Memory and Memoirs

 

8th Grade English with Mr. Kim

 

Syllabus

8th Grade Vocabulary

First Trimester

Summer Reading - 8th grade

A Separate Peace

The Alchemist

The Secret Life of Bees

Second Trimester

Book Review

Gathering of Old Men

House on Mango Street

Third Trimester

Memoirs Project

Taming of the Shrew

Essential Questions

Our English class in the 8th Grade will be dominated by the year-long Memoir Project. As a result, we will spend a lot of time thinking about issues of identity, self-expression, and memory in our texts. As you read these stories, ask yourself these questions:

1. What does it mean to grow up? What’s the difference between childhood and maturity?
2. How does the historical background of our lives deepen and influence our personal histories?
3. How do personal symbols and metaphors give us the power to understand and cope with what is going on?
4. What are some of the difficulties in remembering the past or in finding the truth of the past?
5. How can we be unique individuals yet still part of a larger community? How do we deal with the expectations of others? What are some of the masks we hide behind when we deal with others? How do you know what is the real you?

As we discuss these themes in the literature, I will ask you to write your own stories and reflections, which you will compile into a portfolio throughout the year. As the year progresses, I will ask you to choose the best of these pieces and expand, revise, and polish them for your final memoir collection. At the end of the year, you will read a portion of your memoir to friends and family in a final ceremony recognizing all the hard work you will have put into this project.

I truly hope you put your heart and soul into your memoirs. As you race toward concluding your time in the Middle School, you should use this class as an opportunity to reflect on what it has all meant, who you’ve become, and where you now want to go.  I hope it will make you think deeply about who you really are and what is important to you, and realize that reading and writing can be powerful tools in helping you figure your life out.

Your memoir will be a physical representation of this process and its conclusions, so take it seriously and take care with it. You want to end up with something that truly reflects who you are this year — something you can be proud of.

Student Blogs

What Should Be On Your Blogs:

1. Personal Symbol Picture
2. Juried Art Show Story
3.