Gifted and Talented Language Arts 8 B

In this unit, you will explore the Big Question: When is the price too high? You will consider how people weigh the costs and benefits of their decisions and develop criteria for weighing your own decisions, and you will learn how to read informational articles by using skills such as previewing, skimming and scanning, understanding text structures, and identifying main idea and supporting details. You will examine how tone, humor, irony, and foreshadowing influence the reader. You will learn about multiple-meaning words and use simple sentences in your writing.

In this unit, you will explore the Big Question: How do you keep from giving up when bad things happen? You will read about people who endure hardships but persevere with optimism and determination. You will learn how to read dramatic pieces by using skills such as drawing conclusions, interpreting, paraphrasing and summarizing, and visualizing. You will examine the structure of a play and study the historical influences on the English language.

In this unit, you will explore the Big Question: What’s worth fighting for? What’s not? You will learn what other people find important, how they act on those values, and how they seek to persuade others. You will learn how to read persuasive writing by using skills such as distinguishing fact from opinion, questioning, reviewing, and clarifying.

Eleven-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. There is no war or pain, and there are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12, he is chosen to receive special training from The Giver himself—a man who alone holds the key to the true pain and pleasure of life: memories. Now it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. What will Jonas do once he experiences the power of deep emotions? This gripping and provocative Newbery Award–winning novel keeps readers turning the pages and exploring the special qualities that make each of us human. You will identify literary elements and write a personal response to the novel's ambiguous ending.

The Giver is the recommended novel for Language Arts 8. Ella Minnow Pea may be read instead of The Giver with prior teacher approval. Lessons and activities for Ella Minnow Pea will appear on the lower half of the page. Do not proceed wtih Ella Minnow Pea unless you have received approval from your teacher.

Ella Minnow Pea and her family live on the fictional island of Nollop. This tiny independent country has just one claim to fame: it is the birthplace of Nevin Nollop, the creator of the popular pangram, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." Like most of her fellow citizens, Ella loves the English language and is devastated to learn that the High Council has banned the use of certain letters of the alphabet in writing or speech. In a race against the clock, Ella must help create a new pangram consisting of only thirty-two letters. If she is successful, the islanders will regain the right to communicate freely, and Ella will be reunited with her loved ones. As you read Ella Minnow Pea , you will define vocabulary words in context analyze literary elements.

In this unit, you will explore the Big Question: What is the American dream? You will consider what the American dream has meant to different people in different times and places and how the American dream is still being redefined and reinvented today. You will learn how to read historical text by using skills such as analyzing, understanding cause and effect, identifying main idea and supporting details, and identifying author’s purpose. You will study irregular verbs and consider English as a changing language. You will examine text structure and identify how the writing is organized.