Course Syllabus

English 8

Sections 1002 & 1002.2

Location: Online

Please review the CWCS Master Class Syllabus that will be used in the Parent/Student Orientation course. 

Class Information

Instructor: Debbie Nishihama

Email: dnishihama@cwcharter.org

Office Hours: Mondays, 11 am - 12 pm

  • Semester 1 - First Class Meeting: August 14, 2023 

Last Day to Add or Drop is 9/1/23 (Students will be charged the full price of the course if dropping the class after this deadline)

  • Semester 2 - First Class Meeting: January 9, 2024       

Last Day to Add or Drop is 1/19/24 (Students will be charged the full price of the course if dropping the class after this deadline)

CWCS’s English 8 online course allows students to study at home while employing technology as a learning tool, meeting with other students in a virtual classroom, and receiving live instruction from a teacher.

Course Overview:  This course focuses on reading and understanding common core/state standards in complex literature. Students will learn to think, analyze, and write thoughtful essays about literary and informational texts. They must complete assigned readings, essays, or other writing projects. For this reason, it is important that they attend class regularly, arrive at class on time, and come to class prepared to participate in meaningful discussions about literary and informational material.

The state standards require students to read stories and literature and more complex texts that provide facts and background knowledge in areas such as science and social studies. Students will be challenged and asked questions that push them to refer back to what they’ve read. This stresses critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills required for college, career, and life success.

The state standards establish guidelines for English Language Arts (ELA) and literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Because students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in various content areas, the standards promote the literacy skills and concepts required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines.

Curriculum:  Required curriculum may be available at the Learning Center on a first come basis.  ESs can order curricula using the OPS catalog with the most up-to-date pricing if needed.  

Textbooks: Students will be using the online version of Collections; the publisher is Houghton Mifflin. The traditional text and the online version come as a package that includes the student edition (hard copy), a Close Reader, and a Performance Assessment booklet. When students check out the package, they will receive a username & password for the digital component. The digital version and the texts will be available for check-out from the learning center on a first-come, first-served basis. 

The Integrated Online Student Edition has all the features of the print edition plus Digital Collections, which provide comprehensive standards instruction in writing, speaking, and listening. Close Read Screencasts provide an audio and visual model of an analytical conversation about the text. In addition, the media resources such as History®, Lifetime, A&E, and Bio are seamlessly integrated into the digital offering. The digital tool also includes the FYI site, which provides curated, contemporary informational text for additional reading and instruction. Digital tools within the eBook enable students to annotate the texts they are reading, save their notes and annotations and then use those notes to develop compositions or Performance Tasks. The web-enabled HTML5 digital format allows device-agnostic access to all materials (works on all devices).

Students enrolled in a Canvas English course will be instructed on using their online textbook's digital components.

Novels:

Semester 1 

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis 

 

Semester 2

The Horse & His Boy by C. S. Lewis

Materials: 

  • Working external headset with mic (computer speakers do not work successfully with the Canvas setup). Plug-in headsets (rather than Bluetooth) work best with Jigsaw. After the third week of class and no headset, students may begin to lose participation points for the class. Class is much more engaging if all students can talk in class using their mic. 
  • Binder Paper
  • 1" Binder
  • Pencils & Erasers
  • Composition Notebook

Requirements: 

  • Class textbook/workbook
  • Gmail Account and ability to open/create Word documents and pdfs (Adobe Acrobat Reader). 
  • The only acceptable writing programs are Microsoft Word, PDF, or Google Docs.   
  • Reliable Internet access
  • Canvas Login link: https://cwcs.instructure.com/login/canvas 

CWCS English Department Homepage

Grading: 

Important ~ If an assignment is not submitted by the due date, students will automatically receive a zero for that assignment.  This procedure is in place to ensure that each student's grade reflects accurately throughout the semester.

Overall course grade: 

20% Attendance/Participation

30% Reading Comprehension Questions & Quizzes 

40% Writing & Projects

10%  Collection & Novel Tests

 

Grading Scale:  

90-100

A

80-89

B

70-79

C

60-79

D

Below 60

F



Attendance: Attendance is required.  The Truancy Policy applies to Canvas courses. An unexcused absence may be counted as a truancy.

  • Excused Absence is defined as:
    The parent shall notify the teacher by phone of the absence at least 24 hours* prior to the time the class meets.
  • Unexcused Absence is defined as:
    An absence that does not accompany a parent phone call to the instructor at least 24 hours* prior to the time the class meets.

*If there are extenuating circumstances that do not allow for at least 24 hours, then the teacher must still be notified prior to the start of class; allowances may be made depending on the circumstances. Examples of extenuating circumstances: car accident, sudden illness, etc. Students should arrange a "back up plan" in case of unexpected computer problems the day of the class (i.e. make pre-arrangements to go to a neighbor, friend, relative, library, etc.)  


When students are absent, they must contact the instructor via email, watch the class recording and email a paragraph about the class. 

Absent/Late Work: Please email the instructor through Canvas if you will be absent. Students who turn in assignments late will not receive a grade higher than 75%.

Daily Homework:  All of the work for this course is assigned and graded by the instructor.  Parents are encouraged to review their student’s work before submitting.  Assignments are arranged to keep students engaged in English every day and will be submitted through Canvas. You can submit a Word document, PDF or Google Doc (download as a PDF and upload to Canvas).  Emailed assignments will not be accepted.  All communication will be made through Canvas’ messaging feature.

Please Note: Assignments are subject to change. Students enrolled in Canvas classes should log into the course regularly for up-to-date and detailed assignments. Students who are not enrolled in Canvas classes and who are using the course syllabi can follow the pacing guides’ weekly assignments.

 

Additional Resources: 

TurnItIn  

Turnitin is the most effective online technology used to manage the submission, tracking and evaluation of student papers online. Turnitin provides originality checking, interactive grading and peer review, and allows instructors to deliver rich, personalized feedback in less time, encouraging notably higher levels of student engagement.



Important Dates 2023-2024: (see also 2023-2024 School Calendar Final)  

Aug. 7:  First day of school 

Aug. 14:  First day of fall Canvas Classes

Sept. 1: Add/Drop date

Sept. 4: NO CLASS: Labor Day 

Oct. 5 -6: NO CLASS (non school days)

Nov. 10: NO CLASS: Veteran’s Day

Nov. 17- 24: NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break 

Nov 27 - Dec 1: Last Class session this week (a-g)

Dec. 4 - 8: Last Class session this week (all other classes)

Dec. 4 - 8: a-g Finals Week

Jan. 5:  First day back to school

Jan. 8: First day of spring Canvas classes

Jan. 15: NO CLASS: MLK Holiday

Jan. 19th: Add/Drop date 

Feb. 15 - 19: NO CLASS: President’s Day Observance

March 22 - 29: NO CLASSES THIS WEEK: SPRING BREAK

April 29 - May 3: Last class session this week (a-g)

May 6 - 10:   Last Class session this week (all other classes)

May 6 - 10: a-g Finals Week

May 17: Last Day of School




English 8 – CP 1002 & 1002.2

Pacing Guide – 2022-23

 

This Pacing Guide is Subject to Change

Check Canvas each week for Weekly Assignments including:

 

  • Weekly Reading Comprehension Questions
  • Collection Tests
  • Performance Task Writing
  • Novel Assignments    

 

 Fall 2022

8/15

COLLECTION 1 ~ “CULTURE AND BELONGING”

READ ANCHOR TEXT: “My Favorite Chaperone” p 3 

8/22

READ: “Bonne Annee” p 31

This is a 2-week assignment ~ No class next week

8/29

READ: “Bonne Annee” p 31

9/5

READ: A Place to Call Home p 41

9/12

READ: “The Latehomecomer” (Memoir) p 53 and “New Immigrants Share Their Stories" (Documentary) p 71

9/19

READ: THE POWWOW AT THE END OF THE WORLD pg 75

9/26

COLLECTION 2 ~ The Thrill of Horror

We complete 3 selections from this Collection~

READ: “The Tell-Tale Heart” p 89

10/3

READ: “What is the Horror Genre?” p 125

10/10

Man-Made Monsters CR 35-CR40

10/17

COLLECTION 3: The Move Toward Freedom

READ: “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” p 143

10/24

READ: “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” p 157

10/31

READ: “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” p 157 (Continued)

11/7

READ: “Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad” pgs 151

 

11/14

READ: “Bloody Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln” p 177

“Civil War Journal” by Louisa May Alcott p CR63 

11/21

No Class ~ Thanksgiving Break

 

11/28

O, Captain! My Captain! P 199

12/5

In Class Kahoot

No Homework 

Enjoy your Winter Break!

 

 

 

Spring 2023

1/9

COLLECTION 4 ~ APPROACHING ADULTHOOD

Read: Marigolds pgs 213-224

1/16

Read: Hanging Fire and Teenagers pgs 230-231

1/23

No Class ~ Complete Assigned Work (Martin Luther King, Jr Day)


Read: When Do Kids Become Adults? Pgs 235-242

1/30

Read: Is 16 Too Young to Drive a Car? pgs 247-254

2/6

Watch Video: Your Phone Can Wait pg 64 in your online textbook

2/13

Look at the poster on page 266 of your textbook. Think about your responses to the questions posed on this page.

2/20

No Class ~ Complete Assigned Work (Presidents’ Day 2/12 - 2/15)

2/27

Collection 5 ~ Anne Frank’s Legacy


Read: The Diary of Anne Frank Act 1 on pg 279-324

3/6

Read: The Diary of Anne Frank Act 2 pgs 325-352

3/13

Read: The Diary of a Young Girl pgs 355-365

3/20

No Class ~ No Homework (Spring Break 3/1 - 3/15)

3/27

Read: from Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife pgs 369-374

4/3

Read: After Auschwitz pgs 379-Page 383

4/10

Collection 6: The Value of Work 

Read: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer pg 395-400

4/17

Read: One Last Time pgs 405-414

4/24

Read: Teens Need Jobs, Not Just Cash & Teens at Work pgs 419-423

5/1

Read: Chicago pgs 428-429

Read: Find Work pg 431

5/8

Last Class