This year the Grade 8s and 9s will take English together. The English program for Grade 8 and 9 is designed to build upon skills and knowledge that students have acquired in the first year or two of junior high. Students will be working together during most lessons but will sometimes be separated by grade level to complete certain activities.
For the first week or so students in Grades 8 and 9 will be completing initial reading and writing assessments and will be reviewing some topics (paragraph writing, reading comprehension, etc.).
After this, we will be completing our first novel study. The book we will be reading is called "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. This is a very interesting book about a seemingly "perfect" society. A film adaptation has recently opened up in theatres. I think we will be having some very interesting discussions about the themes in this book. :)