English /Lit with Mrs. Carruth

Welcome back!

Hi! Welcome to the 8th grade English and Literature classes. We have so much to look forward to doing this year. We will be reading several books and discussing them in depth. We will write several papers this year, one of which will be a research paper.
We will also be working hard to understand the structure of the English language and how it fits into our daily lives. Diagramming will become a big part of that.

About me:

I am married and I have four great children that are all enrolled here at Wanette.

I am a graduate of East Central University and I have enjoyed teaching here at Wanette for nine years. In my free time I enjoy reading, camping with my family and cheering on the Wanette Tigers!

Literature:

Reading List

Necessary Roughness by Maria G. Lee

Dragonwings by Laurence Yep

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Diary of Ann Frank

The Miracle Worker by Wm Gibson

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

In class projects will be book based from this list.

English:

Grammar: In grammar we will discuss our language in a logical manner so as to better understand how we speak and how we write. This will also enable us to become better writers for we'll know why we choose certain words over others and the process for that selection.
We will diagram sentences found in the grammar workbook. (This is a yearlong activity.) The students have grammar homework every night along with a few sentences to diagram. There could be some exceptions, but not many. I have found diagramming to be beneficial on many fronts, but it also can be fun.
Vocabulary: We will have a "Commercial" break in the Vocabulary units midway through the book and again at the end of the year. Students will be put into groups, assigned a unit, and given a syllabus that tells them what they have to accomplish to fulfill the directions on the syllabus. A contract will be written in each group and a grade will be given for each member of the group by the leader of the group. The presentations will all run on the same day. The teacher will also assign grades based on the group's presentation, so the student will receive the combined grade for the project.

Papers:

Along with reading and understanding our readings, we will also be writing papers. All papers will use the write (1st draft), edit, rewrite (2nd draft), edit, and rewrite (final draft) process. Each draft is important and worth some points to the student. I only grade the final draft, but must also receive the other drafts to give the student full points. All papers to me must be: typed, double spaced, 12 font, Times Roman style, dark ink.