English 8 Welcome to English 8!  I am excited about the units we are planning to study this year. Course Description:  This course will cover the Minnesota State Standards for English Language Arts grade 8.  The curriculum for this course is a district-wide curriculum.  Students will be expected to write throughout the year in a Reader/writer response journal—kept in the classroom.  Throughout the year students will be working with the theme of power.  There are four major units in this course: 1. Individual Power: Students will read narrative fiction (both short story and drama) to answer questions such as: What is power?  Who has power, and how is power used?  and What does this piece teach us about power? 2. Community Power: Students will read longer works of literature in literature circles to examine questions such as: How does the exercise of power impact our world? How do individuals and communities influence each other?   and How does community power differ from individual power? 3.  Political Power:  Students will examine Holocaust literature to help them ponder questions such as:  How does the exercise of political power impact individuals and communities? 4.  Persuasive Power:  Students will read and study a variety of expository texts to explore their influence on power—and their own power—in the world.  Students will work through such questions as:  How can I influence others and make a positive difference in the world?  What power do I have and how can I use it?  and How do I read to determine my position about an issue? Ongoing learning objectives throughout the year:     -vocabulary expansion     -build comprehension skills     -improve spelling, and grammar usage     -increase media literacy