Challenge English 8 I use the Campus Gradebook to describe the current units in my classes.  Please go to the student portal on Campus to view your son or daughter's assignments and current grade.  Please email me at shirley.holm@spps.org if you have any questions.  I will respond to your email! Thanks! Shirley Holm Current Unit: Individual Power--Short Story and Drama Focus The first unit of 8th grade challenge English focuses on the question:  How does the exercise of individual power impact our world?  We will investigate this question by reading various short stories and dramas that present themes related to power and justice in the world.  Students will read, write, and discuss these issues while learning about the essential elements of the short story and drama genres.   Homework Power Unit:    Culminating Writing Project In this unit, we will read, write, and talk about the idea of power and examples of power struggles in narrative fiction.  We will see that power struggles can exist with parents, peers, or teachers and how political power can change everyday life in a country.  We will read different stories and plays about issues of power and study those stories for how they were written to give us ideas about how we might write our own stories or plays. Your assignment is to develop a polished fictional piece of writing that explores issues of power and power struggles.  This piece will be written in either a short story or drama form and will incorporate the essential elements of these genres.  You will continue to develop and revise this draft until it is a finished piece of writing.  See our class rubric for clear expectations of how your writing will be assessed. THE FINAL PIECE: •    The final paper is due at the end of this unit, which is during the first week of November.  The exact date will be announced as we get closer to that time. •    You must write an authors’ statement along with your final piece of creative fiction. This authors’ statement will discuss why you selected the genre you did—short story or drama.