Grade 8 - New York English

English Language Arts 8 (Credit: 1.00)

English Language Arts 8 is a survey of literature that explores the work of various writers of different time periods through an historical lens. Students should enter this course with a foundation in analyzing, through a close study, various genres of literature and making connections with historical perspectives and the arts. In this course, students will build on these skills by studying a range of classic and contemporary literature to convey themes of American History, Natural History, World Civilization, and Air and Space. Students will also develop their writing skills while producing informative, argumentative, and narrative compositions. Supported by a balance of fictional and informational texts, students will learn and practice close reading, modeled reading, writing, speaking, and listening strategies. To become critical consumers of text, students will be exposed to increasingly more complex texts to which they apply those skills. In English language arts, that critical content is both rigorous and relevant and includes high-quality contemporary works as well as the classics of literature. The content includes high-quality contemporary works, the classics of American literature, and the timeless dramas of Shakespeare. Students will be enriched as they expand their skills and confidence in English language arts through a comprehensive study. Below is a list of resources that are not included in this course and must be acquired separately. Vincent Van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist (biography), Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan; ISBN 978-0440419174 Yearling Books.