Literature Information

English 8 Reading and Video Information

The following information is provided to inform you about the reading selections and videos used in English 8. All novels are highly recommended and provide a wealth of activities and discussions for the students.

A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck: This is a heartwarming novel about a young man growing up in the 1930s in rural Vermont. The story has humor and sadness as he faces difficult situations in his young life. The novel contains very minor profanity and occurs only a few times. Some situations in the novel deal with life and death. (This is an alternate choice that may or may not be used during the year.)

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: This is a good “who done it.” Students will become increasingly suspicious of the characters in the novel. There are many activities during this unit.

Night by Elie Wiesel: This is a powerful book chronicling the survival of a young 15 year boy as he moves through concentration camps during WWII. This true story allows the reader to experience the pain and suffering of concentration camp inmates. Minor profanity occurs and some situations require sensitivity from the reader.

Two new novels have been added this year to the eighth grade curriculum: Ghost of Spirit Bear , which is the sequel to the summer reading assignment, and Stargirl.

Students will read a wide variety of short story selections from our textbook. These selections will be the basis for writing assignments and other activities as assigned.

Videos are used either as introduction or closure to a unit. Students will often times have a writing assignment connected to the video. They are used as supplementary materials to bolster a particular area of study.