Middle M/J Language Arts 3 - Grade 8

Segment 1

• Evaluating key elements in a literary text
• Evaluate authors’ styles
• Integrate academic vocabulary into speaking and writing
• Analyzing figurative language
• Analyzing how juxtaposition defines characters’ perspectives
• Identifying figurative language devices
• Planning and outlining a literary analysis essay
• Developing strong thesis statements
• Write a literary analysis essay
• Identifying and correcting informal language in an academic essay
• Utilizing the appropriate tone and voice for an intended audience
• Incorporating appropriate transitions in writing
• Incorporating MLA formatting
• Elaborating on evidence in an essay
• Revising and editing an essay
• Publishing and sharing a completed essay
• Determining a word or phrase’s meaning using context clues
• Identifying the elements of a Shakespearean tragedy
• Paraphrasing content
• Comparing the development of two speeches on the same topic
• Evaluating the effectiveness of claims in a speech
• Tracking and analyzing how universal themes are developed in a literary text
• Identifying and explaining the use of allegories
• Developing a claim
• Identifying and incorporating evidence to support a claim
• Writing an argumentative literary analysis
• Using knowledge of usage skills to create flow in writing
• Creating a Works Cited Page

 

Segment 1 Honors

• Analyzing, evaluating, and explaining what makes an author’s style unique
• Varying writing style for syntax and effect
• Analyzing how a universal theme is developed
• Writing an allegorical tale that conveys a universal theme
• Evaluating how an author establishes and builds characterization
• Creating a digital presentation

 

 

Segment 2

• Determining the central idea of texts
• Paraphrasing texts
• Analyzing authors’ purposes
• Comparing the development of multiple arguments on the same topic by multiple authors
• Evaluating text structures and features
• Determining the connotative and denotative meanings of words
• Applying knowledge of etymology to obtain a word or phrase’s meaning
• Evaluating an author’s use of rhetoric
• Identifying authors’ claims
• Writing an analysis of complex texts
• Comparing authors’ use of reasoning
• Compare and contrast how contemporaneous authors address related topics
• Writing an argument to support claims, using substantial evidence and reasoning
• Creating and exporting quality writing tailored to a specific audience
• Creating a digital presentation that contains multimedia elements
• Presenting information in the format of a speech
• Employing rhetorical devices in a speech
• Reading and comprehending poetry
• Analyzing figurative language
• Tracking and analyzing themes in poetry
• Analyzing ways in which poetry reflects themes and issues of its time
• Conducting literary research to answer a question
• Synthesizing information from primary and secondary sources
• Evaluating how tone adds to meaning or style
• Researching responsibly
• Selecting research sources with discernment
• Identifying and correcting dangling and misplaced modifier
• Identifying the correct use of homophones
• Identifying and correcting sentences with faulty parallel structure
• Identifying and correcting sentence fragments and run-on sentences
• Identifying and correcting subject-verb agreement issues
• Evaluating elements of a narrative
• Analyzing how an author establishes multiple perspectives in a narrative
• Planning and writing a narrative that contains multiple character perspectives
• Incorporating narrative techniques in a narrative
• Analyzing how authors develop and reveal themes in literary texts
• Revising and editing an original narrative
• Integrating a universal theme in a narrative text
• Reflecting on writing strengths and weaknesses

 

Segment 2 Honors

• Evaluating how key elements enhance or add layers of meaning to a literary text
• Identifying and analyzing the use of satire
• Writing a narrative that uses satirical techniques
• Integrating academic vocabulary into writing
• Identifying the central idea of speeches and essays
• Paraphrasing complex texts
• Producing writing that is appropriate to the task, audience, and purpose
• Creating and exporting writing
• Writing a narrative text that provides insight into a specific time period
• Employing narrative techniques in a narrative

Students are responsible for obtaining independent reading material.

Besides engaging students in challenging curriculum, the course guides students to reflect on their learning and evaluate their progress through a variety of assessments. Assessments can be in the form of practice lessons, multiple choice questions, writing assignments, projects, research papers, oral assessments, and discussions. This course will use the state-approved grading scale. Each course contains a mandatory final exam or culminating project that will be weighted at 20% of the student’s overall grade.***

***Proctored exams can be requested by FLVS at any time and for any reason in an effort to ensure academic integrity. When taking the exam to assess a student’s integrity, the exam must be passed with at least a 59.5% in order to earn credit for the course.  

To achieve success, students are expected to submit work in each course weekly. Students can learn at their own pace; however, “any pace” still means that students must make progress in the course every week. To measure learning, students complete self-checks, practice lessons, multiple choice questions, projects, discussion-based assessments, and discussions. Students are expected to maintain regular contact with teachers; the minimum requirement is monthly. When teachers, students, and parents work together, students are successful.