A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.
- Albert Einstein
English 8Welcome to 8th grade!
Who we are is defined by our actions towards others, and over the course of your life, you will meet countless people. Many of these people will be vastly different from you, and that can be some of the most exciting/awkward/fun/scary/beautiful experiences. And with this, we want to explore our literature through the lens of how are characters treat those around them-- and ultimately, how their reactions can serve as models or warnings for our own lives. With each text, we will also aim to become stronger readers, writers, thinkers, and speakers. In addition:
Our course texts will include:
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English 9Welcome to 9th grade!
Ultimately, we are our choices. The choices we, as humans, make determine who we are today and who we will become in the future. This year we will focus our study of literature on the conflict between the individual and the society in which he/she lives. As we read, the following essential questions will guide us: •What happens when our individual values clash with society’s? •What compels some people to follow the crowd and others to forge their own paths? •What does it take to stand up and take action on behalf of ourselves or others? Each quarter we’ll attempt to delve deeper and answer these questions by reading a variety of novels, plays, short stories, poems, and nonfiction texts. Throughout the year, we will also work to develop as readers, writers, thinkers, and speakers. Particular emphasis will be placed on literary, expository, persuasive, and research writing. Overall:
Our course texts will include:
Through each of our texts, we will come back to our focus: we are our choices. Here is an excerpt from a speech by Jeff Bezos (the founder of Amazon) in which we will explore more completely throughout the year. Read it over, and think about what it means to you at this moment: "What I want to talk to you about today is the difference between gifts and choices. Cleverness is a gift, kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy — they’re given after all. Choices can be hard. You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you’re not careful, and if you do, it’ll probably be to the detriment of your choices.This is a group with many gifts. I’m sure one of your gifts is the gift of a smart and capable brain... When you are 80 years old, and in a quiet moment of reflection narrating for only yourself the most personal version of your life story, the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be the series of choices you have made. In the end, we are our choices. Build yourself a great story." |