ScoutTN Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 Assume an academically strong class (school, not homeschool). What are your top three picks? Or your kids’ top three?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraBeth475 Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 Little Women or Treasure Island The Diary of a Young Girl The Giver 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffeineandbooks Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 Surely there's gotta be a Shakespeare title in there. Othello? Macbeth? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted May 17, 2021 Author Share Posted May 17, 2021 7 hours ago, caffeineandbooks said: Surely there's gotta be a Shakespeare title in there. Othello? Macbeth? For 8th, I like something light. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egao_gakari Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 Thinking back on my 8th (and summer reading before 9th) at a public school known for ELA rigor: -Of Mice and Men -Midsummer Night's Dream -To Kill a Mockingbird 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrymum Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 To Kill a Mockingbird Beowulf, the Warrior Pride and Prejudice 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 Murder on the Orient Express - I love Agatha Christie's intelligent writing. No smut, no junk, not depressing. The Importance of Being Earnest - Hilarious! Most 8th graders will appreciate the type of humor, I think. Around the World in 80 Days or Journey to the Center of the Earth - I love the vocabulary and intelligent writing. The Hobbit - Why not? I really like to avoid depressing books in 8th grade. It's typically a hard time emotionally. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 (edited) Have you heard of Michael Dirda's “The Knowledge Most Worth Having” https://www.google.com/amp/s/douggeivett.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/michael-dirda-on-the-knowledge-most-worth-having/amp/ Dirda’s criterion—the test he uses in deciding which authors and which works are most rewarding for the reader who would attain a knowledge of the world’s literature—is simple. Devote yourself to those works “that later authors regularly build on, allude to, work against.” Dirda does not elaborate on the principle, except to bestow a name on works that meet this condition; they are “the great patterning works.” ... Before I reveal the list, I want to ask, again, what is the point of the list? It is to commend works with the potential to crack open the world of great literature. These works have this power because other authors have built on them, alluded to them, and worked against them. Edited May 29, 2021 by Hunter 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medawyn Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 My favorite books to teach in 8th grade? To Kill a Mockingbird Ender’s Game The Book Thief Macbeth I miss teaching middle school! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rutheart Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 Much Ado About Nothing: This is a fantastic springboard for a discussion about rumors. Ender's Game: You can have a discussion about children's intelligence not being respected by most adults, but also the difference between intelligence and wisdom. I don't think kids at this age understand why their thoughts get so frequently dismissed by adults, and adults seldom take the time to explain it to them. For the third book, I might do a Sherlock Holmes, discuss forensics (and how literature influences science), and maybe even watch an episode of a tv show with modern forensics. I might read an Agatha Christie short story as well and have a good discussion about foreshadowing vs red herrings. I think it would be fun to let 8th graders take a stab at writing mysteries and, if time allowed, have peer feedback before and after the story endings are written. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 (edited) In case others are following this thread, and don't see that there is a X-post on the Logic Board, here are some to f the ideas from that X-post: _______________________The Outsiders, The Yearling, The Giver _______________________Maybe Watership Down, Anne of Green Gables, and Twelfth Night? _______________________ if looking for traditional classics, I would select 3 from the following traditional classics that are frequently done in 8th grade: American - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain) -- novel - To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee) -- novel - The Outsiders (Hinton) -- short novel - Call of the Wild (London) -- novella - The Old Man and the Sea (Hemingway) -- novella - Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury) -- longer novella British - A Christmas Carol (Dickens) -- longer novella - Jane Eyre (Bronte) -- novel - Animal Farm (Orwell) -- short novella - something by HG Wells (The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, War of the Worlds) -- longer novella to shorter novel - something by Shakespeare -- play And if strong readers/discussers, then maybe expand to include 1 or more traditional classics done by 9th graders: - The Odyssey (Homer) -- long epic in translation - Beowulf (anonymous) -- novella-length epic poem in translation - Great Expectations (Dickens) -- novel - Frankenstein (Shelley), paired with Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Stevenson) -- shorter novel + longer novella - Things Fall Apart (Achebe) -- novel Other works to consider including: - a unit of classic short stories (very useful for building literary analysis and discussion skills) - a highly discussion-able contemporary YA book - a highly discussion-able contemporary nonfiction book - middle-school level good lit. from World authors Edited May 31, 2021 by Lori D. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted June 8, 2021 Author Share Posted June 8, 2021 Thanks, y’all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 1 hour ago, ScoutTN said: Thanks, y’all. Well... You know you need to tell us what the final decision is... 😉 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 On 5/17/2021 at 7:37 AM, ScoutTN said: For 8th, I like something light. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. or As You Like It 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted June 8, 2021 Author Share Posted June 8, 2021 (edited) 10 hours ago, Lori D. said: Well... You know you need to tell us what the final decision is... 😉 I was making recommendations to my son’s English teacher for next year. When I asked for the reading list, she said it was still in process and what were three books I’d like to have the class read. Very hard to choose only three! I picked Treasure Island, To Kill a Mockingbird, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I also put in a vote for something fantasy - The Hobbit or A Wrinkle in Time. I think Animal Farm was next on my list bc I know my Ds would enjoy it. Edited June 8, 2021 by ScoutTN 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 Just FYI - Animal Farm was voted as #1 in my middle school lit class 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porridge Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 4 hours ago, lmrich said: Just FYI - Animal Farm was voted as #1 in my middle school lit class My kids loved Animal Farm! They still quote it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted June 8, 2021 Author Share Posted June 8, 2021 6 hours ago, lmrich said: Just FYI - Animal Farm was voted as #1 in my middle school lit class I think they appreciate satire! 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenecho Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 To Kill a Mockingbird The Hunger Games (yes, even in an academically rigorous school...that series has so much depth even if you can only do the first one). The Hobbit or My Side of the Mountain (to balance out the other two with something more uplifting). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 DD really enjoyed The Giver last year. It definitely made her think. She also enjoyed Walk Two Moons, but I don't think it belongs on this particular list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.