Welcome to 8th grade English and Honors English!  I'm looking forward to experiencing this school year with you and  your student.  As we look to your student's last year of middle school, your student should be prepared for some challenging experiences, but also several opportunities for academic and personal growth, learning, and fun!  Our core literature this year will consist of classic and contemporary fiction, nonfiction, informational text, and poetry.  We will be reading such works as:

• The Diary of Anne Frank
• Night
• The Glory Field
• The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe
• Assorted short stories
• Assorted essays and memoirs
• Varied forms of informational text
• Assorted poetry of varied forms
• And much more!

We'll be exploring themes related to:

• Culture and Belonging-A Glimpse into Immigration
• The Thrill of Horror
• Approaching Adulthood and Career Exploration
• The Holocaust  
• The Move Toward Freedom and Equal Rights.

The literature and informational text will be the basis for discussion, analysis, writing, vocabulary development, and grammar instruction.  In addition, your student will be presenting varied forms of speeches and working collaboratively to create projects.  All of our activities are aligned to California's Framework Language Arts, The Redlands Unified School District Scope and Sequence for 8th Grade ELA, and the Common Core State Standards.  In addition, all activities are designed to prepare students for high school, higher education, and to encourage a LIFE-LONG LOVE OF LEARNING preparing students for the future!  It will be a great year full of academic challenges, rigorous curriculum, and thought-provoking themes!!