English 8 is a course in the correct use of the English language in writing and reading comprehension.  The specific areas covered include: study of various forms of literature, vocabulary enrichment, and composition with attendant study in grammar, usage, and mechanics. Fall Semester: Short Stories   The student will examine the short story as a literary form as he reads the majority of the stories in this unit.  Vocabulary words will again come from the selections.  Each pupil will write a short story of his own.  Grammar work will be comprised of review of the semester with a particular focus on the sentence base (subject/verb/complement). Non-Fiction   The different types of literature and categories of non-fiction will be examined in this unit.  Selections will be read noting new vocabulary, and discussion will concern views and ideas which emerge.  Different types of non-fiction will be written by the students focusing mainly on autobio-graphical response to various topics.  Grammar work for the remainder of the semester will focus on problem areas in writing skills.   Drama   This unit will consist of the reading of The Diary of Anne Frank.  Student’s group work will be the primary class structure and class discussion will focus on dramatic presentation and ethical questions occasioned by the content of the play.  Writing exercises will center around the writing of creative journal entries, and vocabulary words will be found in the selections.   Spring Semester Research Paper   This unit is primarily devoted to the preparation, organization, and writing of the two to three page research paper.  Mechanical skills will be sharpened as the student editor reads for errors in punctuation, spelling, and capitalization and as he looks for problems in usage.   The Novel   This unit will involve the reading and analyzing of the novel Let the Circle Be Unbroken, by Mildred Taylor.     Learning Materials of the Course                    A.             Textbooks:   1.              Prentice Hall: Pearson 2.              Sadlier Oxford’s Vocabulary Workshop-Level C   3.              Grammar for Writing. (Fourth course) Sadlier Oxford                    B.              Audiovisual Materials   1.              Video tapes such as The Diary of Anne Frank and Charley will enrich the study of these works as literature.   2.              The video tape of School House Rock’s Grammar Rock will be used to enrich the study of parts of speech.