Skills

(Fundations, Spelling)

Literacy Learning

(Domains/Modules)

The Sixth and Seventh Amendments* to the United States Constitution guarantee all citizens the right to have their legal cases, criminal and civil, decided by a jury of their peers within the community. This fundamental right is rooted in both our history and our legal system. When juries speak, Winston Churchill once wrote, “law flows from the people.”

The more than five million Americans called for jury duty each year may determine guilt and innocence, safety and security, life and death. Jurors from all walks of life, through prudent deliberations, consider whether citizens have acted justly.

Many of today’s students will serve on juries someday. For most, it will be their principal way (other than voting) of participating directly in the democratic process. Jury duty will be an opportunity to offer great service, but also an awesome responsibility. The more jurors understand their role, the better they will be able to fulfill this responsibility.

Justice by the People brings the proud heritage of the American jury system directly to your classroom.

*Sixth Amendment: In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

Seventh Amendment:

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

• Identify key ideas and inferences along with text support
• Determine the central idea
• Provide a summary
• Determine the meaning of words
• Trace and evaluate arguments 
• Analyze multiple perspectives
• Organize reasons and evidence in written arguments
• Write conclusions to support arguments
• Write to inform or explain
• Participate in group discussions
• Follow rules for discussions, set goals and deadlines, and define role
• Review ideas from more than one perspective
• Distinguish claims through reason and evidence
• Adapt speech to fit the context of a task

In this second module, students will continue to develop their ability to closely read text while studying the theme of taking a stand. During the first half of Unit 1, students will read two speeches reflecting examples of real people taking a stand. By reading these speeches they will build background knowledge about the module’s overarching theme, engage in a study of the speaker’s perspective, and analyze the craft of forming an argument. In the second half of Unit 1, students will read Part 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and continue to study the theme of taking a stand as it is revealed in the novel. Students will engage in a character study of Atticus by analyzing his actions and words, and what others say about him, to better understand him as a character. This analysis will provide details and evidence for students to use in their end of Unit 2 argument essay. In addition to reading and studying the text, students will view excerpts of the To Kill a Mockingbird film that strongly convey the novel’s themes, and they will analyze how the film remains true to the original text as well as how it veers from the original.In Unit 2, students will continue to study the theme of taking a stand as they finish the novel. They will develop their argument writing skills through scaffolded writing lessons, culminating in a literary analysis essay in which they argue whether or not it made sense, based on Atticus’s character, for him to have taken a stand and defend Tom Robinson. In Unit 3, having finished the novel, students will return to key quotes from the novel that relate to the themes of the Golden Rule and Taking a Stand. Students will form groups to create a Readers Theater montage in which they select one key quote; then they will select scenes from the novel that reveal the message of the quote. Students will recreate these scenes in a Readers Theater structure and provide commentary on how their script remains true and veers from the original text. This Readers Theater final performance task centers on NYSP12 ELA Standards RL.8.2, RL.8.3, W.8.3, W.8.4, and W.8.11b.

Readers Theater and Analytical Commentary: Taking a Stand in Maycomb

After reading To Kill a Mockingbird, students will analyze key quotes from the novel that reflect the overarching themes they studied in Units 1 and 2. Students then will form small groups and develop a Readers Theater script in which each student will select a different critical scene from the novel that develops the theme of their group’s assigned quote. Their group Readers Theater script combines these individual scene selections and will be accompanied by two short written pieces that students will write on their own: a justification (students’ Mid-Unit 3 Assessment) in which students justify and explain how the passage develops the main idea of their group’s quote and a commentary (students’ End of Unit 3 Assessment) in which they explain how their script is a response to To Kill a Mockingbird and how it connects to and diverges from the novel. The final performance task will be a presentation of the Readers Theater Script by the small group. This Readers Theater final performance task centers on NYSP12 ELA Standards RL.8.2, RL.8.3, W.8.3, W.8.4, and W.11b.

In this first unit, students will begin by studying the universal appeal of Shakespeare’s works along with the intriguing question of the authorship of Shakespeare. Students will read informational texts and analyze them for the author’s craft of forming and supporting an argument, as well as how the author structured the text. For the mid-unit assessment, students will read and analyze a complex informational text about the authorship controversy. Students will then begin reading the central text of the module, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As they dive into the text, they will begin to build background knowledge about Shakespeare’s craft and unique use of language. As they read Acts 1, 2, and some of 3 of the play, students will begin to address this module’s overarching thematic concept of “control” by exploring various characters’ motives for trying to manipulate others. In addition, students will support and enhance their reading of the play by analyzing several film clips of the play. For the end of unit assessment, students will analyze differences between a film version of the play and the play itself. Testing during mid April will take away from class time.  Finish up To Kill A  Mockingbird, then work in writer's workshop on editing and reading independently books that students enjoy.  We will also try to fit in A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare. Reading Writing Workshop approach will be implemented during the month of May and finish up in June. 

Continue with Midsummer Night's Dream.  Students will be editing their portfolio pieces for their final 8th grade assessment.   All pieces throughout the year will be "housed" in their own 8th grade portfolio.

Writing

• Provide a summary
• Trace and evaluate arguments 
• Analyze multiple perspectives
• Organize reasons and evidence in written arguments
• Write conclusions to support arguments
• Write to inform or explain

After reading To Kill a Mockingbird, students will analyze key quotes from the novel that reflect the overarching themes they studied in Units 1 and 2. Students then will form small groups and develop a Readers Theater script in which each student will select a different critical scene from the novel that develops the theme of their group’s assigned quote. Their group Readers Theater script combines these individual scene selections and will be accompanied by two short written pieces that students will write on their own: a justification (students’ Mid-Unit 3 Assessment) in which students justify and explain how the passage develops the main idea of their group’s quote and a commentary (students’ End of Unit 3 Assessment) in which they explain how their script is a response to To Kill a Mockingbird and how it connects to and diverges from the novel. The final performance task will be a presentation of the Readers Theater Script by the small group.

8th grade writer's workshop....editing, peer editing, conferencing, celebration of work

Vocabulary

Jury of their peers in court means “equals” or a broad spectrum that represents the population.

Impartiality in court means “with no prejudice” or “free of bias.”

Unbiased in court refers to “absence of bias.”

Chapter 1:  assuaged, apothecary, taciturn, chattel, unsullied, dictum, strictures, dispatched, ambled, detention, dispatched, detachment, repertoire, malevolent, vapid, morbid, nocturnal, stealthy, mutilated, predilection, domiciled, flivver, intimidation, nebulous, transition, concession

Chapter 2: condescended, foray, transaction, apprehensively, indigenous, seceded, catawba, cunning, literate, illicitly, sentimentality, union suit, entailment, scrip stamps, vexations, hilt, subsequent, mortification, similax, uninitiated, sojourn

Chapter 3: onslaught, speculation, dispensation, irked, cordially, expounding, erratic, tranquility, retrieved, sprint, iniquities, flinty, persevere, furor, contentious, condescension, contemptuous, diminutive, dispersed, fraught, monosyllabic, fractious, amiable, crackling bread, compromise, disapprobation, compromise, disapprobation, gravely, aloft, auspicious

Chapter 4: auspicious, evolved, expended, fruitless, wrought, tyranny, unanimous, scuppernongs, ethical, arbitrated, palette, skeetered, reluctantly, mortifying, ritual, phenomena, immune, parceled, Gothic, melancholy, evasion, quelling

Chapter 5: tacit, magisterial, benevolence, communion, incomprehensible, inquisitive, asinine, edification, quibbling

Chapter 6: kudzu, prowess, ramshackle, eerily, dismemberment, malignant, lattice, pilgrimage, desolate

Grammar

noredink.com

Writing exercises

noredink.com

Science

Social Studies

8.6b From 1939 to 1941, the United States government tried to maintain neutrality while providing aid to Britain but was drawn into the war by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States fought a war on multiple fronts. At home, the economy was converted to war production, and essential resources were rationed to ensure adequate supplies for military use.

Ø   Students will examine American involvement in World War II including the American strategy in the Pacific and the invasion of Normandy on D-Day.

Ø   Students will examine the role of the Tuskegee Airmen within the segregated military during World War II.

Ø   Students will investigate the impact of the war on the American economy and day-to-day life.

Ø   Students will examine the decision in Korematsu v. United States (1944) to intern Japanese Americans in light of perceived national security concerns versus constitutional rights.

Ø   Student will examine the role of New Yorkers in World War II, focusing on local institutions such as the Fort Ontario Refugee Center or the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

8.6c The nature and consequences of warfare during World War II transformed the United States and the global community. The damage from total warfare and human atrocities, including the Holocaust, led to a call for an international organization and the protection of human rights.

Ø   Students will examine the role of air power by the allies, including the use of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Ø   Students will investigate the Holocaust and explain the historical significance of the Nuremberg trials.

Ø   Students will examine the structure and work of the United Nations.

Ø   Students will compare and contrast the strategies used by civil rights activists such as Thurgood

Marshall, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X.

Ø   Students will explain the significance of key civil rights victories including President Truman’s desegregation of the military, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954), the Civil Rights Act of

1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Ø   Students will examine the extent to which the economic situation of African Americans improved as a result of the civil rights movement.

8.9b The civil rights movement prompted renewed efforts for equality by women and other groups.

Ø   Students will examine struggles for equality and factors that enabled or limited success on behalf of women, farm workers, Native Americans, the disabled, and the LGBT community.

Ø   Students will examine judicial actions taken to protect individual rights, such as Miranda v. Arizona (1966) and Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969).

Key Idea: Domestic Politics and Reform

(Standards: 1, 4, 5; Themes: TCC, SOC, CIV, ECO)

Text: America: History of our Nation- Chapter 27: The Vietnam Era

8.9c The Great Society programs of President Lyndon Johnson strengthened efforts aimed at reducing poverty and providing health care for the elderly, but the Vietnam War drained resources and divided society.

Ø   Students will explain the difference between Medicare and Medicaid.

Ø   Students will examine the connection between the Vietnam War, especially the draft, and the growth of a counterculture and peace movement.

Key Idea: Domestic Politics and Reform

(Standards: 1, 4, 5; Themes: TCC, SOC, CIV, ECO)

Text: America: History of our Nation- Chapter 28: New Directions for a Nation

8.9d Economic recession during the 1970s and concerns about the growth and size of the federal government encouraged fiscal conservatives to push for changes in regulation and policy.

Ø   Students will examine President Ronald Reagan’s and President George H. W. Bush’s cuts to social programs and taxes in an attempt to stimulate the economy.

Key Idea: Foreign Policy

(Standards: 1, 2, 4, 5; Themes: TCC, GEO, ECO, EXCH)

Text: America: History of our Nation- Chapter 29: Challenges for a New Century

8.7d Terrorist groups not representing any nation entered and reshaped global military and political alliances and conflicts.  American foreign and domestic policies responded to terrorism in a variety of ways.

Ø   Students will examine the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, its impact on national security and the United States responses to it including the USA Patriot Act, the Department of Homeland Security, the War on Terror, and military attacks on suspected terrorist locations.

 8.7e Increased globalization has led to increased economic interdependence and competition.

Ø   Students will examine the increased economic interdependence in terms of globalization and its impact on the United States and New York State economy, including the workforce.

Ø   Students will examine the role of multinational corporations and their influence on the world economy.

Key Idea: Demographic Change

(Standards: 1, 2, 4, 5; Themes: ID, GEO, SOC, GOV,ECO)

Text: America: History of our Nation- Chapter 29: Challenges  for a New Century

8.8b The postwar United States experienced increasing immigration, debates over immigration policy, and an increase in cultural diversity.

Ø   Students will examine migration and immigration trends in New York State and New York City such as the increase in Spanish-speaking, South Asian, East Asian, Middle Eastern, and African populations and the contributions of these groups.

Ø   Students will examine the debates over and the effects of immigration legislation, including recent debates over immigration policy.

8.8c Pollution, population growth, the consumption of natural resources, clearing of land for human sustenance, and large-scale industrialization have put added stress on the global environment.

Ø   Students will explore the impact of pollution, industrialization and population growth on the environment such as urban areas (Love Canal), plant and animal life (Adirondack Park) and energy sources (Three Mile Island).

Key Idea: Domestic Politics and Reform

(Standards: 1, 4, 5; Themes: TCC, SOC, CIV, ECO)

Text: America: History of our Nation- Chapter 29: Challenges for a New Century

8.9e Constitutional issues involving the violation of civil liberties and the role of the federal government are a source of debate in American society.

Ø   Students will examine state and federal responses to gun violence, cyber-bullying, and electronic surveillance.

Mathematics

Mentor Texts

http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/sixth_amendment

http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonplans/americanjustice/intro.htm

Twelve Angry Men