Course Syllabus

syllabus 8th Grade Language Arts B

Welcome

We are pleased that you selected this course to fulfill your unique educational needs. You are now a member of the Mizzou Academy's global student body.

 

Course Description

Our Grade 8 Language Arts course supports you as you develop as a reader, writer, thinker, speaker, and listener. This course takes a thematic approach to genre studies, giving you opportunities and skills to analyze narratives, poetry, essay, nonfiction writing, and visuals. In the second semester, you also will study a novel.

Part B of our Grade 8 Language Arts course asks a number of thematic questions about what it means to be grown up, the roles we play in our families, how we deal with isolation, and how we can make choices in spite of fate.  Each lesson will focus on a specific theme, giving you readings in a variety of genres to explore that theme. As a reader, you will be asked to respond in writing in every lesson, writing out answers in your own words to important questions from the readings.  This thematic journey leads into reading the graphic novel of "The Giver," about an adolescent who grows up in a seemingly perfect society.  Overall, the themes and the skills you will learn along the way will all tie together for one amazing journey!

The chart below serves as a comprehensive list of these readings, but also as a convenient quick reference for you throughout the course. Materials not on CommonLit do not require a code since access is provided via the various direct links on Canvas:

 

EIGHTH GRADE - BOOKS AND READINGS - SEMESTER 2

LESSON

TITLE

L1.1

What’s Your True Age? (Susan Krauss Whitbourne)

L1.2

Nothing Gold Can Stay (Robert Frost) 

L1.3

Growing Down (Shel Silverstein)

L1.4

To a Daughter Leaving Home (Linda Pastan)

L2.1

Sleeping (Katharine Weber)

L2.2

Growing Up (Gary Soto)

L2.3

Eleven (Sandra Cisneros)

L3.1

The Role Reverser: Growing Up Too Soon 

(Gregory L. Jantz)

L3.2

Mothers (Nikki Giovanni)

L3.3

Knock Knock (Daniel Beaty)

L3.4

The Moustache (Robert Cormier)

L4.1

Why Teenagers Find the End of the World So Appealing (Elissa Nadworny)

L4.2

At a Window (Carl Sandburg)

L4.3

Elena (Pat Mora)

L4.4

Blue (Francesca Lia Block)

L4.5

The Bet (Anton Chekhov)

MIDTERM

EXAM

PREP

Going To School As a Refuge (Carol Garrison)

Love and Friendship (Emily Brontë)

Funeral (Ralph Fletcher)

L5.1

The Nature vs. Nurture Debate (CommonLIt Staff)

L5.2 

The Road Not Taken (Robert Frost)

L5.3

Invictus (William Ernest Henley) 

L5.4

Frederick Douglass: A Biography (National Park Service) 

L5.5

The Lady or the Tiger (Frank R. Stockton)

6-10

BOOK: The Giver (Lois Lowry)

Required Materials

"The Giver" Graphic Novel by Lois Lowry (Author) and P. Craig Russell (Illustrator)

ISBN: 978-0544157880 (Hardcover)

ISBN: 978-1328575487 (Paperback)

ISBN: 978-1328631824 (ebook)

As mentioned, some readings in the course are available from CommonLit.org.  A select few of those resources require you to create an account and login with a class code. 

Technical Requirements

The most up-to-date requirements can be found here: 

Additional requirements for the course are below: 

  • audio and video recording capabilities (e.g. smartphone, camera)

Accessibility

If you anticipate barriers related to the format or requirements of this course, please let Mizzou Academy know as soon as possible. If disability-related accommodations are necessary (for example, a scribe, reader, extended time on exams, captioning), please contact Mizzou Academy.

Exams

MIDTERM EXAM

The Midterm Exam is over Lessons 1-5. Your midterm exam is made up of 65 multiple-choice questions (worth 2 points each) and 3 constructed-response questions (worth 10 points each) for a total of 160 points.

This exam is proctored. Your proctor or teacher will enter the access code for you to begin your exam. When you begin, you will have 2 hours.

During the exam you are NOT allowed to navigate away from this exam page or use any other resources to assist you in the exam unless otherwise specified on this exam page.

FINAL EXAM

The Final Exam is over Lessons 6-10. Your final exam is made up of 85 multiple-choice questions (worth 2 points each) and 1 constructed-response question (worth 10 points)

This exam is proctored. Your proctor or teacher will enter the access code for you to begin your exam. When you begin, you will have 2 hours.

During the exam, you are NOT allowed to navigate away from this exam page or use any other resources to assist you in the exam unless otherwise specified on this exam page.

 

Note: Before taking this exam, complete the study guide, located in the course modules. Also, refer to Skill Group 10 in our Learning Library.

Grades

Your final grade will be based on the number of points you earn on assignments and exams.

Grading Scale
Grade Percentage
A 90–100
B 80–89
C 70–79
D 60–69
F 0–59

After completing the course, unofficial transcripts will be available in the Tiger Portal. See this page for information on requesting official transcripts. 

Canvas and Technical Support

Canvas will be used as the primary platform for accessing course materials and assignments for this class.