|
Seven & Eight Grades
Welcome to Craftsbury Schools Seventh & Eighth Grade Classes.
Language Arts (Grade 7)
The focus of Language Arts 7 is odyssey: a recorded journey of diverse adventures
and challenges. Writing and reading skills taught and practiced lead to the
culminating assessment: a student created odyssey of writing and illustrations.
On this journey students receive instruction and opportunities to practice
and apply skills used to acquire, convey, analyze and interpret information
both accurately and effectively. All students are given the opportunity to
make connections to their own experiences while practicing reading, writing,
listening and speaking in developmentally appropriate ways on a daily basis.
The instructor models expectations by writing and sharing pieces with the
students. Whenever possible, current happenings or issues of concern in the
school community (such as Thematics events, hikes or C.A.P.E. expereinces)
are integrated into writing assignments such as persuasive letters to the
editor or description narratives. Vocabulary for Achievement provides an
integrated vocabulary study that includes multi-disciplinary reading using
the vocabulary reading in context. Students are encouraged to use extensions
of their choice such as cartoon, collage, or metamorphic vignette, to illustrate
the lesson words .
Reading (Grade 7)
Reading 7 follows the odyssey focus of Language Arts 7 by reading and responding
in discussion and writing to the characters' recorded journeys of diverse
adventures and challenges studied in class. Each leg of the reading voyage
affords students the opportunity to practice and apply skills used to acquire,
convey, analyze and interpret information both accurately and effectively.
Interactive response to the text is a priority. All students are given the
opportunity to make connections to their own experiences and identity search
while practicing reading, writing, listening and speaking in developmentally
appropriate ways on a daily basis. A variety of approaches is offered in
order to encompass the students' diverse learning styles: a reading tape,
a response journal, an artistic representation of a theme or scene, a collage
of symbols from the literary work, a character sketch, writing from the viewpoint
of the main character, plan for a movie production of the work, cartoon or
sequel to the work. Students are also encouraged to create additional extensions.
Industrial Arts (Grade 7)—Syllabus
(Word format)
The seventh grade students will explore the technical world of communication.
Students wil learn the many ways in which we communicate. We will discuss other
areas of communication such as electronic, graphic, verbal and non-verbal.
They will exhibit skills in drafting and sketching in order to represent ideas
or thoughts.
Reading (Grade 8)—Syllabus
(Word format)
Reading 8 concentrates on reviewing reading strategies, improving comprehension
and speed and writing for the standard 1.7-the response to literature. It also
introduces students to a classic novel, provides opportunities to read and
study narrative and lyric poems, and plays. Fostering a love of reading is
a primary goal.
Language Arts (Grade 8)—Syllabus
(Word format)
Language Arts 8 concentrates on listening, speaking and writing skills. Because
Craftsbury offers a separate reading class, formal reading instruction is not
part of language arts; it is, of course, embedded in every activity. Major
emphasis is on the writing process and the six types of writing the standards
dictate. Listening skills emerge from the conferring section of the process
and other intentional lessons. Speaking skills are practiced when all students'
work is read aloud by the student to at least one other person. Vocabulary
is a major emphasis with a structured program in place. Spelling skills are
reviewed; students are expected to know standard spelling lists for this grade
level.
|
