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Language Arts II – GROUP 1 – ALMOST FULL
Deposit Due at Time of Registration:
$165.00
This class is ALMOST FULL.
Language Arts II focuses on developing well-rounded and deep-thinking eighth-grade students to prepare them for high school and college, but is also appropriate for older students not ready for English I. This course will engage students in improving grammar, vocabulary, composition, and literary analysis skills.
Students will discover how grammar impacts sentence structure and will practice correct usage and mechanics. An understanding and appreciation of the structure of language will provide a foundation for students to learn writing structure, organization of ideas, and MLA formatting through the completion of six academic writing assignments and two academic papers (one of which includes research).
The literature in this course encompasses a wide variety of interests and topics and includes full-text classic and contemporary novels, nonfiction, drama, short stories, and poetry. Students will be challenged to dig deeply into the literature to understand and discover life lessons through literary elements such as theme, characterization, and symbolism. Individualized and relevant vocabulary studies will correspond with reading materials. Throughout the semester, students will grow academically through in-class discussions, writing assignments, and feedback from the teacher.
Please view prerequisites and required supplies below.
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Language Arts 1 or equivalent; students should have solid paragraph writing skills and basic grammar and punctuation understanding and application. Please email the teacher with placement questions.
(Optional: Rod and Staff provides a free grammar assessment that will be helpful in determining if your student is ready for LA II in eighth grade. Students should score 80% or above on seventh-grade grammar in order to advance to eighth-grade grammar covered in LA II. The grammar assessment can be found at https://www.milestonebooks.com/bin/Placement_Test_English.pdf.)
She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman by Erica Armstrong Dunbar (ISBN-13: 978-1982139599)
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (ISBN 13: 978-0312369811)
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (ISBN 13: 978-1250773029)
Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (ISBN 13: 978-0060652937)
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (ISBN 13: 978-0449300022) Note: This version is abridged and is translated by Charles E. Wilbour, et al. Be sure you have this version! Here is the right one on Amazon: https://a.co/d/1b1Ouon
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (ISBN 13: 978-0385751537)
The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie (ISBN 13: 978-0573702440) Note: Be sure you have the PLAY rather than the short story.
Rod and Staff Grade 8 English Pupil Textbook (ISBN 13: 978-0739905319) Note: Check the ISBN so you don’t accidentally get the workbook.
Dawn Burnette is truly excited to be part of the Excelsior family as an English teacher! Dawn holds a B.A. in English Education/Journalism from Lenoir-Rhyne University and an M.A. in English Education from Georgia State University. She has also earned National Board Certification and gifted endorsement. While teaching English at a public high school for 15 years, Dawn served as English department chair, coached a nationally ranked dance team, and won a few local, state, and national teaching awards. Dawn loves sharing her passion for reading and writing, and she works tirelessly to help students reach their academic potential and to glorify God in all pursuits. Soli Deo Gloria!
When it was time for their children to start school, Dawn and her husband Rod moved the family from an Atlanta suburb to the North Georgia mountains, acquired way too many animals, and spent the next 12 years homeschooling. Their daughter Ansley recently graduated from Samford University with a double major in English and Theatre and works at Sight & Sound in Pennsylvania, and their son Beck is a Communication major on a golf scholarship at Lee University.
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