ENGLISH 8: LANGUAGE ARTS
 

In the WiloStar3D 8th Grade, the English/ Language Arts Program focuses on five organizing topics:

oral language, vocabulary development, reading / literature, writing, and research. Competence in these areas leads to advanced student thinking in all subjects, and success in and out of school.
 

In eighth grade, students should

  • use interviewing techniques to gain information
  • apply knowledge of word origins, derivations, and idioms, and will use analogies, similes, and metaphors to extend vocabulary development
  • apply knowledge of the characteristics of various literary forms
  • select and apply appropriate reading strategies to understand text
  • become skillful interpreters of the persuasive strategies used in mass media
  •  develop narrative, expository, persuasive, and technical writings

Journalism Strand:
 

In the 8th Grade Journalism strand, students to produce an online electronic publication and blog for WiloStar3D. Through their work, students learn about newspaper writing and production with an emphasis on ezines
and e-publishing.
 

Students will

  • Learn and use journalistic style
  •  Write newspaper articles of news, editorials, features, and sports
  • Learn the various jobs of newspaper work: proofreading, editing, laying out pictures and copy, writing headlines, and distributing a newspaper
     

Reading Strand:
 

The 8th grade eight reading strand focuses on the improvement of reading skills and uses materials that will help students with reading across the content areas. Grade eight reading includes fiction and nonfiction literature, short passages appropriate for text preparation, and critical reading to enhance understanding. See individual modules for novels covered.