Grade 8
English
Oak Meadow
Coursebook
Oak Meadow, Inc.
Post Office Box 1346
Brattleboro, Vermont 05302-1346
oakmeadow.com
Item #b082010
Grade
8
Contents
Introduction....................................................................... ix
Lesson 1: The Giver, Chapters 1–6................................. 18
Writing About Writing
Reviewing Outlines
Reading is Fundamental!
Lesson 2: The Giver, Chapters 7–11............................... 22
Word Choice
Overdone Phrases & Empty Expressions
Synonym Toast, Part I
Lesson 3: The Giver, Chapters 12–16............................. 25
Prefixes & Suffixes
Synonym Toast, Part II
Lesson 4: The Giver, Chapters 17–23............................. 28
It Is What It Is
Lesson 5: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,
Chapters 1–4............................................................... 31
Adjectives & Adverbs
Comparatives & Superlatives
Requiem for an Apostrophe
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Contents
Grade 8 English
Lesson 6: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,
Chapters 5–13............................................................. 36
Verbs
Dialect & Slang
Onomatopoeia & Alliteration
Clichés
Serious Serials
Lesson 7: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,
Chapters 14–24.......................................................... 39
Personification
Sentence DNA
Lesson 8: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,
Chapters 25–35.......................................................... 43
Prepositions
Between the Lines, Part I
Lesson 9: Lord of the Flies, Chapters 1–2........................ 46
Symbolism
Colons & Semicolons
Parentheses & Dashes
Between the Lines, Part II
Lesson 10: Lord of the Flies, Chapters 3–4...................... 50
Transitions
Don’t Quote Me
Lesson 11: Lord of the Flies, Chapters 5–7...................... 54
Sentence Fragments & Run-Ons
In Parentheses
Lesson 12: Lord of the Flies, Chapters 8–10................... 56
Hyperbole
Semi-Tough
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Contents
Lesson 13: Lord of the Flies, Chapters 11–12................. 60
Parallel Construction
Sic ‘em
Lesson 14: A Wrinkle in Time, Chapters 1–3.................. 63
Foreshadowing
Misplaced & Dangling Modifiers
Literally, Literally!
Lesson 15: A Wrinkle in Time, Chapters 4–5.................. 68
Each of None
Lesson 16: A Wrinkle in Time, Chapters 6–7.................. 71
Sentence Combining
A Case of Pronouns
Lesson 17: A Wrinkle in Time, Chapters 8–10................ 74
Sentence Variety
We Are in Agreement
Lesson 18: A Wrinkle in Time, Chapters 11–12............. 76
Repetition
Stream-of-Consciousness
License to (mis)Spell
Lesson 19: Call of the Wild, Chapters 1–2...................... 80
Tone
Paragraphs
Do You, Like, Like “Like?”
Lesson 20: Call of the Wild, Chapters 3–4...................... 84
Character Development
The Kids Are All Right
Lesson 21: Call of the Wild, Chapters 5–6...................... 87
Another Lot of Bother
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Contents
Grade 8 English
Lesson 22: Call of the Wild, Chapter 7............................ 89
Setting
Among, Between Friends
Lesson 23: Tom Sawyer, Chapters 1–5........................... 93
Plot
Effect an Affect
Lesson 24: Tom Sawyer, Chapters 6–10......................... 98
Dialogue
Point of View
Listen!
Lesson 25: Tom Sawyer, Chapters 11–16..................... 101
Three’s a Crowd
Lesson 26: Tom Sawyer, Chapters 17–24..................... 104
Drafting
Four’s a Crowd
Lesson 27: Tom Sawyer, Chapters 25–30..................... 107
Interviews
Love Letters
Lesson 28: Tom Sawyer, Chapters 31–35..................... 111
Reviews
Galling Gallicisms, Part I
Lesson 29: The Hobbit, Chapters 1–2.......................... 114
Simile & Metaphor
Galling Gallicisms, Part II
Lesson 30: The Hobbit, Chapters 3–4.......................... 117
Limericks & Haiku
If I Were in the Mood
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Grade 8 English
Contents
Lesson 31:The Hobbit, Chapters 5–6........................... 120
Maps
Check Mate
Lesson 32: The Hobbit, Chapters 7–8.......................... 123
Greeting Cards
Tell it Slant
Lesson 33: The Hobbit, Chapters 9–11........................ 126
Word Games
In Your Own Words
Lesson 34: The Hobbit, Chapters 12–14...................... 128
Advertising
Trick and Treat
Lesson 35: The Hobbit, Chapters 15–17...................... 132
Get Back
Lesson 36: The Hobbit, Chapters 18–19...................... 135
News
All the News That Fits
Final Grammar Exam................................................... 139
English Manual...........................................219
Unit I: Spectacular Spelling.......................................... 223
Unit II: Great Grammar................................................ 235
Unit III: Sensational Sentences..................................... 255
Unit IV: Concise Compositions.................................... 271
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Contents
Grade 8 English
Notes
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Social Studies
Science
Math
Extras
Date__________
STUDENT PLANNER
English
Student Planner—Lesson 3
Grade
8
STUDENT PLANNER
Grade
8
Student Planner—Lesson 3
Notes
Date__________
Grade 8
3
Lesson
The Giver, Chapters 12-16
This week we’ll look at the structure of words — their roots, prefixes, and
suffixes. Strunk & White also have a few words to say about style, which
will be helpful as you begin to consider the essay you’ll be writing for The
Giver next week.
Reading
1. Read page 7 in 100 Days.
2.Read Reminders 1-2 in Strunk & White (page 70).
3.Continue reading and taking notes for your essays on The Giver. This
week, read Chapters 12-16. Begin working on the rough drafts of your
responses to the questions about this book.
Vocabulary
abuzz
councilecstatic
placid
admonitioncounsel exempt
seldom
assimilatedaub obsolete
sinuous
assuage distendominous
wry
Assignments
1. Choose five prefixes and five suffixes from page 7 of 100 Days, and,
as described in the exercise, make your own list of words. You do not
need to use all of the prefixes and suffixes listed.
2.Complete the exercise on page 8 of 100 Days. Write a short story
about a real or imaginary trip. Your story should be at least several
paragraphs long, and it should use a healthy selection of words with
prefixes and suffixes.
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Lesson 3
Grade 8 English
The Giver,
Chapters 12–16
(continued)
Synonym Toast, Part II
Last week we discussed the way English acquired new words from Old
Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries, while also retaining English words
that had similar meanings.
The same phenomenon occurred again, on a much greater scale, when
England was invaded by Norman conquerors in 1066. Normandy is a
region in northern France, and the Normans tried to “Frenchify” all of
England and make it part of their empire. Only French was spoken at the
royal court. Law, business, and the arts were also conducted in French.
Eventually, of course, English survived and thrived, but it had absorbed
thousands of French words in the process. Again, many of the Old English
words hung around even as they were joined by new words from French
that meant substantially the same thing. Here is a brief sample:
Old English
French
axe
hatchet
ask
demand
bit
morsel
wishdesire
roomchamber
startcommence
answerrespond
freedomliberty
harddifficult
Social standing played an important role in how these words were used
and adapted. Since the Normans were the conquerors, they, of course,
were the rulers. They lived in castles and manors and lorded it over the
countryside, while the English peasants worked the land. The English
provided the food, and the Normans enjoyed it at table. This is why we
have such different words for some of the meats that we eat, and the
animals from whom that meat comes:
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Grade 8 English
Lesson 3
Old English
French
cow
beef
sheepmutton
calf
veal
deer
venison
pig
pork
The Giver,
Chapters 12–16
(continued)
Although the incredible variety of the English language can cause
confusion and the occasional nervous breakdown, it’s this depth that
gives English its flexibility, resiliency, and colorful character. As we ponder
the daunting word choices we have available to us, we can be thankful
that English has been through hard times in the past and emerged
stronger and more diverse than ever.
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Lesson 3
Grade 8 English
Notes
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Social Studies
Science
Math
Extras
Date__________
STUDENT PLANNER
English
Student Planner—Lesson 4
Grade
8
STUDENT PLANNER
Grade
8
Student Planner—Lesson 4
Notes
Date__________
Grade 8
4
Lesson
The Giver, Chapters 17–23
By the end of this week you should finish reading The Giver. You’ll also
read the first Rule in Strunk & White, which covers forming possessives.
This week’s writing instruction also addresses this topic, and we have a
related exercise for you to complete as well.
Reading
1. Read Rule 1 in Strunk & White (page 1).
2.Finish reading The Giver this week, and submit your essays. The essay
questions appear below.
Vocabulary
augmentimpede malign solace
emphaticincision pastime taut
exquisite languid permeatevigilant
flag [verb]
lethargy
rueful
yearn
Assignments
1. Complete your essay on The Giver. A 2-3 page discussion of at least
three of the questions below is due at the end of this week.
This will be your first “combined essay,” in which you’ll write a single
essay that answers at least three of the given questions. Choose which
questions you’re going to concentrate on, arrange your essay in a clear,
logical manner, and make sure that you address each question. The
overall subject, or “thesis,” of your essay is up to you.
23
Lesson 4
Grade 8 English
The Giver,
Chapters 17–23
(continued)
Note: For each of the three questions you choose, include specific
quotes and examples from the book to help present your thoughts
and feelings. Proofread your answers carefully, making any necessary
corrections. Type or write your final draft in pen, as neatly as possible.
a.What are the responsibilities of citizens of the community
described in this book?
b.How do they compare with the freedoms and responsibilities
you enjoy as a citizen of your community?
c. Why was the giving and receiving of memories both a joyful
and painful thing?
d.Describe Jonas’s slow awakening and disillusionment with
the society in which he lived.
e. What do you think about the way of life in Jonas’s world?
f. Discuss Jonas’s important decision at the end of the book,
and the impact it would have on the whole community.
2.Read this week’s writing instruction, below, and complete the
accompanying exercise.
It Is What It Is
The word it, so small and unassuming, gives us a lot of trouble. It’s no
mistake that Rule #1 in Strunk & White concerns it. Study this rule,
and complete the exercise below. We often have difficulty with the
possessive form of it, because other possessives always use apostrophes.
Therefore, we think, the possessive of it should have one too. But its is a
possessive pronoun, along with mine, yours and theirs, and these do not
use apostrophes.
Apostrophes, much maligned and often abused, have two proper functions.
First, they denote contractions, meaning that one or more letters have been
removed from a word or pair of words. Can’t, won’t, she’ll, I’d, and so forth.
Second, they are used for possessives. The rules for creating possessives
are simple, though they are often misunderstood:
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Grade 8 English
Lesson 4
To create the possessive of a singular noun, add an apostrophe and an s,
no matter what. As Strunk & White point out, this rule holds true even if the
result looks awkward:
Britney Spears’s new album
the ox’s tail
jazz’s fans
Alger Hiss’s autobiography
The Giver,
Chapters 17–23
(continued)
For plural possessives, check the end of the word first. If it ends in s, as
most plural nouns do, simply add an apostrophe:
the cats’ owners
a lovers’ quarrel
the drummers’ salute
my glasses’ lenses
If the plural noun does not end in s, you simply provide one, preceded by
an apostrophe:
the children’s hour
the mice’s hiding places
the men’s room
the oxen’s tails
Remember, however, that it does not follow these rules, because it is not a
noun — it is a pronoun. Thus it only uses an apostrophe as a contraction,
not as a possessive.
Exercise
Fill in each blank below with either its or it’s.
1. The flower opened _________ petals to the sun.
2. _________ not the heat that gets you, _________ the humidity.
3._________ energy spent, the storm died down.
4. _________ time that dog showed us some of _________ tricks.
5. If the stock market continues _________ slide, _________ possible
there will be a recession.
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Lesson 4
Grade 8 English
Notes
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Social Studies
Science
Math
Extras
Date__________
STUDENT PLANNER
English
Student Planner—Lesson 23
Grade
8
STUDENT PLANNER
Grade
8
Student Planner—Lesson 23
Notes
Date__________
Grade 8
23 Lesson
Tom Sawyer, Chapters 1–5
This week you will begin reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark
Twain. Your writing assignment for this book will be more creative than
usual and, we hope, more fun. You’ll be inventing a new story for the
characters of this book! This assignment will be due in Lesson 28, and is
described in full there (page 112), but please note that this is not the short
story assignment that you started working on in Lesson 20. That story,
for which you have already created a character and setting, will be all your
own. Your Tom Sawyer assignment, on the other hand, will be a new scene
or incident involving characters and settings from Mark Twain’s novel.
Keep your dictionary handy as you read this book. Mark Twain is writing
about young people, and largely for young people, but he loves to use
big words! This is part of Twain’s charm as a humorist — he writes about
plainspoken folks in a rural setting, but uses formal language to talk
about it. The contrast is Twain’s voice, the sound of his narrator telling you
the story, and it’s a major element of his style. It will also provide you an
excellent opportunity to learn many new vocabulary words!
Your literary focus this week will be on plot,
and you’ll start work on a plot for the
character and setting you created in earlier
lessons. Finally, you’ll complete an exercise
in connection with this week’s writing
instruction.
Mark Twain (1835–1910)
Samuel Langhorne Clemens grew up along
the banks of the Mississippi River in Missouri,
amid the river rats, slave traders, and
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Lesson 23
Grade 8 English
Tom Sawyer,
Chapters 1–5
(continued)
steamboat captains. After apprenticing for his hometown newspaper as
a typesetter, he sought and received his own steamboat pilot’s license in
1859. He worked up and down the river until the outbreak of the Civil
War.
He traveled extensively throughout the 1860s, visiting the western United
States, the Mediterranean region, Europe, and the Middle East. In 1871,
Clemens and his wife Olivia settled in Hartford, Connecticut, where his
house can still be visited today.
Around 1863, Clemens chose his pen-name from the arena that he loved
best: the Mississippi River steamboats. In order to measure the depth of
the water in the river, riverboatmen would drop a sounding line from the
deck, and call out the resulting measurement. Two fathoms, or approximately twelve feet, was considered safe depth for a riverboat. Thus, “mark
twain” (or two) was a familiar cry.
Twain’s first published work was the short story The Celebrated Jumping Frog
of Calaveras County, which appeared in the New York Saturday Press in 1865.
This launched a career of humorous articles, letters, editorials, and stories
which appeared in many national periodicals. He loved to travel and write
travelogues: Innocents Abroad (1867) and Roughing It (1872) are his most
popular pieces of travel literature.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published in 1876, drawing on his childhood
in Missouri. The book also introduced the character of Huckleberry Finn,
whose own novel, published in 1883, is Twain’s most enduring work. (Oak
Meadow students read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in Tenth Grade
English.) Other important works include The Prince and the Pauper (1882)
and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889).
Twain had been born in 1835, a year during which Halley’s Comet had
made one of its periodic visits near Earth. In 1909, he had this to say: “I
came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I
expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life
if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt:
‘Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together,
they must go out together.’”
Mark Twain died on April 21, 1910.
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Grade 8 English
Lesson 23
Reading
Tom Sawyer,
Chapters 1–5
1. Read pages 58-59 in 100 Days.
(continued)
2.Read pages 43-45 in Strunk & White.
3.For the next six weeks, you will be reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
You will be asked to write about this book in Lesson 28. This week,
read Chapters 1-5. Take special note of the way various characters are
portrayed through their speech and actions. If you wish, turn ahead
to Lesson 28 (page 112) to study the writing assignment, so that you
may keep it in mind as you read.
Vocabulary
adamantinebight effect
mien
affect
construe effeminaterestive
alacrity
covet
august
edifice facetioustwain
evanescentsagacity
Assignments
1. Review the character and setting you have created as part of the
groundwork for your short story.
2.In connection with your short story, complete the “Create a Plot”
assignment on page 59 of 100 Days. Include as much detail as you
can, keeping in mind that you have already determined a setting and
a main character, which may limit the kind of plot that will work.
(If your main character is a mermaid, for example, will a setting in
the jungle and a plot that involves flying to the moon actually fit
together?)
Outline your plot, including an introduction, main conflict, climax,
and resolution. Add as many details as you can. This will help you
considerably when it is time to write the story in Lesson 26. Doing a
skimpy job this week will make your work much more difficult later!
3. Read the writing instruction below, and complete the accompanying
exercise.
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Lesson 23
Grade 8 English
Tom Sawyer,
Chapters 1–5
(continued)
Effect an Affect
Effect and affect are two very troublesome words in English, and both are
often used incorrectly. Why is this? Is it because one is a verb and the
other is a noun, and we get them mixed up? In fact, the situation is worse
than that: Either word can be used as a noun or a verb. In a way, then, this
gives us four meanings to disentangle.
Look up these words in your dictionary. You will find that effect is more
common as a noun, while affect is almost always used as a verb. The other
meanings, however, are just as valid and they have a hand in causing the
confusion. Here are some sample sentences to help you keep them clear:
affect (verb)
Let’s go inside; the cold is starting to affect me.
His gift was generous and affected her in a peculiar way.
affect (noun)
His face was unfamiliar and showed a peculiar affect.
This affect of his, of pretending to be blind, was tiresome.
effect (verb)
By lowering prices, the company hopes to effect an increase in sales.
A great many positive changes have been effected by the efforts of science.
effect (noun)
Let’s go inside; the cold is having an effect on me.
The effects of this calamity are still being felt.
Overall, the distinction to remember is that affect is the doing, and effect
is the result of the doing. You affect a soccer ball when you kick it, but you
effect a goal because the goal is the result of the kicking.
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Grade 8 English
Exercise
Fill in each blank below with either affect or effect.
1. His personality has begun to __________ events.
Lesson 23
Tom Sawyer,
Chapters 1–5
(continued)
2.In satire, physical attributes are often exaggerated for comic
__________.
3.This telepathy machine can __________ the dreams of people miles
away.
4.I’m afraid his sour mood will __________ a general exodus from our
party.
5.All of this trauma has had a terrible __________ on my sinuses.
6.Asking biased questions can __________ the results of your survey.
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Lesson 23
Grade 8 English
Notes
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Social Studies
Science
Math
Extras
Date__________
STUDENT PLANNER
English
Student Planner—Lesson 24
Grade
8
STUDENT PLANNER
Grade
8
Student Planner—Lesson 24
Notes
Date__________
Grade 8
24 Lesson
Tom Sawyer, Chapters 6–10
Continuing our study of the art of story, we focus this week on the
mechanics of storytelling: dialogue and point of view. The first involves
how your characters speak and what they say, and the second involves
whose story is being told. Do we get only one character’s side of the story,
a couple, or everyone’s? Both dialogue and point of view are important in
getting the story across to your readers in the way you want to tell it. Your
choices about the point of view you’re going to use, and how you’re going
to write dialogue, should come early on in the writing process, since they’ll
determine much of how your story sounds and fits together. So, you’ll get
a chance this week to experiment with some dialogue and point-of-view
writing of your own. This experience will help you with your Tom Sawyer
writing assignment as well as with your own short story.
Reading
1. Read pages 60-63 in 100 Days, paying special attention to the rules
for punctuating dialogue and the way dialogue gives information
about a character.
2.You may wish to review the passage on Quotations in Strunk & White
(pages 36-37), but it is not required.
3.Read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Chapters 6-10.
Vocabulary
caterwaul expectorateodious stolid
cogitate
faze
escapadeferule
portentoussublimity
quail upbraid
evocativemiscreantscrawlvagrant
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Lesson 24
Grade 8 English
Tom Sawyer,
Chapters 6–10
(continued)
Assignments
1. Write one page of dialogue that involves the main character you have
created for your short story. Be sure to follow the rules of punctuation
for dialogue. In Lesson 26, you can decide whether or not to use
this conversation in your story, instead of or in addition to other
conversations you may want to include.
Alternatively, you may do the writing assignment given with this week’s
writing instruction, below. You may choose to do one or the other, or
both, as you wish.
2.Do the assignment on page 63 of 100 Days, writing at least several
paragraphs. Use the main character, setting, and plot that you have
already developed for your short story. Perhaps you would like to
write this episode so that it can fit in easily with the other scenes you
create for your story when it finally comes together in Lesson 26.
That will be up to you.
Listen!
As a creative writer, one of the most important skills to learn is that of
writing dialogue. Through this week’s assignment in Writing for 100 Days,
you have already learned how to punctuate dialogue. But what should
your characters say? In prose, you strive for clear sentences, evocative
imagery, and powerful symbolism. But in dialogue, you want your characters’ speech to sound authentic. That is, the character’s words should
paint a clear picture of the character’s personality, background, and
heritage. Look at this exchange from Sam Shepard’s play Tooth of Crime:
142
HOSS:
Ya know I had a feeling you were comin’ this way.
A sense. I was onto a Gypsy pattern early yesterday.
Even conjured going that way myself.
CROW:
Cold, Leathers. Very icy. Back seat nights. Tuck and
roll pillow time. You got fur on the skin in this trunk.
HOSS:
Yeah, yeah. I’m just gettin’ bored I guesss. I want out.
CROW:
I pattern a conflict to that line. The animal says no.
Oak Meadow
Grade 8 English
Lesson 24
The blood won’t go the route. Re-do me right or wrong?
HOSS:
Right I guess. Can’t you back the language up, man.
I’m too old to follow the flash.
CROW:
Choose an argot Leathers. Singles or LPs. 45, 78,
331/3.
Tom Sawyer,
Chapters 6–10
(continued)
In this play, Crow and Hoss are rock stars with a long history of touring,
jamming, and substance abuse. Their speech reflects the legends,
traditions, and metaphors of the rock music scene that they have lived in.
They would not speak with perfect English grammar, and probably could
not. In fact, they come from different eras and even have difficulty
understanding each other. The playwright, who certainly does speak with
perfect English grammar, wrote their dialogue to sound like them, not him.
Similarly, you have probably noticed that the characters in Tom Sawyer
sound nothing like the narrator. Mark Twain, in his role as narrator of the
story, uses formal language, big words, and a dry tone. But his characters,
especially the boys, speak nothing like this. It’s doubtful they would even
know what he’s talking about! Twain has faithfully recreated the speech of
boys of that age and era, and so his dialogue sounds wholly authentic.
How do you learn to do this? Like creative writing in general, it is a
discipline studied over the course of a writer’s life, but the first step
is simple: Listen! Listen to what people say; not only what they mean,
but what phrases they use, what figures of speech, how their sentences
are structured, and even their accent. Do they start and stop a lot before
getting to the end of a sentence? Do they use certain phrases over and
over again? Do they have a funny way of pronouncing or inflecting words?
Do they know the rules of grammar, or only pretend to? The more
accurately you listen to what people are really saying, the more genuine
and lifelike your dialogue will become.
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Lesson 24
Grade 8 English
Tom Sawyer,
Chapters 6–10
(continued)
144
Assignment
Eavesdrop on a conversation, and then write it down. We’re not asking
you to invade anyone’s privacy! But listen to a short exchange at the dinner
table, in the supermarket, at the park, or anywhere people are talking.
(TV doesn’t count — it has to be unscripted speech!) When you get home,
write down what was said, as accurately as you can. You may even choose
to record the conversation, if possible, to aid your memory. Reproduce
a conversation of one-half to one page, and send it to your teacher. You
can do this assignment either in addition to or instead of your one-page dialogue assignment.
Oak Meadow