English Honors Seventh and English Honors Eighth

 

English Honors is designed for students who have clearly demonstrated advanced levels of interest and achievement in the subject area. In the seventh and eighth grade, English Honors will deviate from academic English in rigor and relevance, addressing the same content areas of literature, writing, and grammar but with higher requisites and demands, utilizing the highest levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. It will build upon the foundation set in mainstream classes, enabling students to tackle material and assignments with greater complexity, expectation, and execution. English Honors will be differentiated by the quality of student work expected rather than merely the quantity. A program of study will be provided which allows students ample opportunities for academic and creative growth based on aptitudes, affinities, and interests.

 

Activities will include essay writing in the forms of narrative, persuasive, expository, cause and effect, opinion/editorial, descriptive, personal response, compare and contrast, and/or critical and analytical interpretation. A large scale research paper or project including an MLA-style bibliography/work-cited page is required. Integral curriculum components will include interpretation of literature (fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and drama) through study of style, voice, tone, genre, dialogue, character, setting, influence, theme, mood, presentation, tone, vocabulary enrichment, and significance. Additional activities may include script writing, poetry for publication, public speaking, debate, story-mapping and story-telling, interviewing, technology-infused presentations, web-quests, student peer-teaching, films, commercials, journalism, and photography.

 

Students will:

• Play an active role in classroom learning experiences
• Increase and engage higher-level SAT vocabulary
• Write effectively and coherently within a variety of frameworks, utilizing higher level methods of mechanics
• Understand and interpret literature from a variety of cultural, social, and civic perspectives
• Become fully engaged in exploratory, experimental, and open-ended learning environments
• Act as problem solvers and problem seekers
• Participate in the scholarly and creative processes
• Engage in critical analysis and application
• Personalize learning experiences
• Defend and support independent ideas
• Accept and communicate construction criticism
• Reflect on independent and communal thought
• Initiate independent and cooperative learning
• Express ideas clearly in written and verbal formal
• Critically assess various viewpoints on course materials
• Formulate autonomous response to literature

 

Course Pre-requisites

 

Seventh Grade:

• Sixth-grade English with a cumulative grade of 95 or higher
• Sixth-grade Enrichment enrollment with a cumulative grade of 90 or higher
• Teacher recommendation
• A love of reading and/or writing
• Writing sample
• Standardized test scores -- advanced proficient

 

Eighth grade:

• Seventh-grade English Honors enrollment with a cumulative grade of 90 or higher
• Seventh-grade English with a cumulative grade of 95 or higher
• Teacher recommendation
• A love of reading and/or writing
• Writing sample
• Standardized test scores -- advanced proficient

 

Units of Study (Curriculum Goals)

 

Seventh Grade Honors

Foundations of Mechanics

• Parts of Speech
• Punctuation
• Transitions
• Sentence Structure
• Spelling – essential skills

 

Foundations of Writing

• sentence complex compound compound-complex??
• paragraph chronology thought-organization voice variety of sentence structure sentence beginnings validity of evidence succinct use of detail vivid use of language
• essay appropriate structure and organization various writing styles supportive body content engaging voice and style

 

Literature Interpretation

• six novels
• unit of poetry
• play
• short stories
• non-fiction and informational text
• mythology
• GEPA reading comprehension preparation
• SAT reading comprehension preparation
• four project-based learning experiences including technology infusion

 

Public Speaking

• How-to
• Debate, persuasive
• Personal experience

 

Foundations of Research

• Topic-driven research paper
• Length: 3 to 5 pages double-spaced / 12 point
• Documented research from sources: books, internet, articles

 

Foundations of Media and Communications

• Advertising interpretation
• Newspapers/magazines
• Layout and design principles
• Film study
• Popular culture

 

Foundations of Creative Writing

• Poetry
• Narrative
• Autobiography

 

Foundations of Critical Writing

• Response journals
• literary criticism
• Content interpretation