English 8 and English 8+

Avon Lake City Schools 

Curriculum Framework

English 8 and English 8+

Course Overview:

Following English 7/7+, English 8 and English 8+ continue to engage students in a wide variety of experiences in literature, composition, and grammar. In literature, the students will read novels, poems, and short stories to understand and appreciate their content and artistry. In composition, students develop their skills in argumentative, expository prose. Exercises in grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary are included. English 8+ students move at an accelerated pace and read more challenging works.

Textbook (Title and Publishing Company): 

Amplify ELA

Online/Supplemental Materials:

Quill.org

CommonLit.org

Assessments: 

Ohio State Test

NWEA Map Growth

Amplify ELA Unit Assessments & Essays

Content/Topics/Learning Goals

Subject to Pacing and Schedules

1st Quarter- 

Perspectives & Narrative Unit

  • Skills and Content:

  • Topic & Theme: The craft of narrative

  • Reading: Notice the impact of author's craft and structure

  • Writing: Write a narrative about a childhood memory

  • Text Features: WWII memoir and contemporary coming-of-age 1st person narratives

Science & Science Fiction Unit

Frankenstein

  • Core text -Gris Grimly's Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Gris Grimly

  • Skills and Content:

    • Topic & Theme: Creators vs. creations

    • Reading: Apply abstract concepts to an author’s portrayal of a character

    • Writing: Argue opposing claims about a character and resolve the contradiction

    • Text Features: Gothic text in graphic form, archaic language, Biblical and mythological allusions

2nd Quarter- 

Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet Unit

Romeo & Juliet

  • Core text - Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

  • Skills and Content:

    • Topic & Theme: Introduction to Shakespearean themes and language

    • Reading: Connect characters’ development to a conceptual framework

CommonLit-Argumentative Unit

  • Delineate and evaluate an argument 

  • Argument writing

3rd Quarter- 

Holocaust: Memory & Meaning Anthology

Sensitive Content

  • Skills and Content

    • Topic & Theme: Factors that led to the Holocaust, and the response

    • Reading: Synthesize multiple accounts to develop understanding and empathy

    • Writing: Analyze the impact of propaganda and explain the response to unfolding events

Novel: Night or The Boy On The Wooden Box

The Space Race Collection Unit

Skills and Content

  • Topic & Theme: The successes and sacrifices associated with space exploration

  • Reading: Compare and contrast perspectives on a topic

  • Writing:

 

Hidden Figures Novel