Early enrollment discount!  Save $100 on the full-year course when you enroll by July 4. Use coupon code JJEREFALL40 on the first course and save $40. Then, when the class begins, you will receive two $30 coupons for use on trimesters 2 and 3.

*THIS LISTING IS FOR TRIMESTER 3 ONLY.

**This is a full-year curriculum for  grades 7-8,  divided into three trimesters. Separate enrollment is required for each trimester. Trimesters may be taken independently or consecutively; however, be advised that units will build on each other to some degree.  Trimesters are subject to vary in length in an effort to schedule the course in accordance with traditional, American holiday breaks; however, each trimester shall be priced equally. The full length of the course shall be 36 weeks, meeting three times a week, with an optional weekly ongoing study-hall session available for an additional charge. As a full year course, it will also include available office hours and occasional 1:1 meetings. 

***This course is aligned with core standards for grades 7-8 and is taught by an experienced and credentialed teacher.  Letter grades are available for each trimester upon request.

Just because I spent most of my career in a traditional high school, doesn’t mean that my classes are traditional.  I do align them with the standards and include some of the traditional texts, but my classes always have a unique twist.  Combining project-based instruction with class discussion, my classes are anything but ordinary.  My often unorthodox and creative approaches to teaching require students to think in ways they never imagined, inspiring both critical and creative thinking. My fun writing exercises empower students’ voice and encourage them to develop as writers, both formally and creatively, without the burdens and limitations that often come with old school teaching techniques. But above all, it is the relationships that I build with the students that really drives the classroom experience.  

This listing is for the THIRD trimester only. Please see bottom of class experience for a full course, year long description (all three trimesters), curriculum, and pacing guide.

Trimester 3
Underdogs and Bodies
Key topics: poetry, bullying, social acceptance and belonging, logic, murder mysteries

Major Works
“The Outsiders” S. E. Hinton
“Jackaby" William Ritter
“The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” Holly Jackson

Films
“Wonder”
“Rudy”
“Forest Gump”
“And Then There Were None”/”Ten Little Indians.


This course in designed to teach higher level critical and creative thinking skills through in-depth literary analysis of prose, poetry, and film, rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts and speeches, and project based learning.  Students will also work to develop and hone their writing skills through a variety of creative and formal writing exercises and essays. 

In this course students will…
-determine theme;
-analyze plot and its various phases;
-examine how literary elements affect plot progression, assist in character development, and convey meaning, including: motif, symbol, foreshadowing, echoing, flashback, opposition, metaphor, irony, foil, choice of language; 
-understand the mono-myth (Hero’s Journey), The Heroine’s Journey, The Villain’s Journey, and character archetypes;
-develop an understanding of modern pop-culture.

This course provides opportunities to for students to develop the following skills:
1.Explain the function of character.
2.Explain the function of setting.
3.Explain the function of plot and structure.
4.Explain the function of the narrator or speaker.
5.Explain the function of word choice, imagery, and symbolism.
6.Explain the function of comparison.
7.Develop textually substantiated arguments about interpretations of a portion or whole text.

Each unit will feature literary analysis with special attention paid to theme, interpretation, symbolism, figurative language and other literary devices. In addition, each unit will also include a creative project and a specific writing focus. Writing focuses include 1. voice, style, writing fluency and storytelling, 2. Personal Narrative essay, 3. Literary analysis essay, and 3. Persuasive writing. Poetry and nonfiction prose will be used throughout the unit in accompaniment with novels.

About the books and films in this course:
Books and films have been chosen to cover a wide array of genres, styles, and time periods, with an effort to include a combination of traditional classics and contemporary works. Books also have a wide range of reading levels, and some may be familiar or have been previously read; however, it is the analytical approach that makes the difference. Books at the beginning of the course have been selected based on the ease of reading while providing opportunity for in-depth analysis and progressively get more complicated as the course moves on. The use of films further allows for deeper and more meaningful discussion and are directly linked with the themes and lessons within the corresponding unit.  These films will not only be discussed, but also analyzed through a literary lens.

Basic Class Structure
In order to maximize student learning and allow for differentiated instruction, a thematic curriculum will be followed; however, specific daily lessons and timelines are liable to vary slightly. Our weekly class structure will, however, typically follow the same format.

Each day will begin with a 5 minute warm-up writing activity (usually a journal entry or a would you rather question), followed by the daily class lesson, discussion, or activity. As a three day a week class, the typical weekly format will be as follows: Day 1, Reading discussion and analysis, Day 2 ELA lesson/activity (typically linked with our current reading), and Day 3, writing focus.

Homework
Students will be assigned weekly homework, unit projects, and periodical writing assignments.  The majority of the homework in this course will be reading, as students will typically be expected to read approximately 60-80 pages a week.  Additional activities may also be assigned.

Grading
Students shall be evaluated overall by a combination of engagement, progression, and learning.  Rather than waste time on trivial grading, much of the work in this course is designed as exercises in order to promote student development.  Students that are actively engaged and put forth the effort will excel with the assessments. That being said, it is the finish product that is more important when it comes to student assessment.

Students shall maintain all work as assigned in a digital folder or physical notebook. As most assignments are designed as practice exercises, these will typically be scored as credit/no credit based on effort and completion.  Daily assignments and regular homework will be kept in this file and submitted for scoring at the end of the trimester.  Students keeping a physical copy rather than a digital copy must submit their work in photograph form as a slideshow.

In lieu of formal exams, this course will use essays and projects as the primary form of student assessment. Essays and projects must be submitted on the date due. Work submitted after the deadline may not be evaluated or scored.

Essays will be graded based on the 9-point AP rubric and then modified to the 5-point scale.  All other assignment will be graded based on the 5-point scale, then weighted appropriately.

The 5-point scale:
A=5 (4.5-5): Far surpasses all standards and expectations
B=4 (3.5-4.4): above average, exceeds standard
C=3 (2.5-3.4):  Meets standard expectations and requirements
D=2 (1.5-2.4): Needs improvement/meets some expectations but falls below standard
F= 1 (0-1.4): Does not meet standard expectations
0=0: did not turn in or did not complete

Weighting
20%  Engagement and effort
20%  Homework/daily assignments (Trimester folder)
30%  Essays
30% Projects

(A note on grading: My classes are designed to be easy to pass provided students put forth the effort; however, I do not grade easily. I expect my students to always give me their best effort, but quality of a finished product and assessment of learning, knowledge, and understanding require more than just effort.  In other words, I am an easy C, but a hard A.) 


*********SEPARATE ENROLLMENT REQUIRED FOR EACH TRIMESTER***********
  
Curriculum Map, texts, and pacing guide for the full year-long course

Core Texts
*separate enrollment required for each trimester

Trimester 1 (14 weeks)
Heroes, Heroines, and Villains
Key Topics: Introduction to literary analysis, The Hero’s Journey, character archetypes, good vs. evil, Victorian literature, and steampunk.

Major Works							
“Hoot”Carl Hiaasen
“The Hobbit” J.R.R. Tolkien
“The Picture of Dorian Gray,” Oscar Wilde
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” Robert Louis Stevenson
“Etiquette and Espionage” Gail Carriger (*To be finished during winter break)

Films
“The Princess Bride”
“Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”
“Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”
“The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”

Projects and Essays
Personal Narrative Essays
Literary Themed Restaurant Concept, Design, and Menu

Winter assignment: Finish reading “Etiquette and Espionage”


Trimester 2 (11 weeks)
The individual vs society
Key topics: The Heroine’s Journey, individualism vs collectivism, identity, social acceptance, dystopian literature, introduction to poetry.

Major works
“The Hunger Games” Suzanne Collins
“Divergent” Veronica Roth OR “Maze Runner” James Dashner (student vote)

Films
“The Wizard of Oz”
“Wonderwoman”
“Superman”

Projects and Essays
Persuasive essays
Dystopian model


Trimester 3
Underdogs and Bodies
Key topics: poetry, bullying, social acceptance and belonging, logic, murder mysteries

Major Works
“The Outsiders” S. E. Hinton
“Jackaby" William Ritter
“The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” Holly Jackson

Films
“Wonder”
“Rudy”
“Forest Gump”
“And Then There Were None”/”Ten Little Indians.


Estimated Pacing Guide

Tri-1
Week		Book				Essay/Project Due
1.Intro to literary analysis				
2.Hoot						assessment essay
3.Hoot
4.Hoot
5.Hobbit
6.Hobbit					Personal Narrative
7.Hobbit
8.Hobbit
9.Dorian Gray
10.Dorian Gray					Personal Narrative
11.Dorian Gray
12.Jekyll and Hyde
13.Jekyll and Hyde
14.Et & Esp					Restaurant Project

Winter reading: finish reading “Etiquette and Espionage”

Tri-2
Week 		Book				Essay/Project Due
1.Heroine’s Journey (Et & Esp)			
2.Hunger Games					assessment essay
3.Hunger Games
4.Hunger Games
5.Hunger Games
6.Hunger Games					Persuasive essay
7.Divergent/Maze
8.Divergent/Maze
9.Divergent/Maze				Peruasive essay
10.Poetry
11.Poetry					Dystopian Model

Spring reading: student choice from list provided

Tri-3
Week		Book				Essay/project due
1.Poetry
2.Bullying					Poetry Analysis Essay
3.Outsiders
4.Outsiders
5.Outsiders					Lit Analysis essay
6. Jackaby
7. Jackaby
8. Jackaby						Lit Analysis essay
9.GGG Murder
10.GGG Murder
11.GGG Murder					Identity Box and Poetry