Eighth grade is a transition year, as grandchildren prepare to make the leap to high school. But there's still a lot of work to do in middle school: According to the California Department of Education, eighth-graders should read one million words this year, from a variety of sources, including novels, newspapers, magazines, and websites. Much of the literature students read for English class in eighth grade features themes of individuality and personal identity. Poetry is also an important genre in eighth grade. By the end of the year, your grandchildren should be able to identify terms such as
ballad,
lyric,
couplet,
epic,
elegy,
ode, and
sonnet. (You can get a refresher on these terms
here.) Teachers expect student writers to be able to compose clear, coherent, and focused essays in each of the following styles:
narrative (storytelling),
expository (explaining),
persuasive (arguing), and
descriptive (describing). Every piece of writing should show an awareness of students' purpose and their audience. Essays at this grade level should also include formal introductions, properly-cited supporting evidence, and well-thought-out conclusions.
Instant Bibliographies. Composing bibliography entries for research papers is one of eighth-grade writers' least-favorite and most time-consuming tasks. But new online programs such as
NoodleTools make the task simple. Students using NoodleTools simply type the source information into the program, and the online software creates a properly composed citation automatically. Some educators believe students using the program ought to do this work on their own, to learn how to do it properly. Others, however, welcome the program as a huge time-saver that allows students to focus on conducting research rather than worrying about how to cite it.
• Keep a copy of
The Norton Anthology of Poetry (W. W. Norton, 2005) on your bookshelf; you'll always have classic poetry at hand, and you can share new and old favorites with your grandchildren.
• Homework can pile up for eighth-graders, and they may need some advice on managing their time to avoid being overwhelmed. Share
these tips from the National Education Association with your grandchildren to help them stay on task at home.
The Power of Letters. Writing formal business letters is part of the eighth-grade English curriculum. This may be a completely new way of communicating for grandchildren who have corresponded via email and text messages for years, but it's a critical skill for anyone who hopes to enter the working world someday. Use your experience writing formal letters to help your grandchildren to compose their letters and persuade them that doing it the right way is worth the trouble.
Are You Sold? Study the art of persuasion with your grandchildren by looking over a variety of print advertisements or TV commercials with them. Consider with students the target audience for each print ad or commercial, discuss whether marketers made the best word choices, and decide whether the chosen images support the message. Compare and contrast ads aimed at teens and those aimed at seniors. Ask your grandchildren to point out the similarities and the differences, and decide together. which ads are most effective at persuading consumers. Remind your grandchildren to borrow from these models in their own persuasive writing assignments.
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