The primary purpose of this nine week course is to develop the CJHS newspaper, “Central Press.” Throughout this time we will cover the basics of journalism writing and newspaper publication. Students will work to improve their writing and editing skills, develop purposes for writing, and learn how to use Microsoft Publisher. Students will be asked to research, conduct interviews, and write stories. Each student will be responsible for contributing at least one article per issue. The “Central Press” is released every three weeks.
8th Grade Literature:
8th Grade Literature is required course here at CJHS. This Literature class is designed to get students prepared for their high school courses. This course is guided towards a more detailed analysis of texts and designed to help improve discussion skills. We will cover a variety of genres throughout the school year. At times, we will focus on informational text and how to support conclusions with textual evidence. Throughout the year, we will read a novel and discuss themes, characterization, setting, plot, points of view, and patterns of events. Irony, as well as many other literary devices, will be discussed and analyzed throughout the school year. Students will learn how to analyze text, draw inferences, and to determine the objective of the text. This will be accomplished through various forms of writing, assessments, projects, and through the use of media sources. Students will complete a poetry unit where they will analyze poems, and develop a stronger knowledge of figurative language, and create their own example of poetry. This 8th grade Literature curriculum was based around the following Common Core Standards:
Keys and Ideas: RL.8.1,RL.8.2, RL 8.3
Craft and Structure: RL.8.4, RL.8.5, RL.8.6
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: RL.8.7, RL.8.9, RL8.10