3d 899. Donations are sought and accepted for various activities and supplies, and are at times critical to the continued success of classes and activities, but donations are always voluntary, and no child will be denied the right to fully and meaningfully participate in any activity because he/she has not donated money or supplies. For more information, go to https://smmusd.org.