October Syllabus

 

8th Grade ELAR Syllabus: October 2025

Course: 8th Grade English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR)

Teacher: Rebekah Laszlo School: Ser Niños Middle School  

Contact / Hours of availability: rlaszlo@serninos.org         Mon.-Thurs. 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Weekly Grading Breakdown

Student success in 8th Grade ELAR is determined by assessment that values both consistent effort and mastery of key skills.

Daily Grade	40%	Assignments completed in class, homework, short quizzes, journal entries, close reading annotations, and drafts. These check for understanding and practice.
Major Grade	50%	Comprehensive assessments of unit mastery, including formal essays, large-scale projects, and unit exams.
Participation	10%	Active, respectful engagement in class discussions, group work, collaborative activities. *scored according to the rubric below.

2. October Unit Focus

This month, we focus on Unit 3: Places We Call Home: analyzing how location, culture, and personal aspirations shape identity. We will use the designated HMH texts as mentor pieces to develop our understanding of this topic, and culminate the unit with a creative writing project. The Ser Niños Middle School theme for this month is Careers, which will be integrated into weekly lessons and classroom display projects.

Instructional Focus	Key Skills & Concepts	Major Grade Due
Career Exploration & Planning Introduction	Analyzing personal strengths, exploring interesting high-demand career fields, setting educational/career goals, research skills.	Oct 3: Career Interest Inventory
Analyzing Conflict & Cultural Identity	Reading: “My Favorite Chaperone” by Jean Davies Okimoto (Mentor Text).  Library Activity: Introduction to Dewey Decimal System & Non-Fiction Exploration (Focus: 300s Social Sciences—Immigration/Culture).	Oct 10: Summarizing My Favorite Chaperone
Narrative Structure & Voice	Reading: from The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez. Analyzing narrative perspective, mood, pacing, and dialogue.  Library Activity: Using Dewey to Trace Linguistic Roots (Focus: 400s Language—Exploring different languages mentioned in the novel).	Oct 17: The Book of Unknown Americans Literary Analysis Essay
Short Story Project: Pre-writing & Drafting	Short story writing workshop: Planning narrative arc, developing complex characters, effective use of figurative language.	Oct 24: Project Rough Draft & Peer Review
Short Story Project: Revision & Submission	Editing for grammar and mechanics, revising for voice and clarity, final polish. Introduction to Career Planning Next Steps (Résumé/Interview Basics).	Oct 31: Final Short Story Writing Project

This syllabus is subject to minor adjustments based on student needs and instructional pacing. 

*Participation Rubric	Basic  0-1 points	Intermediate 2-3 points	Advanced   3-4 points
Safe	Actions are often inappropriate for the classroom setting. Throws objects often. Engages in physical play.	Actions are occasionally appropriate for the classroom setting. Occasionally throws objects.. Engages in physical play.	Actions are consistently appropriate for the classroom setting.
Respectful	Participation is often disruptive, rude, or nonexistent. Frequently interrupts.  Rarely listens. Uses vulgar or insulting language	Participates adequately in class discussions. Listens but may sometimes interrupt. Usually refrains from vulgar or insulting language	Consistently participates constructively in class discussions. Consistently listens. Consistently refrains from vulgar or insulting language.
Responsible	Rarely or never completes assignments. Submits work of very low quality.  Rarely contributes to pair or group work, often relying on others to do work.	Completes most assignments but may be inconsistent.  Contributes to pair and group work, but may need reminders to stay on task or to fully participate.	Consistently completes all assignments on time and to a high standard.  Consistently contributes to all pair and group work.