Eighth Grade English
Welcome to Eighth Grade English! My name is Miss Jessica Romaniello. It is my first year teaching and I am so excited to begin my journey here at NHMS. I have worked in and around schools for the past six years in New York and Connecticut. I have had the pleasure of working in all high school grade levels as well as different content focuses. We will take the time to explore a myriad of topics and themes this year, helping your student to grow both academically, socially, and emotionally.
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CURRICULUM
Unit One: Personal Narratives
Essential Questions:
- What makes for good storytelling?
- What makes fictional narrative different from other types of writing?
- What are the main characteristics of a short story?
- How do I make my story more interesting to my readers?
- What kind of structure(s) could be used for this form of writing?
- What role does/can figurative and/or sensory language play in fictional narrative writing?
- Why is the revision process an essential step in fiction writing?
Unit Two: Moral Choices
Essential Question(s):
- What is morality and what are the factors that have an impact on the development of our morality
- How do our values and beliefs shape who we are as individuals and influence our behavior?
- What are the causes and consequences of prejudice and how does an individual’s response to it reveal his/her morals, ethics, and values?
Unit Three: Dystopian Societies
Essential Question(s):
- How can societal rules help or hurt us?
- How can society balance individualism with responsibility to the community?
- What aspects of utopias and dystopias exist in current society?
- When should one conform to the wishes or rules of others?
- How do personal choices impact a society?
Unit Four: Survivors of the Holocaust
Essential Questions:
- What is the relationship between our stories and our identity? How does adversity shape who we are, and who we will become?
- How do individuals respond to systematic brutality, persecution, and violence? How can silence and indifference perpetuate violence?
- Why is it important to tell and listen to stories about the Holocaust and how does knowledge of the past allow people to make better decisions about the future?
Unit Five: Voices of the Civil Right Movement
Essential Question(s):
- How can one use their voice to effect social change?
- What rhetorical techniques do speakers use to appeal to an audience?
- How can poetry serve as a medium of self-expression?
- How can we use different modes of writing to analyze the same content?
Unit Six: Argumentative Writing
Essential Question(s):
- How does a writer craft a convincing argument?
- What rhetorical techniques can be used to sway audience opinion?
- How can evidence support a claim and make an argument stronger?
- How can acknowledging a counterclaim enhance an argument?
Unit Seven: A Midsummer Night's Dream
