8th Grade LA/SS
Welcome to 8th Grade Language Arts/Social Studies. In 8th Grade, students prepare for the rigor of high school courses.
Content: The integrated Language Arts / Social Studies block is a broad survey of American history, which provides an authentic context for students to review, learn, practice, and hone crucial language arts skills. Students should expect challenging reading, writing, thinking, and speaking activities over the school year. The LA/SS block can be integrated or taught separately throughout the year. Our emphasis is on US history content and language arts skills. We use a writer’s workshop model for our writing units and seek opportunities to enjoy literature that has historical connections. The curriculum allows students to explore areas of interest and gain both breadth and depth in their studies. |
Curriculum Used...
Language Arts will be using the Lucy Calkins curriculum. To find out more about what this looks like in the classroom, click HERE. Social Studies primarily uses the History Alive curriculum. |
Major units of study
Grading
Students will receive a separate grade for Language Arts and Social Studies. Because we do integrate the subjects (ie. write about current events in Social Studies), I will choose only one subject in which to record an assignment. It will NOT double count. On a rare occasion, I may split points (ie. 10 to LA and 10 to SS).
Please check the comments added to assignments and grades. Often times I will make personalized notes such as, "Highest grade in the class!" or, "Only half complete." These comments will help you to undertstand the grade that was earned. However, I am limited to just a few characters, so they may be short and abbreviated.
Points are determined based on the effort it took to complete the assignment, NOT total problems/questions.
For example:
Please check the comments added to assignments and grades. Often times I will make personalized notes such as, "Highest grade in the class!" or, "Only half complete." These comments will help you to undertstand the grade that was earned. However, I am limited to just a few characters, so they may be short and abbreviated.
Points are determined based on the effort it took to complete the assignment, NOT total problems/questions.
For example:
- Signed permission slip- 5 points
- Participation in a group activity- 5 points
- Homework COMPLETION check (not accuracy) - 5-10 points
- Homework asking you to decorate your journal- 5 points
- Homework with 35 questions. 10 points (25/35=71% = 7/10 points)
- Rough draft of an essay (completion only) - 20 points
- Final essay/test - 50-100 points