7-12th Grade English Update
7th Grade
Just before winter break, 7th graders wrapped up their reading of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. This classic, coming-of-age novel is a huge hit with students, and many even enjoyed sharing their excitement with their parents, who also read the novel as young teens. As part of the unit, students study character and theme, use text evidence, analyze vocabulary, and practice summarizing.
Many students also viewed the movie adaptation of the novel and discussed the similarities and differences between the two storytellings. In our next novel, Nothing But the Truth by Avi, students will explore how different perspectives allow people to form their own “truth.”
8th grade
8th graders are currently digging into Greek Mythology. They have been introduced to various Greek Myths such as Theseus and the Minotaur, Prometheus and Pandora’s Box, and Echo and Narcissus. Through these myths, classes are discussing themes related to courage, revenge, and loyalty. Soon, students will read the popular epics written by Homer: The Iliad and The Odyssey. These epic poems have been adapted and rewritten in a graphic novel format by Gareth Hinds.
While reading these texts, students will follow various heroes throughout their journeys, determining their heroic qualities, and debating who the most heroic character is.
Middle School: Battle of the Books
During the first week of January, grades 6-8 kicked off our TENTH annual Battle of the Books competition. For this competition, students form teams and commit to reading selected books in preparation for several upcoming competitions. Central Lee will soon host a local battle, where the top teams in all three grade levels compete against a staff team for bragging rights!
The top-two student team winners from that battle also move on to compete against other districts at the AEA Regional Battle, scheduled in May. Because every middle school student participates in this competition, it’s a great way to build teamwork and camaraderie. Please encourage your student to read and contribute to their team’s success!
High School
English 1 recently completed their 3rd major unit of the year, in which they studied characterization, theme, and plot progression within Lord of the Flies by William Golding or The Grace Year by Kim Liggett. Both novels revolve around this universal question: what makes good people do bad things? Each book also affirmed that the situations people find themselves in are the root of their poor choices, which correlated with Dr. Zimbardo's research on said matter.
As English 1 students begin the second semester, they will dive into the world of podcasting. In this unit, students will follow the true crime case of Adnan Syed and develop their speaking and listening skills as they engage in discussions on the case. They will end the unit by presenting a closing argument, claiming Adnan's innocence or guilt, to peers and members of the community.
This year’s sophomores had a busy first semester in English II. They started the school year by improving their reading comprehension skills through reading and analyzing several short stories, including Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron,” Doris Lessing’s “Through the Tunnel,” and Edgar Allan Poe’s “Masque of the Red Death.”
The sophomores’ second unit consisted of writing an argumentative research paper. Skills covered during this unit included supporting a claim using credible evidence, utilizing transition words to link text, and maintaining a formal style and objective tone.
Before the holiday break, English II read and analyzed John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice & Men–a literary favorite for students and teachers alike. In addition to refining first semester skills, students will spend the second semester learning how to critically read nonfiction texts and write a narrative short story. The final unit for English II will center around Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.
English 3 students were quite busy in the first semester. They studied literary devices within several short stories, including “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” “The Feather Pillow,” and “A Rose for Emily.” In this unit, the class concentrated on characterization, plot, irony, and other literary devices. They also studied excerpts from Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano to examine how works of autobiographical literature represent views or comments on life and give insight into a particular time and place.
College and career planning was also a focus during the first semester in English 3. The class looked at personal job interests, various career paths, scholarship application writing, and created a resume. Throughout the semester, the class also worked on proper punctuation, inferencing, identifying text structure and main idea, and grammar and usage. Semester two kicks off with a novel study unit!