Eighth Grade Literature

Literature Syllabus for Seventh and Eighth Grades

Instructor: Betsy Gottschalk

 

  1. Independent Reading:
  1. Read 250 pages per week if you are in the eighth grade, 200 pages per week if you are in the seventh grade (please see me about other options if necessary or desired). Read literary or informational texts.

 

  1. Keep track of the books read by listing the title, author, number of pages in the book, and a brief summary of what the book is about. Start this reading log as you start each new book. Keep this log in the front pocket of your literature folder.

 

 

  1. You will report on your personal response to the book each week. You’ll do this in a couple of different ways:
    1. While you are reading a book, you will write a letter about the content and personal response to the book if you are still reading it.

 

    1. After finishing the book, you will make a project about it. The project can be a poster about the book (with title, author, and student-created image of the book, and a paragraph about the book), a book report (in first-person from the point of view of a character in the book), or, for another sort of project idea, talk to me first.

 

 

  1. Literature Circles (book clubs)

Literature circle sessions are a chance to discuss books in depth. We’ll gather in small groups at least once per week during the time we are discussing the group book. You will be responsible to read the section of the book, and come with your responses in a notebook and on sticky notes (attached as a page marker on the page you are discussing in the book).  Both the sticky notes and the notebook need to have written comments about the book and the page numbers of the section on which you are commenting.  The comments should be about what you read, so that you will be able to contribute to the discussion. You also need to bring the book we are discussing and you do need to talk about the book when we are meeting.

 

C. Read-aloud

I will read books and poetry aloud to you.

 

Literature Grading

Each of these elements will factor into your Literature grade:

Independent Reading and Reporting

Literature Circle

Classwork

Participation/Behavior