1. 8TH GRADE ENGLISH
SCHOOL MATERIALS
Samantha Rodríguez
Seminar EDPE4019 -001
Dr. Aníbal Muñoz Claudio

2. CONVERSATION WITH THE 8TH GRADE
ENGLISH TEACHER
 My conversation with Mrs. Ortiz (the 8th grade English teacher)
from the school S.U. Carlos Zayas in San Lorenzo concerning
the materials she uses for her class was very interesting. She
informed me that she does utilize the textbooks sent by the
Department of Education in Puerto Rico. However, she finds that
complementary work books are necessary which she is supplied
with by the school’s library. According to her, the assigned
books are not too difficult for the students but they are very
repetitive and monotonous not only for students but for the
teacher as well. Students do not find any pertinence to English
textbooks either, they complete the exercises because the class
requires it.

3. CONVERSATION WITH THE 8TH GRADE
ENGLISH TEACHER
 As for the teaching strategies she finds most helpful for the
student’s improvement in their conversational skills, students are
asked certain questions of topics they are most interested in so
that they feel more comfortable and open to speaking in public .
Oral reports are also very common in the classroom with the
same objective in mind.

4. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
TEXTBOOK
Scholastic Read XL for 8th Grade
Mrs. Ortiz uses this book for her
students because it covers many areas.
It also helps students learn how to
practice and improve in certain skills
independently. This book is very
important because it reinforces
learner’s writing and grammar, reading
skills, vocabulary, comprehension,
analysis of words, language support
for students who use English as their
second language, among others.

5. COMPLEMENTARY TEXTBOOKS
Grammar in Context 2 (3rd Edition)
by: Sandra N. Elbaum
This book mixes grammar with the
American culture and includes: activities
that permit students to speak with each
other and improve their communicating
skills , exercises that help students get
better in their grammar and writing skills,
and language structure is better explained
with the use of charts and notes specifically
about grammar . Students also learn how
to listen and comprehend reading selections
in order to successfully answer questions
from cassettes, etc.

6. INDEX

7. INDEX

8. INDEX

9. INDEX

10. COMPLEMENTARY TEXTBOOKS
Writers Express:
A Handbook for: Young
Writers, Thinkers, And
Learners
This book is used specifically for
students to develop better writing
skills because the teacher frequently
asks them to write essay paragraphs
in class.

11. INDEX

12. INDEX

13. INDEX

14. COMPLEMENTARY BOOKS
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The novel that the 8th grade group is
currently reading is called Dracula
by Bram Stoker. Mrs. Ortiz chose
this book because it is an
opportunity to expose her students to
the different kinds of literature, it
gives them practice in their reading
skills and she thought that it would
be a topic they would be interested
in.

15. OTHER TEACHING MATERIALS
 Power Point presentations are used as another way of
teaching students a certain topic. Students like being taught
in different ways.

16. USE OF WEBSITES
The English teacher informed me that besides her use of text
books and novels in the class, she uses websites that seem
helpful to the students such as:
 Englishforeveryone.org – This website is used the most by the
teacher because it includes worksheets that have to do with
topics from the class and are good to determine whether or not
students understand the material.
 Superteachers.com
 Workplace.com